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.
People outside the US are not important. People who own feature phones (vast vast majority of the market) are not important and shouldn't get apps. LG are not important even though they have a reasonable market share. Why did you even bother with this article?
@Engadget Any chance of holding a press conference to sort this out? You know there's nothing that can't be fixed by handing out free bumpers
Readers: "we find this offensive!"
Engadget: "you're reading it the wrong way."
@TheRealCJ Coming soon: Articlegate "We're not a perfect blog. But I assure you that other blogs are like this too. Don't worry, we've been working our butts off."
@Scump Don't forget: "We reeeeally love our customers. Especially those in the US."
"Today's Recommend"
-Clearly written by a Korean.
@rysle I know, right? I was getting ready to post this myself. At least it's not as bad as half the Chinese stuff. All these companies could probably pitch in and hire an English speaking native to proof all their UI's. It wouldn't take long and all these products wouldn't be the butt of so many jokes. At least it would look like they made an attempt... :/
First comment on engadget ever, and also the first time this blog has offended me (I'm from the U.K.). Piss off, Ricker.
They don't even know where "Americas" is located on the map: http://lgapplication.com/web.gateway.dev
I like the design of the Application Store though: The Facebook icon has very nice round borders and a kind of reflection on the top. Stands out pretty nice on the black background and the grid-organization is superb. Never seen such thing before. The page indication with dots is also pretty neat.
What kind of arrogant news article is this...? If you think you don't have readers from outside the US, don't even bother posting the LG story. Or was it meant to specifically upset non-US readers?
I really love Engadget for its up-to-date-coverage, but that kind of arrogance doesn't suit you well, guys...
While I'll agree that Ricker does sound like her's being incredibly smug, his profile states that he's based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands - which is in Europe. I just like the irony of everyone saying how xenophobic America is towards Europeans, when their really being extremely hypocritical.
By the way, I'm from and live in the UK.
@cogzilla1
I think even Nick Griffin has visited foreign countries.
Just cause it isn't an iPhone doesn't mean I can't care engadget.
"LG's Application Store launches in places you don't live for devices you don't care about"
How quaintly American.
Psstt.. there are more English speaking people outside the good old US of A.
Many of them coming to Engadget , but not to read this type of silliness and ignorance as this article.
@vasra
"Thomas Ricker
Senior Editor
Amsterdam, The Netherlands"
So, if he is European himself, I think he may have been joking and in fact making fun of the US citizens who think they are the center of it all.
Wow only 3000 apps and still has better apps than android marketplace. Lol.
An honest question to Engadget and its editors:
Do you think you are so powerful that you can make insulting comments to non US readers? Or did you think people won't notice? Who gives you right to say US is the only country in the world?
Seriously, I used to like Engadget, but sorry to say you have acted naive and stupid. Smart looking headlines don't always make you look like a genious. Get off your high horse.
@sourav
Since it was written by someone in the Netherlands, I took it as him poking fun at the US - since Europeans are always saying we think we are the center of the universe.
@Duke
He is an American living in Amsterdam, and apparently being in a foreign country does not cure xenophobia.
Engadget, pretty much everyone and all devices, such as TVs,STBs, and Blu Ray players are getting apps now. I love me Android and like free apps on my iTouch but stop being douchey. People out there still by LG made phones (WinMo 7 devices soon) so yes, some people may actually enjoy the consumer benefit of MORE CHOICE.
@engadget: I got news for you: the internet is world wide. gosh, you DO have readers in countries such as Germany or France.
maybe I will stop reading your garbage though.
Wow all of you need to lighten up a bit. It's obvious it was a joke gone bad. Hell the guy who wrote the article is from the Netherlands in case you didn't know.
Have you ever seen their application store? It is terrible and very unusable. My girlfriend has a lg phone and i attempted to use the application store however i gave up on the first attempt. It looks like a windows 95 operating system.
@matt172001 Yes, it could be better. We're working on it...
wow, i cant believe engadtget is insulting LG like a fanboy, how dare them they suppose to be pro, i dare you engadget to do the same for apple.
An online "store" where people can purchase "apps".. what a concept!
if i would be the initial designer of apple ui i would be pissed like hell now.
I estimate 20% of your traffic is from Europe so ... you should be carefull with that type of "comedy" because most non native speakers will see this as a offence.
@simlan Even Thomas himself is from the Netherlands.
@XChrisX An American currently living in the Netherlands
@ the European Readers I'm from the U. S. and agree that the article seemed offensive. People were asking why other Americans other than def weren't joining in, also saying that he wasn't making the Americans look good. I as an American don't agree with what he said. So I wouldn't say that def is making Americans look bad, just himself. He doesn't represent our country as a whole. So please don't bunch us all together, as that offends me like the article offended you all.
@manicmick84
Good point.
@manicmick84
*brofist*
Thank you LG, Unlike Apple you care about my country
my girlfriend would be all over an app store on her enV touch or whatever it is. she doesn't need or want a smartphone but she's really jealous of the flashlight app i have on my evo.
Hmm… I wonder what the comments on Engadget would look like if all these people threatening to leave actually left?
@IEngadget
Full of typos because of chubby American fingers.
*sorry couldn't resist*
@fais
Haha. Good one.
Let's hug it out bitches!
Its Dumb because there shouldn't be app stores from pure manufacturers. These feature phone apps are probably java based, and I wouldn't be surprised if they could work on the Razr. Apps, programs, applications, should be published for OSes, not hardware platforms. of course for apple that is one in the same for mobile and desktop users. It's a bad call for LG, since these apps are probably lackluster in the wild. Perhaps emerging markets will buy their phones for this reason instead of a Nokia 1100
"LG's Application Store launches in places you don't live for devices you don't care about"
So why publish the news anyway?
Silly.
Wow, thanks for not giving a shit about your international readers engadget.