Vodafone breaks rank, gives Nokia's Ovi the thumbs-up
Carrier reaction to Nokia's Ovi suite of multimedia apps has been tepid at best -- and understandably so, considering that the company's gunning for a share of on-device entertainment revenue, a cash stream historically reserved for carriers themselves. Fortunately for Espoo, though, the 800-pound gorilla of European carriers has gone against the trend to issue Ovi a hearty endorsement. Vodafone and Nokia have announced that Nokia handsets released on Voda in '08 will rock out with Ovi services installed -- with a catch, of course: Vodafone's own competing services will also be installed. The companies say it's a win for consumers because the diametrically opposed apps somehow compliment one another, but by loading both Nokia's Music Store and Vodafone's own music service, for example, it could all be a daunting challenge for consumers to figure out what's what. We'll have to wait and see how this all plays out on retail devices in a few months.
