14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung has recently launched its mobile application store for all its smartphones running under Windows Mobile or Symbian S60. The app store is initially available for the UK market and comprises a number of about 1,100 apps in the catalog. The company also prepares the store to become available for more markets in the near future, while the number of applications is expected to increase with time.
Samsung Mobile Innovator members will benefit from the launch of the app store, as they will be delivered a way to provide their applications to a large number of users at once. A Samsung Mobile Applications account will be automatically set up for all members, meaning that they won't have to perform another registration action.
“For Samsung Mobile Innovator members this represents a fantastic opportunity for them to get their applications to a large Samsung-user audience very quickly,” explains Phil Northam, global marketing manager at Samsung Mobile Innovator.
According to a Samsung spokesperson, while the UK store came online on the 29th of January, future releases will integrate a larger number of platforms and will be available for more countries. For the time being, the company didn't explain the way the revenue mechanism will work or how the payments will be made.
At the same time, it is still unclear how the Samsung app store will integrate with mobile phones. On the one hand, the applications might need syncing; on the other hand, the company might provide an application or a system that would allow users to download the apps directly to their handsets. Currently, the app store seems to be only a pure web interface.
As many of you know, the first company to come up with an app store was Apple, which was soon followed by similar concepts from RIM (Research in Motion), Android and Windows Mobile (Microsoft). Now Samsung joins the list by offering applications on the web for both Windows Mobile and Symbian devices.
The Korean mobile phone maker stated that the online store would be launched in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress, to be held between February 16 and 18. More info can be found at the Samsung Mobile Applications.