Thursday, Aug 30, 2007    Text size: 

Nokia’s new web services brand is Ovi, the Finnish word for “door.” A peek behind Nokia’s new door reveals a familiar-sounding concept.

As part of Ovi, Nokia also has announced the launch of the Nokia Music Store and N-Gage, two services designed to “make it easy for people to discover, try and buy music and games from a blockbuster range of artists and publishers.”

Within Ovi, one also will find Nokia Maps, a function that will offer maps and city guides, much like Apple provides to iPhone users.

In an appearance at Nokia’s Go Play event in London, company President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo made it clear that Ovi is just the start of a new focus taking root at Nokia.

“The industry is converging toward Internet-driven experiences and Ovi represents Nokia’s vision in combining the Internet and mobility,” Kallasvuo said. “Looking into the future, we will deliver great devices, combined with compelling experiences and services, to make it easy for people to unlock the potential of the Internet.”

According to Nokia, Ovi also will enable consumers to access their content, communities and contacts from one location, either directly from a compatible Nokia device or from their PC.

Positioned as a competitor of Apple’s iTunes Store, the Nokia Music Store reportedly will offer millions of tracks from familiar names, independent record labels and even unsigned local musicians from across the globe, according to Nokia. The store will be accessible from desktop computers as well as directly from compatible Nokia devices and will allow users to purchase both individual tracks and full albums.

N-Gage will function a bit like the music store but for the gaming market. The service is designed to provide Nokia users with a convenient means of finding and purchasing games that can be played directly on the user’s compatible Nokia device. Users will be able to preview games, read reviews and download free demos. Games can be purchased either with a credit card or by charging the transaction to the user’s monthly phone bill.

According to Nokia, the initial English-language version of Ovi.com is slated to go live sometime in the last three months of this year, with additional features and languages expected to launch in the first half of 2008. Its new music store will open in “key European markets” this fall, and will come online in additional European and Asian markets in the months to follow. N-Gage is expected to be available for download from the N-Gage website in November.