Nokia said that it has entered into an agreement with Polar Mobile to launch more than 300 mobile applications for Nokia smartphones, including upcoming models based on Windows Phone, over the next 12 months.
The first set of 50 applications under the partnership will be available on Nokia’s Symbian-based smartphones by next month via the company’s Ovi Store, Nokia said.
Nokia didn’t provide any details on when the first applications for its upcoming Windows Phone-based smartphones would arrive. Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop has all but promised that the first phone will start shipping before the end of the year, and will be followed by more products during 2012.
Polar Mobile helps content-based businesses launch mobile applications that work across all major smartphone devices. The Nokia partnership will include applications from Indonesian newspaper Kompas, New York-based Advertising Age, Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail, Shanghai Daily and 7DAYS, which is based in the United Arab Emirates, the companies said.
To date, Polar Mobile has launched over 1,200 mobile applications for more than 300 media brands in 10 countries, which include magazines, newspapers, broadcasters and online portals across news, sports, entertainment and lifestyle media businesses.
Its list of customers also includes CBS Sports, GQ, Variety, Time and Vogue, according to Polar’s website.
Nokia is stepping up its developer push as the company prepares to ship large volumes of Windows Phone-based smartphones next year. At Mobile World Congress, which takes place in Barcelona at the end February, the company will have a 2,300 square-meter space at the App Planet, a separate part of the event that focuses on application development.
