Nokia unveils ‘Ovi Store’

Positions itself among other giants like Apple, Yahoo and Google

By Indika Sakalasooriya in Singapore
Nokia unveiled Ovi, the much awaited third party application store that is designed to offer a range of internet services to Nokia hand set users, Monday, Singapore, positioning itself among the likes of Apple, Google, and Yahoo.

The introduction of Ovi, meaning ‘door’ in Finnish, describes Nokia’s strategy for convergence—expanding from mobile services to a fully integrated internet services provider including voice, text, email, GPRS, maps, music, pod casts and games.

According to Chris Carr, VP, Nokia, Sales, Southeast Asia Pacific, Nokia’s mission is to become the leading internet consumer company in the world, linking people and places in a jiff.

With the ‘Ovi mail’, Nokia expects to tap a special market segment—the people who have not used email before using either a PC or a mobile.

“Ovi mail is a very simple, easy to use application. Thorough one’s mobile he or she can access the ‘Ovi Store’ and set up a mail account without any hassle. Thus we expect to give first-hand email experience to those who do not have an email currently through their Nokia hand set” Carr remarked.

He further added, ‘Ovi Store’ will also provide the opportunity to Nokia users to download and upload music, photos, games and various other applications.

It will also give space to the people to exchange ideas, and even to sell whatever a product the product they may have, to the other users of the Ovi”. According to Nokia officials present at the launch event, the mobile industry is converging towards internet-driven experience, and through ‘Ovi’ Nokia will combine both internet and mobility.

When TBL asked how the current global economic crisis is affecting Nokia, Head of marketing for Nokia in Southeast Asia Pacific, Loren Shuster, said that they haven’t changed a single strategy, in the face of the economic downturn.

“There are a 100 million Nokia hand set users around the globe, and day by day, the number is on the increase. It seems that there’s nothing for us to worry” he said.

By the end of 2008 Nokia had a global market share of 39 percent and the company seems to be heavily targetting the emerging markets in the Southeast Asia Pacific regions.