Is An Apps Store For BlackBerrys In The Works?

The answer to that question would be a big, fat yes. But the store isn't coming from Research In Motion, nor RIM's carrier partners. Instead, it is coming from a third-party vendor and, of all things, an enthusiast Web site.We've used CrackBerry.com as a source for many stories. The guys at CrackBerry.com are addicted to the mobile e-mail devices from RIM, and have gone to great lengths to provide breaking news about the developments coming out of Waterloo.

Well, now there's breaking news coming from San Mateo, Calif. MobiHand has "built an on-device app store for BlackBerry smartphones through a partnership with CrackBerry.com," reports Moco News. According to the report, the BlackBerry Apps Store will let BlackBerry users search for applications that are made specifically for BlackBerrys. The store will use the BlackBerry Wallet program to bill customers for applications that they choose to download.

MobiHand's president and CEO Steve Howard said, "The huge success of the Apple iTunes App Store has rapidly increased consumer awareness of the range of great applications that are already available for other leading smartphones."

This venture between MobiHand and CrackBerry.com does not appear to have been blessed by the powers that be over at RIM. The question is, is RIM already working on an application store of its own?