LG's Application Store launches in places you don't live for devices you don't care about
By Thomas Ricker 
posted July 28th 2010 5:10AM
posted July 28th 2010 5:10AM
With a new applications store, LG opens up to both feature phone and smartphone users
Sporting a New Look with a Stronger Line-up of Exciting Applications, New LG Applications Store Promises an Enhanced Mobile Experience
Seoul (Korea Newswire) July 28, 2010 -- LG Electronics (LG) today announced the opening of an all-new LG Application Store, with more than twice as many apps targeting users of both feature phones and smartphones in 33 countries.
Having comprehensively updated its Application Store, LG is now ready to offer customers a wide range of fun and useful apps including exciting games like The SIMS 3, Asphalt 4 and popular applications from SPB Series, for its mid- to high-end feature phones and smartphones. Android applications will be also available at LG's store later this year.
"Today, more and more people want mobile devices that make their lives easier and more exciting through the right combination of applications. To meet this growing demand, we've put a great deal of effort into strengthening our application offerings for all types of phone owners," said Mr. H.S Paik, President of LG Electronics Gulf FZE. "By studying customer insights and collaborating with top-level companies, LG is working to produce some of the best applications on the market, and a truly singular mobile experience for our customers."
Following the revamp, the LG Application Store will offer more than 3,000 applications from its cleanly designed, easy-to-use new site. Approximately half of the applications will be devoted to feature phones, a significant number in a market that has, to date, been overwhelmingly focused on smartphones.
According to research by Strategy Analytics, a market research company, over 90 percent of feature phone owners in the US and UK are interested in downloading and installing applications such as SNS (Social Networking Service), IM (Instant Messenger), VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), and navigation and mapping. Having taken the lead in mid- and high-end feature phones that are adopting many of the trappings of smartphones, LG, through its new, improved Application Store, is offering consumers more ways than ever to use their feature phones in creative and dynamic ways.
Along with a range of applications for Windows OS phones that are already on sale, the new LG Application Store will also extend its line-up of applications for Android-powered smartphones at the end of this year. With demand for Android-powered phones set to surge worldwide, the LG Application Store is well placed to enhance consumer's mobile experience, offering greater value and genuine benefits to owners of LG's Android smartphones.
The all new LG Application Store opens today in 23 markets. LG aims to increase the number of applications in the LG Application Store to 4,000 by the end of this year and to expand the service to 33 countries including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain and Iran. To experience the new LG Application Store, visit http://www.lgapplication.com.
Sporting a New Look with a Stronger Line-up of Exciting Applications, New LG Applications Store Promises an Enhanced Mobile Experience
Seoul (Korea Newswire) July 28, 2010 -- LG Electronics (LG) today announced the opening of an all-new LG Application Store, with more than twice as many apps targeting users of both feature phones and smartphones in 33 countries.
Having comprehensively updated its Application Store, LG is now ready to offer customers a wide range of fun and useful apps including exciting games like The SIMS 3, Asphalt 4 and popular applications from SPB Series, for its mid- to high-end feature phones and smartphones. Android applications will be also available at LG's store later this year.
"Today, more and more people want mobile devices that make their lives easier and more exciting through the right combination of applications. To meet this growing demand, we've put a great deal of effort into strengthening our application offerings for all types of phone owners," said Mr. H.S Paik, President of LG Electronics Gulf FZE. "By studying customer insights and collaborating with top-level companies, LG is working to produce some of the best applications on the market, and a truly singular mobile experience for our customers."
Following the revamp, the LG Application Store will offer more than 3,000 applications from its cleanly designed, easy-to-use new site. Approximately half of the applications will be devoted to feature phones, a significant number in a market that has, to date, been overwhelmingly focused on smartphones.
According to research by Strategy Analytics, a market research company, over 90 percent of feature phone owners in the US and UK are interested in downloading and installing applications such as SNS (Social Networking Service), IM (Instant Messenger), VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), and navigation and mapping. Having taken the lead in mid- and high-end feature phones that are adopting many of the trappings of smartphones, LG, through its new, improved Application Store, is offering consumers more ways than ever to use their feature phones in creative and dynamic ways.
Along with a range of applications for Windows OS phones that are already on sale, the new LG Application Store will also extend its line-up of applications for Android-powered smartphones at the end of this year. With demand for Android-powered phones set to surge worldwide, the LG Application Store is well placed to enhance consumer's mobile experience, offering greater value and genuine benefits to owners of LG's Android smartphones.
The all new LG Application Store opens today in 23 markets. LG aims to increase the number of applications in the LG Application Store to 4,000 by the end of this year and to expand the service to 33 countries including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain and Iran. To experience the new LG Application Store, visit http://www.lgapplication.com.
I didn't even know lg made phones anymore
@Lethallax I think they should make a App store for the Galaxy S series so People can get some good 3D game's on that S-AMOLED, becuase the Android Market has some good 3D games but not in great quantity..
@Lethallax
Yes, I mean LG only has a tiny 9.2% global market share in cell phones (IDC Q1/2010). There are like, you know, at least TWO manufacturers that sell more phones. Who cares about LG.
@Rev
Samsung, Nokia, Moto
@Lethallax I wonder why RIcker is posting this article in a really negative tone as if he is anti-LG or something...
@DefPoet
Actually Moto has been losing their overall marketshare pretty fast. They are out of IDC top 5 at least for Q1, replaced by RIM.
Here are the IDC top five Q1/2010:
1. Nokia 36.6%
2. Samsung 21.8%
3. Lg 9.2%
4. RIM 3.6%
4. Sony Ericsson 3.6%
http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS22322210
@liftedngifted1 Samsung made the galaxy s's
@Billy If he was anti-(insert your particular 'anti' brand here), you'd be ok with that, right?
@bruceb Ahh yes I forgot to mention that I think Samsung should make a App store for the Galaxy S
@Androidsugly
Sony Ericsson: PlayNow
Nokia: Ovi Store
Apple: App Store
LG: Application store
Android: Saves us all form too many stores...
Motorola: I guess they're pretty much outta business...
Now we're all waiting for Samsung, eh?
@liftedngifted1 Someone already said that haha, for 3D games
@Lethallax
Engadget (Thomas), i didn't know you only care about american readers. Or is the Europe bashing a terribly failed sarcasm attempt? Engadget is unreadable nowadays.
@Lethallax
Its pretty small minded to assume that because your site is based in America that all of your readers are American. That's not how the internet works guys.
And at that, why infer that Americans *don't care* about these 33 countries? Stop feeding the stereotype.
@ssgadget
I didn't know non-Americans equaled a race.
Yeah, the article was weirdly anti-rest of the world in vibe, but it said nothing of race.
@liftedngifted1 assuming they really wanted to develop games for someone else's phone wouldn't it make more sense to just add them to the existing market?
@Lethallax Way to be a bunch of nationalistic cocks, Engadget!
Look like iTunes much?
@Androidsugly
-1 4 corecting gr@mma!
@Sicarius123 At first glance I thought that was iTunes. I was confused and thought maybe you had t download the LG app store from iTunes or something.
Ick...LG..... Wouldnt touch any of there phones with a ten foot barge pole.
@Adamgs
I agree - it would have to be a much bigger barge pole!
I think the store 'looks' ok, but I've never been a fan of their phones.
@Adamgs I guess the same could be said about your English text book.
the thing is, one will always compare an app store of any sort with the one of apple! And apple just has a massive first mover advantage. It'll take some time until a competitor will catch up. Plus, LG phones are just not up to date anymore.
Strange, Engadget doesn't care about a large player in the electronics field, yet they do care about Justin Bieber's Segway runaway...
Last time I checked there's about as many people living in Europe as there are in the US, and LG phones have always been reasonably popular over here. In fact, I think I know more people with an LG phone than with an Android phone.
So maybe Engadget could tune down their wording on this a little bit, and give LG credit for at least trying to get some application-functionality into their customers hands, aight?
@drange
a country vs a continent
not a fair comparison
@DefPoet
It is a fair comparison when we are being generalised by Engadget as a separate entity! We aren't playing a "who's got more people" game :p
I just don't think effectively telling an entire continent's readership that it is unimportant is a wise choice for a blog. How would you rationalise it?
@mattpez
Why not, it's almost the 'United States of Europe' already anyway. If we just let our 'democratic' representatives have it their way for another 50 years we'll all be just 'Europeans' ;-)
@DefPoet
Why not, it's almost the 'United States of Europe' already anyway. If we just let our 'democratic' representatives have it their way for another 50 years we'll all be just 'Europeans' ;-)
@drange
Argh, not even the Engadged comment system shows some decency for us Europeans :-S
@drange You're right. I live in the U.K and my first 2 phones were both LG - LG Chocolate & LG Viewty. And the only people I know who don't have an LG phone, usually have a Sony Ericsson.
@drange Um, for those of you offended, you do realize that it's not launching in Europe today, right? It's only available in Asia Pac, CIS, and the Middle East and Africa, Mexico and Brazil.
Thomas Ricker
@drange
Engadget thinks nobody buys Nokia, why would they give LG a break when they are smaller fish again?
@Thomas Ricker
Our problem isn't with the app store. Your arrogant, smug and frankly tasteless title managed to alter the path of this article.
Apologise and change the title.
@Thomas Ricker
We should not be offended because the European launch is for the end of the year ?
You're totally missing the point, I'm dumbfounded... I guess I'll just forget this post and move on then...
@Thomas Ricker
You're not funny and quite often your articles suck. It's just to US centric without a clear and honest comments and articles.
Not to mention your freaking habit of bashing European brands that many times are way better than the US or even Asian brands.
You should be fired.
You may delete our comments, but you'll never delete our FREEDOM (of speech)!
@Thomas Ricker
As Thomas lives in Europe I can only assume that the title of the article is some kind of joke that has clearly failed. I have to say I have noticed increasingly cynicism in Thomas's articles of late, I imagine that being an Engadget editor can be quite stressful but has it really made you so jaded? If so maybe it's time for a career shift because posts such as this are not appreciated.
Oh well if it's only launching in Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East (which i know is part of Asia/Europe) then who cares?!
@mags1979
Why are you idiots reading Engadget then....no one cares about your opinion.
And a year from now he'll still be at Engadget.
@Thomas Ricker "Um, for those of you offended, you do realize that it's not launching in Europe today, right? It's only available in Asia Pac, CIS, and the Middle East and Africa, Mexico and Brazil."
You have Brazilians readers too, you know? I am deeply offended (twice) for your arrogance. I guess my love story with engadget has ended here. I'll move on.
@Thomas Ricker
Last time I checked, Russia and the Ukraine were still part of Europe. It's launching there today. But that's beside the point. Engadget clearly has an international reader base, hell it's even got an international editor base. And yet you think nothing of offending those readers.
If you think LG and and 'the rest of the world' don't matter, why post this? If you think they do, give them some respect.
@Thomas Ricker
I agree with this fellow's sentiments:
"Our problem isn't with the app store. Your arrogant, smug and frankly tasteless title managed to alter the path of this article.
Apologise and change the title."
Totally classless engadget, pathetic really...
@Thomas Ricker
Yes, brilliant rebuttal in twitter:
"Xenophobia and poor reading skills are an explosive mixture."
I am sure we are all Xenophobes and have poor reading skills. This is much more likely than the fact that you are a myopic douche that does not fail to exhibit your own narcissistic tendencies. So, because you exclude and dismiss large parts of the planet, we are Xenophobes? Other editors apparently do not suffer from this syndrome. Are you compensating because you live abroad? Its a good thing your articles are free to read, and we did not pay for this junk. You know what else is free btw? Syphilis.
@Thomas Ricker
Oh yeah, because the millions of people living in Asia Pacific (which includes Australia, and New Zealand). The Middle East (remember how rich people in Dubai are?), Africa, and Southern America aren't really good enough to count.
But you're right, I guess us crocodile hunters, suicide bombers, soccer players and lion hunters just don't know good technology when we stumble across the camps of the pure-hearted American missionaries.
@BrookLynnsFinest
Are you his bitch?
@mattpez Well put.
@JFH
True he dismisses technology news for a large part of the world as insignificant and then calls us xenophobic for calling him out? What's wrong with this man?
@DefPoet
Haha. This is hilarious. Engadget has sparked an international flame war!
USA! USA!
@IEngadget
No, just Ricker. Not all of Engadget.