Distributing your application through BlackBerry App World

Now that we have everything coded, tested, polished, localized, and signed, we're ready to do what we set out to do from the very beginning, GET PAID! In order to do that, however, you have to sell the application to somebody. There are several avenues through which you can do this, but one of the best is to use the BlackBerry App World store. Now, this isn't to say that there aren't other great services out there. You should sell your application through as many different channels as possible. The BlackBerry App World though offers many advantages that make it easy for a user to use and purchase an application through, so we will focus on that first.

It does have one major disadvantage though, and that is the $200.00 that it takes to get registered. The fee is actually $20.00 per application that you submit, but they require that you purchase a package of ten at a time so once your vendor account is set up, you will be able to submit ten applications to the store. Hopefully, your applications sell well enough to recover that $200.00 investment!

To get started we must sign up and register as a vendor with the BlackBerry App World at https://appworld.blackberry.com/isvportal/home/login.seam?cid=2 5 0514 by clicking on the sign up link or the Get Started button on the page. In true RIM fashion, you have to go through two legal agreements, both of which have scripting that forces you to scroll to the end of the agreement before you can check the I agree checkbox on that page. The first is a Research In Motion agreement but the second is for some other company called Digital River—a company that handles all of the sales transactions, so if you don't plan to sell your application, you don't need to complete the second agreement.

The next two pages are standard forms to collect your information and create an account. The page after that is where things get interesting. Just like any retail website, the next page is where you provide payment information followed up by a confirmation page. The payment information must use the PayPal service and no other methods are supported. This is because the PayPal account is used to both pay your fees and also to deposit any monies collected through the sale of your applications. PayPal has its own set of fees as well, but eliminates the need for any kind of credit card merchant accounts or for you to share bank account information with anyone else as well.

Once the vendor application is submitted it can take a few days to get set up, but the process is usually done in less than the ten days they suggest. You will also receive an e-mail asking for legal documentation that will need to be faxed as well. Overall, the process is pretty easy though.

Source of Information : Packt - BlackBerry Java Application Development Beginners Guide 2010