Having unveiled its BlackBerry application at RIM's recent developer conference, eBay has now launched a beta version on the BlackBerry App World store.

The free app (App World link) lets people search, bid, buy and watch items, much as they do from the website version of the auction giant.

However, it also ties into the native BlackBerry software, sending alert messages direct to users' inboxes when they are outbid, and entering calendar reminders when items are reaching their deadlines.

Users can also save their PayPal login details in the app, allowing them to pay for their items from the handset rather than having to switch to a PC for that part of the process.

eBay is encouraging users to provide feedback on the app, which for now is only available in the US and Canada. The news follows its launch of a separate Deals app on iPhone, purely to track bargain items.