Opera launches the Opera Mobile Store
Opera Software has launched a new cross-platform, applications store for mobile devices, and has launched it across 200 countries. This is something that few app stores have accomplished till now, and with Opera behind this venture this is good news indeed.
The app store launched in partnership with Appia, “the leading provider of open application marketplace technology,” will cater to users mobile phones running Android, BlackBerry, Palm, Symbian and Windows Mobile, from a number of device vendors. Additionally it also includes a catalog of applications for those having Java-enabled phones. The catalog includes both paid and free applications.
The app store experience is based on the location and device of the user, which will decide the kind of applications available and the currency in use. One great thing about this store that we noticed while browsing it on our desktops was that it allowed one to download the application on the desktop itself, instead of requiring users to buy and download apps on the mobile itself.
Best of all, this web app store is open for access on all browsers, Opera or not. However Opera browsers will include a featured link for the application store, making it accessible to all Opera Mini and Mobile users.
In addition, Opera has also launched a portal for publishers to get information about publishing their own apps on the Opera Mobile store. According to the press release, the Mobile store has already seen more than 15 million users in February and have seen 700,000 downloads a day.
You can visit mobilestore.opera.com to see the catalog of applications available for your mobile phone on any mobile or desktop browser.