Mobile applications, better known as apps, are programmes that can be downloaded from online stores to run on your mobile phones. These apps enable you to choose for yourself what you want to see, use and experience on your handset.

Nokia has launched the Ovi Store with the singular objective of becoming that one-stop shop where Nokia itself as well as third-party developers can sell (or give away free) latest apps and utilities. We have been keeping an eye on the site since it was launched and have noticed that the speed of the site has improved and some worthy apps have started appearing. But before you can download any of these apps, you will have to register your device with Ovi Store either through your phone (it requires a WAP/GPRS connection) or through a PC.

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Twitter on Ovi and AppStore

Twittix (Twitter app on Nokia) costs around Rs 272 and that’s way too high for a social networking application. Twittix packs in all features of the original website Twitter, allowing users to send, receive, update and share tweets from their mobile phones. The main strength of Twittix lies in the simplicity of its user interface. It may not have a huge feature list to show off, but if simplicity is what you need in a mobile application, then Twittix is the right one for you. But this does mean sacrificing some of the higher functionality and accessibility offered by others. Twittix also disappoints by failing to run tweet updates in the background.

On the other hand, Tweetie, a similar Twitter application offered by Apple’s AppStore, is available for about Rs 146 and another one called Twitterrific Premium costs about Rs 195. There’s also a full-featured free Twitterrific app with banner ads. Twitterrific stands out with features such as its ability to read an URL included in a tweet inside the application and the built-in browser through which you can open a tweet in Safari, e-mail it, bookmark it, or re-tweet it. The app creators have packed Twitterrific with an incredibly intuitive and fun interface. For instance, a little birdie sings when your new tweets arrive and a colourful little window comes up to tell you how many tweets are there.

Games on Ovi and AppStore

Games are available on both the platforms. However, AppStore scores over Ovi in terms of price from the customer point of view. For instance, Diamond Islands by Digital Chocolate costs about Rs 100 on AppStore but Rs 205 on Ovi Store. Not only this, while AppStore retails Tower Bloxx at Rs 50, Ovi offers the same game for Rs 205.

However, Ovi Store does have some interesting games such as Aqualife (Rs 205), Asteroid Storm (Rs 340), Babe Racer 3D (Rs 205), Inferno DII (free), Creatures of the Deep (Rs 195) and NitroStreet Racing (Rs 205).

AppStore, on the other hand, is full of games — 13,000 to be precise — that are rather affordable with prices starting from Rs 50. Games such as Kill All Bugs (Rs 100), Blimp (Rs 50), Chop Sushi (Rs 145) and Aqua Moto (Rs 195) highlight the iPhone’s gameplay abilities.

Music on Ovi and AppStore

Nokia Internet Radio, a free app on Ovi, practically wows you by bringing thousands of worldwide radio stations at the touch of a button. Needless to say that you will get the best audio quality (and the lowest data bill) using a Wi-Fi connection, though a GPRS connection is not bad. Unlike the built-in FM radio, Nokia Internet Radio does not require your headset as an aerial but it is worth plugging in to get more bass and clarity.

Wunder Radio (Rs 340) on AppStore streams live radio from the internet directly to your iPhone or iPod (which needs to be Wi-Fi enabled). The app allows you to add ‘favourite’ radio stations — a handy feature as it saves you from going through the music categories again. Besides, a slew of similar internet radio stations such as Imeem Mobile, PocketGuitar, AOL Radio and Last.fm are available as free. AppStore also offers paid downloads.

So, which is better? AppStore or Ovi? Talking strictly on the basis of price and application availability, we get pulled in towards the AppStore. But if you take a look at how many potential Nokia users could possibly start using the Ovi Store, compelling the developers to launch innovative apps, then the Finnish mobile behemoth might have a mass winner on its hands.

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