Nokia’s Ovi app store goes live in Australia

Nokia’s highly-anticipated Ovi Store went live in Australia overnight, ahead of the global launch later this week.

The app store has also made an overnight appearance in Singapore, Spain and Ireland as Nokia confirmed on a company blog posting that “the Ovi Store is moving to production servers.” The app store is due for a global launch later this week.

However, even though the plan is for Ovi to support all Symbian S40 and S60 devices, apparently not all handsets or even all carriers might be able to get this ‘sneak peek’ at Ovi until the official debut of the service.

For what it’s worth, APCmag was able to access Ovi on a Nokia E75 through Telstra Next G this morning without any difficulty, and we’ve seen reports of success through Vodafone and Three.

In addition to software apps and games the Ovi Store also lists ringtones, wallpapers and themes (all of which appear under their own Personlisation category on the store, and currently include tie-ins for the Star Trek movie) plus audio and video content such as a series of Lonely Planet travel reports.
Nokia also intends to use a handset’s inbuilt GPS receiver to suggest software based on your location: step off the plane in a different country and you’ll see a set of recommended apps such as tourist guides and quick language lessons, currency convertors and guides to the local public transport system, restaurants and bars.

Nokia is believed to be planning operator billing for the Ovi Store, with the cost of paid-for apps being added by the carrier to your mobile account.
 

How to try Ovi on your Nokia

Want to dial up the Ovi Store for yourself? Open your Nokia’s Download icon and choose Options > Refresh Content.  Then open the Nokia Extras category, where you’ll hopefully spy an entry for Ovi Store. Download it, install it and you’re done!

If you’re a Nokia user, try following the above steps and let us know how you go...