Nokia planning 20,000 strong app store launch

Nokia is reportedly set to hop on the app store bandwagon, with plans to roll out an Apple-esque online store by the end of the month.

Despite coming to the app game a little late, Forbes is claiming the launch is set to be the biggest app store opening to date.

Nokia big cheese Niklas Savander has said the Ovi Store will launch with 20,000 different items for users to download. This dwarfs the few hundred that both Apple and RIM launched their stores with, and tramples all over the couple of dozen the Android Market started with.

The Ovi Store will also differ from these services as it will offer more content than just apps, with short videos and other media files up for grabs as well.

Anyone buying the N97 when it is released will find the Ovi Store pre-loaded onto the handset, but other new Nokia owners will be able to download the store onto their phones straight from the web.

Nice little extras will include a recommendation engine to suggest content for you based on your preferences, and location-based content that will highlight relevant apps based on where you are thanks to the built-in GPS chip.

We’ll be keeping our ear to the ground for more news on this, but in the meantime check out our hands-on video with the N97 and where you can pre-order it so you’re one of the first to get it.

Let us know what you think about the forthcoming Ovi Store below.