Nokia hit a bit of a rough patch recently, losing several top executives and watching as Symbian lost ground to competing platforms like Android. When it comes to apps and the Ovi Store, though, things seem to be going well for Nokia. The company recently touted the fact that the Ovi Store serves up three million downloads per day and has added 400,000 developers in the past 12 months. Out of all of the devs in the Ovi Store, 92 of them have software that has been downloaded over one million times. Some of the super popular software includes Swype, NHL GameCenter Premium, and WhatsApp Messenger. When it comes to the top apps since Nokia began shipping new Symbian devices on September 30th, the breakdown looks like this: the most downloaded free app was QTorch, a flashlight app, while Angry Birds dominated all other paid apps (unsurprisingly). You can check out the full press release below.
These numbers from Nokia are impressive, especially the news from Anton Gauffin, CEO of BLStream, who says that his app Crazy Hamster reached 200,000 downloads in the Ovi Store faster than in Apple's App Store. It'll be interesting to see what effect Nokia's future MeeGo devices will have on the Ovi Store, especially if we start seeing them released by carriers here in the U.S. With hardware like the N9, it'll be tough for developers and consumers alike to stay away from Nokia's app store.
Nokia's Ovi Store Downloads Hit 3 Million a Day as Developer Support Surges
More than 400,000 new developers in past 12 months; 92 developers each top 1 million download mark; 1.5 million downloads of Qt software development toolkits
Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced that its Ovi Store has reached 3 million downloads per day, a milestone spurred by overall global demand and a recent update that gives users of Nokia's new Symbian smartphone family a friendlier look and feel as well as more popular apps and games. The company is also gaining significant software developer momentum with more than 400,000 new developers joining Forum Nokia in the past 12 months, and 92 surpassing the million download milestone for their apps.
In related news, the Nokia Qt Software Development Toolkit (SDK) and the Qt SDK combined have been downloaded 1.5 million times as developers discover this approach can improve the speed and efficiency of creating apps for mobile devices, including smartphones such as the new Nokia N8, Nokia C7 and Nokia C6-01, which are shipping, and the recently announced Nokia E7. In a strategic move last month, Nokia announced unified application development around the Qt framework to simplify creating apps for Symbian-based devices and products that will be powered by the new MeeGo operating system. Developer video testimonials for the Qt framework are available at Forum.Nokia.com.
Examples of popular and creative new Symbian smartphone content on Ovi Store include:
• Swype: With one continuous finger or stylus motion across the keyboard, Swype 's technology enables users to input words faster and easier.
• NHL GameCenterTM Premium: Keep up with your favorite hockey team by listening to live radio, checking stats and scores, or by watching highlights and condensed games.
• WhatsApp Messenger: A smartphone messaging app that uses 3G or WiFi to connect with friends and family. Switch from SMS to WhatsApp to send and receive messages, pictures, audio notes, and video messages at no cost.
Since Nokia began shipments of its new Symbian smartphones, starting with the Nokia N8 on Sept. 30 of this year, the top downloaded free app globally was Q Torch, a utility app that turns your device into a flashlight, by CellApp Technology of India (also among top three in Europe, India and Southeast Asia/Pacific); the top downloaded paid app was Angry Birds, the smash hit game, by Rovio Mobile of Finland (also among top three in North America, Southeast Asia/Pacific and Europe) and the third most popular item downloaded globally was Need for Speed Shift HD, a game that delivers the thrill of high- performance racing by EA Mobile of the U.S. (also among top three in Central and South America, and Southeast Asia/Pacific).
Break-out information on the most popular regional apps and their developers is available at Forum.Nokia.com.
Quotes
"The rapid growth on Ovi Store to pass the 1 billion annualized downloads mark demonstrates that Nokia is a competitor in both scale and size when it comes to its services," said Scott Ellison, vice president of mobile and consumer connected platforms at IDC. "With Nokia's stronger focus on the Qt platform and improved developer ecosystem, Nokia should continue to see its developer numbers increase as developers see profit from new revenue shares, operator billings and the ever-growing user base around the world."
"Without any promotion or marketing dollars, in a few weeks we've hit 200,000 downloads in Ovi Store faster than we did with App Store," said Anton Gauffin, CEO of BLStream, creator of the game Crazy Hamster. "We're very positively surprised with what we've seen on Ovi, and we're on track to exceed our App Store performance even though we've been there longer."
"Ovi Store is on a strong trajectory fueled by new apps and games from a growing number of partners and more than 250,000 new consumers signing up for Ovi every day," said Tero Ojanpera¨, executive vice president, Services, Nokia. "The number of daily downloads has increased from about 2 million to 3 million since September. We anticipate our progress will continue as we have just begun shipping our new Symbian smartphones."
About Ovi
By combining Ovi by Nokia services with smartly designed Nokia devices, the result is a uniquely enriched mobile lifestyle. More than 250,000 new users sign up for Ovi every day, joining 165 million people in virtually every country worldwide who already experience Nokia services. Ovi comes to life with experiences such as: a rapidly growing content store for the easiest access to popular apps and games; the world's best maps; millions of music tracks; and great messaging capabilities to connect with people who matter most. A collection of health, education and agricultural information services called Ovi Life Tools are available in remote areas of China, India, Indonesia and Nigeria. In addition, Ovi Mail is popular among those without PC access, and a commercial mobile banking service, Nokia Money, has been created with India's Yes Bank.
About Nokia
At Nokia, we are committed to connecting people. We combine advanced technology with personalized services that enable people to stay close to what matters to them. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia device – from mobile phones to advanced smartphones and high-performance mobile computers. Today, Nokia is integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi (www.ovi.com), including music, maps, apps, email and more. Nokia's NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment, services and solutions for communications networks globally.
