The cell phone maker also rolled out new devices as well as subscription music and gaming services to back the endeavor. Finnish for "door," Ovi is the bundling of Nokia services such as its N-Gage games and its Nokia Music store. The company said its customers would be able to better access their existing social networks, communities, and content as a result of the bundled services.
With the resounding success of Apple's iTunes music store playing in the background, Nokia Wednesday promised its Nokia Music store will be available this fall in key European markets -- just in time to meet Apple's planned European iPhone launch.
Conspicuous by its absence in Nokia's announcement was the lack of a mention of the Nokia Music Store, or of its companion N-Gage gaming service, for North American markets. The mobile phone provider said its music store will open "across key European markets this fall with additional stores in Europe and Asia opening over the coming months."
However, North America wasn't entirely eclipsed in the announcement as Nokia unveiled a new Nokia N95 multimedia computer with high-speed HSDPA access. Carrying a suggested $699 price tag, the mobile device will be available next month at independent retailers in major U.S. markets as well as at Nokia Flagship Stores in New York and Chicago.
Nokia said its music store subscribers will be able to use their desktop computers and some "optimized" Nokia devices to download music. Songs can be purchased via PCs and then transferred to compatible Nokia devices. The service will initially be available to users of the Nokia N81 and Nokia N95 8 Gbyte, both of which were included in the new handsets -- all expected to ship in the fourth quarter -- that were announced in London.
The products and services are designed to keep Nokia's sales robust and its market share higher than its competitors. Earlier this month, market analysts with Gartner reported Nokia's market share increased from last year's 33.7% to 36.9%. The company shipped nearly 100 million phones in the latest quarter. Gartner's mobile devices research director Carolina Milanesi said Nokia's market share is likely to continue to increase at the expense of Motorola.
Page 2:
New Phones To Compliment Services
![]()
1
|
2
Next Page »
Stay connected and informed by visiting our Enterprise IT Community!

Become a member today for instant access to free InformationWeek research, expert advice, peer perspectives, and more on the following topics:
- Application Performance Management (APM)
- Security Management
- Mainframe 2.0
- IT Automation
- Service Assurance
Also, visit our Government, Retail and Financial Services groups to see how these technologies apply specifically to those industries.
NOTE: Offer valid for U.S., U.S. possessions, & Canada only.