LG Debuts Their Own Smartphone Application Store

It's just the thing to do these days, isn't it? If you have a phone, you best have an App Store. It worked for Apple, it worked for Google, and it just might work for LG. Maybe. It's safe to say that most app markets outside of the Apple App Store and Android Market are fairly dead to the outside world, though Palm's WebOS market showed signs of thriving before HP pulled the wind out of Palm's sails (but in turn, saved the company's life). Now, LG is looking to join those other companies, but they're taking a slightly different approach for good reason.

Rather than butting heads with Apple or Android in the North American market, LG has just made official their "Application Store," which is available in Beta for 23 countries that include the UK, Italy, Spain and other nations in Europe. Of course, the U.S. is out of that group, but again, the U.S. already has a number of market leaders that LG probably has no interest in battling. The company wants to serve some 33 countries before it's all said and done, and while only a few thousand apps are available to download today, the selection isn't that bad. The SIMS 3 and Asphalt 4 aren't games to sneeze at, and the interesting part is that LG still plans to enable access to the Android Market even on LG Android phones. Probably due to just how limited the Android Market is when surfing overseas.

So, how long before Motorola, Kyocera and Sharp do likewise?

With a new application store, LG opens up to both feature phone and smartphone users

SINGAPORE, July 6, 2010 – LG Electronics (LG) today announced the opening of an all-new LG Application Store, with more than twice as many apps targeting users of both feature phones and smartphones in 33 countries.

Having comprehensively updated its Application Store, LG is now ready to offer customers a wide range of fun and useful apps including exciting games like The SIMS 3, Asphalt 4 and popular applications from SPB Series, for its mid- to high-end feature phones and smartphones. Android applications will be also available at LG’s store later this year.

“Today, more and more people want mobile devices that make their lives easier and more exciting through the right combination of applications. To meet this growing demand, we’ve put a great deal of effort into strengthening our application offerings for all types of phone owners,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “By studying customer insights and collaborating with top-level companies, LG is working to produce some of the best applications on the market, and a truly singular mobile experience for our customers.”

Following the revamp, the LG Application Store will offer more than 3,000 applications from its cleanly designed, easy-to-use new site. Approximately half of the applications will be devoted to feature phones, a significant number in a market that has, to date, been overwhelmingly focused on smartphones.

According to research by Strategy Analytics, a market research company, over 90 percent of feature phone owners in the US and UK are interested in downloading and installing applications such as SNS (Social Networking Service), IM (Instant Messenger), VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), and navigation and mapping.[1] Having taken the lead in mid- and high-end feature phones that are adopting many of the trappings of smartphones, LG, through its new, improved Application Store, is offering consumers more ways than ever to use their feature phones in creative and dynamic ways.

Along with a range of applications for Windows OS phones that are already on sale, the new LG Application Store will also extend its line-up of applications for Android-powered smartphones at the end of this year. With demand for Android-powered phones set to surge worldwide, the LG Application Store is well placed to enhance consumer’s mobile experience, offering greater value and genuine benefits to owners of LG’s Android smartphones.

The all new LG Application Store opens today in 23 markets. LG aims to increase the number of applications in the LG Application Store to 4,000 by the end of this year and to expand the service to 33 countries including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain and Iran. To experience the new LG Singapore Application Store, visit http://www.sg.lgapplication.com.