According to the press release “Nokia makes it easier for web publishers and developers to create applications with integrated services with Ovi APIs and Ovi SDK Beta introducing a new breed of applications for the web and smartphone platforms”

The Ovi for Developers beta program

Nokia is inviting developers to join the Ovi for Developers beta program on the Forum Nokia Developer Community site (www.forum.nokia.com/Ovi), and will make the Ovi SDK Beta and Ovi APIs available to them. Applications created with Ovi SDK and Ovi APIs will be distributed through the Ovi Store in 2010, bringing the applications available to the hands of millions of consumers around the world.

The Ovi SDK Beta and Ovi APIs

The technology preview, now available to developers via registration, contains:

Ovi SDK Beta – an easy-to-use, web-based toolbox which provides tools to create applications for the web, and Symbian and Maemo platforms, with integrated Ovi features and a distinct user interface. The Ovi SDK Beta contains the Ovi APIs and all-new Ovi User Interface (UI) libraries, which enable effortless creation of rich applications. The Ovi SDK Beta utilizes standard web technologies – HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and JavaScript (JS) – programming languages that are most familiar to the world’s developer community.

Ovi APIs – provide developers with a simple way to integrate service features such as maps or navigation to their web applications. Nokia today introduced the first two Ovi APIs:

- Ovi Maps Player API – bringing maps to mobile and web applications effortlessly. The API is powered by Ovi Maps and features over 180 country maps, location-based search and detailed place information. Other features include vector-based maps that give a range of views, including map, terrain and 3D modes for dynamic map mash-ups. Nokia first introduced the Ovi Maps Player API for the web earlier this year.

- Ovi Navigation Player API – allowing developers to bring Nokia’s industry-leading walk and drive navigation features to their applications, including pedestrian navigation, turn-by-turn car navigation and route planning. This makes it possible for content creators to create applications that take the consumer to his destination of choice – be it to a friend’s location, a landmark, a restaurant, or the bus stop.

You can read the entire press release here : Nokia expands ecosystem opportunities and showcases work with partners, publishers and developers

For more details & to apply for the Ovi SDK beta, visit http://www.forum.nokia.com/Ovi

As with all their latest releases, Nokia has also shared videos explaining & introducing the Ovi SDK as well as the Ovi Ecosystem. You can watch the videos below.

ShoZu, the social media hub, has today announced its availability from the Ovi store. The award wining photo sharing site allows consumer to enjoy one-click uploading of camera phone photos and videos to a growing list of over two dozen of today’s most popular web destinations including Flickr, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.

The interesting thing about this announcement is that ShoZu which was previously available for S60 device owners for free, now has a one-time charge to new users downloading the application from the Ovi store. The charge does not affect any of the existing users but new users have to pay to play! ShoZu’s new strategy reflects the company’s decision not to sell advertising in order to support expanding demand for its service.

The ShoZu app for the OVI Store provides two-way interactivity with dozens of social networking sites, including real-time status updates and uploading high-resolution images and video. Other benefits include: uploading via Wi-Fi (for devices supporting Wi-Fi) for free and fast service; automatically continuing uploads in the event of service disruptions; and reducing download size to save users money if their data plan isn’t unlimited.

Users may download ShoZu’s mobile social media hub application for a one-off fee of €7 for the life of the Nokia handset, in line with Nokia’s commercial arrangement with content providers for the OVI Store. For those Symbian Series 60 users already using the application, ShoZu recommends they backup the application when they reset their device’s firmware so they don’t incur a fee to download the service again.

The service is initially available on all Series 60 Version 3 devices and the Nokia 5800 with support for the N97 device coming soon. A complete, frequently updated list of supported handset models is available at www.shozu.com and m.shozu.com.

The ShoZu mobile client is part of the ShoZu social media hub service. The ShoZu social media hub service is free for both existing and new users through picture messaging/(MMS), mobile e-mail, desktop e-mail and ShoZu Desktop, based on the Adobe Air platform, that works on both Macs and Windows PCs.

Press Release : The recent Strategy Analytics Wireless Media Lab insight, “

Strategy Analytics’ user evaluation found that Ovi Store by Nokia has a simple and consistent layout and has a very intuitive content acquisition process – something that particularly impressed first time application store users. However, the current category layout is somewhat confusing, and needs to be improved as Ovi Store makes more content available to users.

“Users liked the multiple payment options that Ovi Store provides,” according to Christopher Dodge, Analyst, in the Strategy Analytics User Experience Practice. “Allowing payment via operator billing and credit card payment gives users flexibility as to how they pay for content.”

Paul Brown, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, “Browsing through content requires too many clicks. As the amount of available content increases, it is important that structure of Ovi Store improves.”