Nokia ‘appy’ about new partnerships and exclusive apps

[Master Devwi]

CTIA Wireless is currently underway in New Orleans, and Nokia was on hand to announce a series of new partnerships and exclusive apps, including Angry Birds Space, hit EA titles, Groupon, and much more. The company also released the first public beta for its Nokia City Lens augmented reality app.

Most Windows Phone manufacturers can’t—or haven’t, in the case of Nokia—modified the core OS, but one of the ways they can differentiate themselves is with exclusive apps. Nokia, for its part, seems to be going all-out in this regard. Apps like PGA Tour (coming June 2012), ESPN Fantasy Football (coming Fall 2012), and an improved version of the ESPN Sports Hub will only be found on Nokia Lumia handsets, and we’re hearing that some of EA’s titles like FIFA, Madden, NBA Jam, Tiger Woods, Mirror’s Edge, and Yahtzee will be exclusive as well. Groupon and the AOL Entertainment Hub will also be released on Nokia devices six months ahead of everyone else.

Of course, Nokia has also been working closely with partners--like PayPal, for instance--to bring apps to the entire Windows Phone Marketplace, such as TripDots, TIME, NewsWeek, and the Box app. Best of all, Rovio has jumped on the Windows Phone bandwagon, forming a “dedicated development team to create titles for Nokia Lumia and the wider Windows Phone ecosystem.” Yes, that includes Angry Birds Space, as well as all future Rovio titles. Finally, Nokia made sure to mention its Create Studio app, which takes great panoramic photos.

“With new and exclusive apps launching on a regular basis, and Nokia Lumia rapidly expanding into new markets,” IDC Chief Research Officer Crawford Del Prete said, “Nokia and Microsoft are demonstrating meaningful differentiation for consumers, developers, operators, and retailers.”

Once such meaningful differentiation is the Nokia City Lens beta (available now), which uses the phone’s GPS and accelerometer to overlay landmarks on top of the camera. It’s very cool, and allows you to narrow down the results by category. We highly recommend that you give it a try.

Are exclusive apps a big factor in your smartphone purchasing decision?

[Nokia | 2 | 3]

[CrowdAds]

[epithetless]

Originally Posted by Master Devwi

Are exclusive apps a big factor in your smartphone purchasing decision?

Nope. Not ever.

[The DarkSide]

Originally Posted by Master Devwi

Are exclusive apps a big factor in your smartphone purchasing decision?

[Nokia | 2 | 3]

Not at all.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by Master Devwi

Are exclusive apps a big factor in your smartphone purchasing decision?

I don't know....if I ever buy a smartphone I guess I'll find out then.

[sideways]

I tend to favor software that does not have some arbitrary manufacturer limitation. I do not like android customization either.

[WalkGood]

Holy crap if that picture with what I would deem advertising popped up on my phone I’d smash it with a sledge hammer

Edit: Yea I know it's not advertising but wtf, doesn't anyone have a sense of adventure looking for stuff any more without having to resort to looking on a smartphone or are we that stupid that we need a smartphone.

[The DarkSide]

I like mine as simple as possible. I'll add apps & whatnot when I need/desire. Simple as that. The main draw of my phone is it actually makes great calls. And, it's not buggy. Plus, I have a case on it - so it's black & gray now!!!