There are a few embarrassing faults in App World but the ones that really cut deep are the top ranked paid apps that make no sense. The top two offenders are “flashlight” apps and “memory” boosters/enhancers/megadupers. In this public service announcement I wanted to cover the former. WHY in the world is the top paid application in App World a flashlight? It makes no sense and I will give you two reasons why:
Q: First reason why you should not pay for a Flashlight App:
A: YOU DON’T NEED AN APP!
You can perform the SAME “Flashlight” feature using the LED flash on your BlackBerry by starting the “Video Camera” app and hitting the spacebar. It really IS that simple. All an app does is cut the steps down from 2 to 1. Want to turn the flash off? Just hit spacebar again! Is that worth $0.99? If so then…
Q: Second reason why you should not pay for a Flashlight App:
A: THERE IS A FREE FLASHLIGHT APP!
So if you really need a flashlight app the awesome team at ShaoSoft released FlashOn (OTA link) which is a free flashlight app. The app lets you use the LED flash along with changing the color of the screen and the color of the front LED. You can even set the duration for the light to stay on. You can even try the FlashOn beta v2.0 (OTA link) though I am not sure what it adds.
Still want to pay for a BlackBerry flashlight app? In that case I am at a loss for words… Maybe we need to start a grassroots effort to post reviews in App World with this PSA…
To conclude there is nothing wrong developers charging for apps that perform a useful function for users but I just find this example a bit ridiculous. The TOP paid application in App World should not be a 2 line native API call to the camcorder app. That my friends is a joke.
END PSA
andrewnyc ( View Profile) - Posts: