Nokia N95

Nokia launched the Ovi Store with availability in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Singapore, Spain, the US, and the UK, with promises that they will be adding other countries in the future. While Nokia’s offering of operator billing will put it ahead of other app store competitors, operator billing will not be available until the latter half of this year. No worries, though, as US users will be able to make purchases via credit card—just like all the other app stores.

So, what apps are recommended for Nokia users? With over 20,000 apps to choose from on opening day, the possibilities are endless. According to Eric John, who heads up product marketing for Ovi, some must-have apps include Gravity (a Twitter manager), Trapster (basically a non-radar radar detector), AP News, WorldMate (a traveler’s all-in-one help), Fodors, and EarthComber (an enhanced GPS guide for North America). Obviously, Nokia is making use of their GPS enabled phones, which is a feature included in most of their newer models.

All told, it might have been helpful for the Ovi Store to do a little more testing before the official launch. But it won’t be enough to close down shop. Besides, the Ovi shopping experience might be a little easier in the coming months on new Nokia phones. Nokia plans to preload the Ovi Store on upcoming models.