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Nokia Introduces 'Ovi' Internet Services
IT News Online Staff
2007-08-29

Nokia has introduced Ovi, its new Internet services brand name. With the introduction of Ovi, Nokia is expanding from a focus on mobile devices to offering a range of Internet services. Ovi, meaning 'door' in Finnish, enables consumers to easily access their existing social network, communities and content, as well as acting as a gateway to Nokia services.

As part of Ovi, Nokia announced the Nokia Music Store and N-Gage, two services that make it easy for people to discover, try and buy music and games from a range of artists and publishers, including exclusive content only available through Nokia. Also under the Ovi umbrella is Nokia Maps, a navigation service that offers maps, city guides and more directly to compatible mobile devices. Nokia aims to bring more Internet based services to Ovi in the coming months.

Nokia President and Chief Executive Officer Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, at the Nokia Go Play event in London, presented Ovi and the new Nokia services for consumers, and spoke about the company's future plans as an Internet company.

"The industry is converging towards Internet driven experiences and Ovi represents Nokia's vision in combining the Internet and mobility. Nokia is the number one mobile device company in the world. 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," said Kallasvuo.

"We started this journey with our navigation services earlier this year and we are now combining all our services into a single branded offering - Ovi by Nokia. Over the coming 12 months, you will see us integrate new user interface elements, service suites and Web communities to Ovi," added Kallasvuo.

Ovi (http://www.ovi.com) is the gateway to Nokia's Internet services, including the Nokia Music Store, Nokia Maps, and N-Gage games. It will also be an open door to Web communities, enabling people to access their content, communities and contacts from a single place, either directly from a compatible Nokia device or from a PC. The first version of Ovi.com is scheduled to go live in English during the fourth quarter of 2007 and additional features and languages expected to go live during the first half of 2008.

The Nokia Music Store (http://music.nokia.com) offers millions of tracks from major artists, independent labels as well as a broad range of local artists from around the world. The store is accessible via a desktop computer or directly from a compatible Nokia device, such as the Nokia N81 or Nokia N95 8 GB multimedia computer. Browse for new music, buy what you like or add a song to your wishlist to download later. You can easily transfer your purchased songs to your mobile device and with the built-in music player, create playlists on the go and manage your music collection.

The Nokia Music Store offers full track streaming on your PC as well as individual track and album purchase. The dynamic recommendation engine and genre-based instant playlists provide access to show you what others are enjoying. The store opens across key European markets this fall with additional stores in Europe and Asia opening over the coming months. In Europe, individual tracks cost EUR 1.00 and albums from EUR 10.00, with a monthly subscription for PC streaming for EUR 10.00.

N-Gage offers an easy way to find, try and buy great quality games directly from your compatible Nokia device. Selecting the N-Gage application on your compatible Nokia device, you can preview available games, connect with your friends, read reviews or download a free demo. Buying games is easy, either with a credit card or by charging to your monthly phone bill. Companies like Electronic Arts and Gameloft are making some of their biggest brands available through N-Gage. The application is expected to be available for download from http://www.n-gage.com in November 2007.

"We know that people want integrated access to great content without the constraints of having to sit behind a computer or in front of a TV. With the Nokia Music Store and N-Gage services, you can access the best in music and games directly from your Nokia Nseries multimedia computer," said Anssi Vanjoki, executive vice president and general manager, Multimedia, Nokia. "We expect the mobile device to become the most popular platform, the 'fourth screen', for enjoying your digital content. Ovi brings our Internet services vision to life, where people can create, share and consume facts, feelings and emotions wherever and whenever."