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The biggest name in BlackBerry gaming, Bplay, just struck a big deal with three major U.S. carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint… what, no Verizon?) to allow for direct billing when buying their games. That means instead of having to deal with fiddling for credit cards when all you want to do is try that cool Nintaii game, you can just have the charge tacked onto your phone bill. Super-handy if you live in the U.S., but even if you don’t, Bplay works with the free BlackBerry Wallet application, so that once you store your credit card info in there, Bplay will just pull it all from there. No fuss, no muss. Eventually this service could spread to other carriers and products, like themes and ringtones. I’m curious to see how the upcoming Application Storefront will change distribution methods for smaller purchases like games and themes – it’s the perfect format for discovering that kind of content. Regardless of channel, mobile gaming will be growing by leaps and bounds in the next couple of years, according to recent research. If you’re into mobile gaming, hit up Bplay to see what they’ve got to offer, or check out WinPlay for Windows Mobile stuff.
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
