Early this morning, eBay and RIM made a joint announcement that the eBay app for BlackBerry is now available in 6 more countries. If you carry a BlackBerry and live in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain or the UK, online auction goodness is now available to you via your BlackBerry handheld.
eBay for BlackBerry allows you to search, bid, buy, check selling activity and more. It also uses the BlackBerry Push Service to keep you abreast of your auction status in real time. Keep in mind, some basic requirements are needed before you download and use. You’ll need to make sure your Berry is on OS 4.5 or newer, and all things considered, the app will probably run a lot smoother on any current-gen BlackBerry device.
In addition to the app being available in more areas of the world, the powers-that-be have also announced that the app is now officially available in North America, as they’ve drawn the beta preview period to a close. Keep reading after the jump for a preview video and press release.
eBay for BlackBerry (Free) [App World link]
eBay and RIM Offer eBay Application for BlackBerry Smartphones in Six More Countries
eBay application allows sellers to relist items directly within app; buyers can access more information about sellers
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA and WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – June 30, 2010) – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM), a world leader in wireless innovation, and eBay, a global leader in mobile commerce and the world’s largest online marketplace, today jointly announced that the free eBay Application for BlackBerry® smartphones is immediately available on BlackBerry App World™ in six more countries: Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.* The application is also now officially available to North American BlackBerry smartphone users after a successful beta preview period.
“We are thrilled to be extending eBay’s mobile presence to millions of BlackBerry smartphone users around the globe,” said Steve Yankovich, vice president of platform business solutions and mobile at eBay Inc. “When developing any mobile application, we take into account the unique features and advantages of the device to better meet our customers’ needs. With BlackBerry’s Push Service and multi-tasking technology, buyers and sellers are able to stay up-to-date on great deals and sales.”
With the eBay Application for BlackBerry smartphones, users can search, bid, buy and check their eBay buying and selling activity virtually anywhere. The application leverages the BlackBerry® Push Service to allow users to be wirelessly notified of the status of eBay listings in real-time. With alerts, eBay buyers can be notified when they have won an item or have been outbid, or if a listing on their Watch List is ending soon. Further, eBay sellers can be notified when a sale ends and will be provided with buyer information and the sale price. All notifications are directed to the user’s BlackBerry® Email inbox and, because the BlackBerry OS supports multi-tasking, users can simply click the email notification to automatically launch or switch to the eBay application.
“The idea of making eBay listings more conveniently accessible and manageable on BlackBerry smartphones is a ‘natural’, and the seamless mobile experience enabled by the unique push-based BlackBerry platform provides a perfect complement to the purchase process,” said Alan Brenner, senior vice president, BlackBerry Platform at Research In Motion.
The official Application for BlackBerry smartphones includes features such as:
- Add to Calendar – Add the end time for listings to the BlackBerry Calendar and set reminders
- Daily Deals – View limited time bargains on popular items, where items are often over 50% off the original price and include free shipping**
- My eBay – Access personal activity including Watched items, Bids, Sales, Saved Searches and Favorite Sellers
- Member Messages – Receive and reply to messages and emails sent through My eBay
- Payments – PayPal account users can purchase items within the application***
- Re-List Items – Re-list items for sale when current listing ends with no sale
- Sort Search Results by Distance – Sort search results by distance from location (up to 1,200 miles)
As a leading force in global mobile commerce, eBay Inc. is expected to generate $1.5 billion in gross merchandise volume (GMV) in 2010 through its mobile platforms. With the international availability of the eBay Application for BlackBerry smartphones, more mobile shoppers will have access to the 200+ million listings across eBay’s global marketplace. Today, over half of eBay’s mobile GMV comes from outside the United States.
[Via: MobileCrunch]