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OviStore posts

Nokia's Ovi Software Development Kit released to invited and excited Javascripters

by Tim Stevens posted Sep 4th 2009 at 8:16AM

Nokia's Ovi Store launched in late May -- and then promptly crashed. The company has long-since gotten everything working smoothly and so is now so confident about its stability that it's letting other developers in on the party. Coders proficient in HTML, CSS, and Javascript can apply for access to the beta SDK, invitations for which are being doled out right now. The navigation-focused kit includes a number of UI widgets and controls that will help any 'ol app sport the clean, understated Nokia look, as well as things like the Ovi Navigation Player API, which makes nav-related apps much easier to get up and running. Nokia's not giving any indication of just how long the line at the door is or what criteria it's using to judge who gets past the red velvet rope into this shin-dig, but we'd recommend at least a shave and a clean shirt before applying. Vids excitedly discussing this wondrous new world are embedded below.

[Via Nokia Conversations]

Continue reading Nokia's Ovi Software Development Kit released to invited and excited Javascripters

Nokia's X6 follows the 5800's footsteps, while the X3 brings Ovi Store to Series 40

by Paul Miller posted Sep 2nd 2009 at 4:24AM

We'd be tempted to use the word "featurephone" on the X6 (pictured) if it wasn't Nokia behind the handset, pumping the relatively chubby 0.55-inch thick form factor with 32GB of storage, a 5 megapixel camera, a dual LED flash, TV-out, and a 3.2-inch touchscreen. The phone is also a Comes with Music only handset, so don't expect to get all boring and old with this phone in your pocket -- or to pay for a voice plan that doesn't include the service. Otherwise, the phone seems to be a slightly slimmed down Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, sporting the same OS, A-GPS (with Ovi Maps), and we suppose a similar resistive touchscreen. Nokia was kind enough to include a free copy of Spore along with the Ovi Store, and plans to ship the handset in Q4 2009 for 459 Euros (about $652 US) before subsidy.

The X3 is a much tamer affair than the X6, offering a 2.2 non-touchscreen, a slide-out keypad, and Series 40 for an OS. There's a 3.2 megapixel camera, but you'll have to spring for a microSD card if you need significant onboard storage. What's new is that the X3 is the first Series 40 handset to include the Ovi Store, which should help it edge out the competition when it comes to functionality. The price isn't bad either, at 115 Euros (about $163 US) before subsidy. It'll be out in Q4 as well.

Update: We've added a brief video after the break.

Read - Nokia X6

Read - Nokia X3

Gallery: Nokia X6

Gallery: Nokia X3

Continue reading Nokia's X6 follows the 5800's footsteps, while the X3 brings Ovi Store to Series 40

N-Gage trials make the leap to the Ovi Store

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 19th 2009 at 6:32AM

Nokia's Ovi Store duplicates one of N-Gage's main lots in life -- to serve as an over-the-air distribution channel of paid and trial apps -- and in the long term, it certainly seems to make sense that Espoo would be looking to merge the two initiatives into one. The company hasn't announced anything to the effect just yet (and even if it did, it'd have to find some creative way to duplicate N-Gage's social aspect), but it's now taken one small step by porting game trials over to the Ovi Store. If you want the full game you'll still need to buy it using the N-Gage app, so the maddening duality of Nokia's software strategy still basically continues as-is for the time being -- let's just hope this is a promising sign of things to come.

[Via Phone Arena and ZOMG its CJ]

Nokia's N86 8MP now shipping worldwide

by Darren Murph posted Jun 10th 2009 at 9:02AM

Just under two months. That's how long it took Nokia's N86 8MP to go from FCC to store shelves here in America, as the cats in Espoo have just announced to the world that the aforementioned cellphone is now shipping globally. In case you've forgotten, this 8 megapixel slider touts variable aperture, a mechanical shutter and automatic motion blur reduction, not to mention 8GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot. There's no official mention of price, and as of right now, the phone's not even listed on Nokia's American e-store; still, based on early estimates, we'd say you best break out the bank just in case.

Symbian looks to seduce iPhone devs with free Nokia 5800s, world destroying robo-duckie

by Paul Miller posted Jun 8th 2009 at 10:02PM

Sure, we feign a lack of bias, but deep down in our hearts we only have one love: Symbian Foundation's robo-duckie mascot. Unfortunately for Symbian, it's going to take all the charm it can muster to win over the iPhone App Store's crop of cash-flush developers. Symbian was apparently at WWDC today, doing its best to woo, with all-day festivities involving coffee, food, a "hackathon," prizes, and free Nokia 5800 handsets for attendees. We're expecting Ovi Store to fill in with some solid €1.00 beer drinking simulators and Zippo lighter apps any second now.

Nokia's Ovi Store overwhelmed at launch, apology issued

by Darren Murph posted May 27th 2009 at 12:43PM

Where's the fail whale when you need it, right? Early yesterday morning, Nokia flipped the switch on its Ovi Store, claiming that it's app market would potentially reach some 50 million users around the world. Unfortunately for Nokia, it seems as if all 50 million attempted to check things out at the same time. Web-wide, users were griping that things just weren't working out, and we're not talking about small packets of flustered users. In fact, Nokia was forced to admit that "shortly after launching, it began experiencing extraordinarily high spikes of traffic that resulted in some performance issues," and judging by reactions, we'd say "some" is now a front-runner for understatement of the year. Have things smoothed over for you today? Are you even bothering to check?

Update: Nokia has apologized for the gaff and has reportedly added server capacity to handle the demand. Question is: is the fix working?

Nokia Ovi Store now live everywhere

by Chris Ziegler posted May 26th 2009 at 2:02AM

We've just gotten word that Nokia has officially flipped the switch on the Ovi Store everywhere, which means you lucky Aussies, Irish, and Singaporeans just lost your coveted exclusivity. Nokia recommends that you hit up store.ovi.com from your phone's browser to start pumping thousands of euros into Espoo's (and, of course, developers') pockets, so get to it, won't you? Seriously, the economy isn't going to stimulate itself.

Nokia's Ovi store makes soft landing in a few markets, might be headed to your neck of the woods soon

by Paul Miller posted May 25th 2009 at 12:02PM

With that May launch window closing fast, it looks like Nokia might get Ovi Store in under the proverbial wire: it just went live on Vodafone in Australia, which was soon followed by other carriers, and then Ireland and Singapore. According to a post that was subsequently pulled from Nokia's Conversations blog, Nokia confirmed the rollout and said that it was progressively moving the Ovi Store to "production servers," and that we could "expect a broader announcement and consumer availability soon." Unfortunately, since that post has been pulled, we're not really sure what to expect, but at least the lucky few with Ovi can beam back important missives on their Twittix apps about what life is like in the future. Above are shots of the store live on an N97.

Nokia's Ovi Store said to be launching with 20,000 'items,' unknown number of apps

by Tim Stevens posted May 8th 2009 at 8:51AM

The launch of the Ovi Store is just around the bend and, according to reports, Nokia is looking to blow things out a little better than Google, which launched its Android Market with a paltry 50 selections. Nokia is said to have over 20,000 "items" ready for download when things go live, a number that compares quite favorably to the 40,000 apps Apple currently offers through its App Store. However, what remains to be seen is exactly what an "item" is defined as. We're sure that count includes custom apps and WidSets, and there's talk about N-Gage games finding inclusion as well. However, video and music downloads seem to be counted and we'd guess ringtones too. So, how many actual applications will it have at launch? That remains to be seen.

Nokia Ovi Store unveiled, launches in May

by Ross Miller posted Feb 16th 2009 at 3:57AM

Nokia's just announced at its Mobile World Congress presentation that, lo and behold, the company's launching its own online app and media portal, the Ovi Store. Download, Mosh, widgets are going to be focuses of the Ovi Store. The N97 will be the first device to be "pre-integrated" with Ovi Store, but "tons" of existing S40 and S60 customers will be able to download the service starting in May. The company says it'll learn your tastes over time and anticipate what you want, as well as make recommendations based on your geographical location. A developer site has launched, and is touting a 70% revenue share, which appears to match what Apple's doing with its respective app store.

Continue reading Nokia Ovi Store unveiled, launches in May