Nokia announced the launch of the Nokia Ovi store at Mobile World Congress yesterday. The new store will allow users to download new applications on their phone from five key areas such as games, maps, music, and messaging. Since the store's audience is customers on their cellular phones, Nokia also hopes to be able to use real-time tracking to provide relevant content and information. The Ovi Store could detect that you're vacationing in Florida and automatically offer you local area guides. Or it could note that every one of your friends enjoys the Dave Matthews Band, and connect you with Dave Matthews' latest album. This news will surely have privacy conscious people alert. Other phones using the Symbian OS - like Samsung and LG- will be able to download the newly announced Ovi store to their handsets even though they don't own a Nokia phone when it becomes available in May.

Nokia's trick is to offer users much more than applications and games, by including other content like images, podcasts, audiobooks, widgets and more through a single interface. It is expected manufacturers will announce new handsets with the new open source OS in 2010.

[Intomobile]