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Fuzzy Logic Nokia N97 officially launched, Ovi Store clocks up 20,000 apps
Fuzzy Logic Nokia N97 officially launched, Ovi Store clocks up 20,000 apps | Nokia N97 officially launched, Ovi Store clocks up 20,000 apps |
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| by Alex Zaharov-Reutt | |
| Wednesday, 01 July 2009 | |
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Page 3 of 3 Nokia’s Ovi Store launched globally in May 2009, despite “officially” launching in Australia, today on July 1. Featured Whitepaper
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Following on from today’s launch event which promised a lot more action on the Ovi app store front, Nokia notes that: “Ovi Store continues to enjoy significant growth in terms of reach and content”, so we definitely hope to see that really accelerate. As with the iPhone app store, there are paid and free apps, but unlike the iPhone App Store many apps that are quite cheap on the iPhone seem more expensive on the Ovi Store. Perhaps as more and more Nokia users get the Ovi Store up and running on their phones, more of the competition we’ve seen on the Apple app store will be seen on the Ovi store, pushing prices down or at least making them competitive with iPhone app store pricing. There are global and local content and software providers, as you’d expect, and some of the global partners include “Paramount, Facebook, MySpace, Disney, eBay, Fox Mobile, Reuters, AccuWeather and EA”, while local Australian partners include the “ABC, Austereo, News Digital Media and Lookoutmobile, which offers AFL and NRL updates.” In addition to the Nokia N97, Nokia notes the Ovi Store is “now accessible from over 75 Nokia devices in five languages. The Australian Ovi Store supports operator billing through Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Crazy John’s.” Nokia also reminds us that “Credit card billing is also available through the mobile application and the mobile website (store.ovi.com).” Nokia Australia’s MD, Emile Baak added that: “Ovi Store is a constantly evolving service for consumers and we believe that providing engaging and locally relevant content is extremely important to its success.” In Australia, the Nokia N97 will be available through local telcos Optus, Vodafone and selected retailers and will have an RRP of AUD $1,129, so while the Ovi store works through Telstra as well, there’s no sign of the N97 coming to Telstra as yet. Also, while Nokia didn’t make any mention of it, past history has always seen these prices drop relatively quickly after the first two or three months, so I’m sure there’ll be some strong Christmas/holiday season deals coming up over the next few months, adding further price pressure to the iPhone and competing devices. So… while the iPhone 3GS still has the user interface, ease of use and an almighty selection of apps, the Nokia N97 is still an incredibly capable phone. It’s also very easy to use, more advanced than all its predecessors, has better specs than the iPhone in various areas, can properly multi-task, has its own growing set of apps and plenty more. For some, the decision will be a no brainer: the iPhone. But not everyone is an iPhone fanatic, and the N97 is Nokia’s best challenger, not only to the iPhone, but to Windows Mobile “HTC Touch 2” devices, Google Android and the rest. A fuller actual review is still forthcoming, as is multi-touch, presumably on some future Nokia N98 or N99, but for now, the N97 is Nokia’s best yet and will, like the iPhone, sell in the millions. |
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