Nokia has launched its Ovi apps store globally to more than 50 million Nokia device owners across 50 different Nokia device types.
The move opens up a new universe of games, business apps, content, videos, podcasts and location-based services to users of Nokia devices.
It also opens up a lucrative new market for software developers who have witnessed and profited from the explosive growth of rival Apple’s iTunes Apps Store.
Content providers and application developers can sign up to distribute their content through Ovi Store by visiting publish.ovi.com.
“Ovi Store is open for business and we’ve stocked the shelves with both local and global content for a broad range of Nokia devices,” said Tero Ojanperä, executive vice-president, Nokia Services.
“Ovi Store makes shopping for content and applications easy and fun for feature phone and smartphone owners alike,” Ojanperä added.
In available countries, customers can update their devices with the Ovi Store mobile application by selecting the Ovi Store icon in the Download! folder on their device.
The mobile client is available in English, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish, and supports operator billing in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Singapore, Spain and the UK.
Globally, credit-card billing is available through the mobile application and the mobile website. Additional countries, languages, devices and features will be added throughout the year.
AT&T plans to make Ovi Store available to its customers in the US later this year.
“AT&T looks forward to introducing Ovi Store for our customers later this year,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.
“AT&T has a reputation for providing the most customer choice of content and applications, and offering Ovi Store is in line with that strategy,” Christopher added.
Nokia has described the Ovi Store as an evolving media service that consolidates Nokia’s existing content services into a one-stop shop for free and paid content.
It said that thousands of the content industry’s biggest names, along with independent application developers, are distributing their media, applications and games through its Ovi Store.
By John Kennedy
