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LG is the latest manufacturer to offer up an app store for its mobile handsets.
LG Electronics has launched a beta version of their online application store (http://www.lgapplication.com), which will first be introduced in Asia and then expanded to 24 countries including Australia.
LG expects to offer up to 2,000 applications on its site by the end of year with at least 100 programs available free of charge.
“As we’ve announced earlier, LG is planning to invest heavily in the smartphone market going forward, with ten smartphones being introduced this year alone” said Dr. Skott Ahn, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “As the trend has shown, the appeal of smartphones is in the diversity and usefulness of the applications. Opening our own Application Store will allow us to offer the best content and applications for our devices so that LG phone owners will get the best possible ownership experience.”
Both LG and content providers will ensure that all software undergo quality testing before they are made available for download to ensure “bug-free” operation.
Associated with the LG Application Store is the LG Mobile Developer Network (http://developer.lgmobile.com), a website specifically designed for third party software developers of LG mobile phones. Since its opening last October, the site has been renovated with enhanced contents and functionality.
The number of applications is expected to expand even further over time as developers will be given added incentives. At the website, developers can develop and share widgets and test their applications through Virtual Developer Lab (VDL) and Over-The-Air (OTA) downloads. Currently the website supports Java SDK and for widgets, it will support VDL, OTA downloads by the end of the year for compatible devices on the global market.
The LG Application Store’s beta launch coincides with the introduction at the end of July of the LG-GM730, the newest LG smartphone which has been showcased during CommunicAsia in Singapore last month.
