Is Nokia Free Apps ..A Cry For Help?

It’s ‘the ‘great apps giveaway’ says Nokia. But is it a cry for help or a fantastic offer?

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Either way, the phones giant is shouting customers who purchase its newly released C7 Smartphone free apps from its Ovi store. The apps usually cost $2 and up and it appears to be one of the only brands pursuing this strategy at present.

However, the offer appears to be available only for customers Vodafone network who sign on for a 2 year $29 contract.

“Add them to your phone bill and we’ll cover the cost of the apps” the ad states, which has been heavily advertised across several media outlets. It also offers access to Ovi Maps with free lifetime navigation and voice guidance.

Nokia’s C7, comes with touchscreen 3.5 inch AMOLED high-resolution display, 8MP camera, HD video.

The Smarthouse team  are currently reviewing the device and will return a verdict in the coming weeks.

C7 holders can access to thousands of Ovi apps until the end of May.According to Garter research, free downloads, as opposed to free
giveaways, will account for 81 percent of total mobile application store
downloads in 2011 although consumers will be willing pay more as they
become more established.

The Finnish phone giant has been struggling for survival in the new Smartphone landscape, with rivals like Apple iPhone, Android and Blackberry all eating into its market share.

However, its latest deal with Microsoft, which will see it adopt Windows 7 software on all its devices said to be worth $1bn to the phone giant, could reverse its seemingly slippery fortunes.

Android is expected to overtake Symbian and become the number one smartphone OS in Australia within the next few months, accordingto analysts IDC, although the Finnish brand did regaining the number one place in the smartphone market late last year after being overtaken by Apple the previous quarter.

However, this trend, was largely due to a sharp decline in device prices, say the analysts.