September 2, 2011
By Donovan Jackson

What is the best way to find awesome new applications? Well, find out what other people are downloading. That’s an approach which has worked well for us and its bound to work well for you too. So, what are the top Ovi Store app downloads for the Middle East and Africa?

Let’s start with the free apps:

- Facebook Chat

- Nimbuzz

- WhatsApp

- Skype

- eBuddy Mobile Messenger

- Flare

- Opera Mini 6

- Snaptu

- Micro Quran Reader

- Kaspersky Mobile Security

A quick analysis reveals that most of these apps are social media related; that shouldn’t be too surprising, since after all, communication and collaboration is arguably what sets us apart from the other animals. Flare is perhaps the surprise in this list: It’s a collection of themes. Good to see security-minded people protecting their information, too.

Let’s turn our attention to paid-for content (bearing in mind the quip that most of us will pay thousands for a new handset but baulk at spending R5 on an app ). No surprise that sensation Angry Birds tops the list, but what else is popular?

- Angry Birds

- FarmFrenzy

- Angry Birds (Symbian 3)

- Finger Print

- Fruit Ninja

- AngryBirdsSeasons (Symbian3)

-Bubble Popper XXL

- Majesty: Fantasy Kingdom Sim

-Nimbuzz Ad-Free

- Farm Frenzy 2 general

Astoundingly (well, for us, at any rate) it seems games are the most popular apps of all – with the exception of Finger Print, which secures your phone using fingerprint technology (with a name like that, who would have thought…) and NimBuzz, all the top paid apps are games. Seems entertainment is so important that people in our region don’t want their smartphone falling into the wrong hands for a bit of gaming J.

Fast facts: Ovi Store

The ability to put apps into the hands of the people is a function of three things: a ‘back-end’ (Ovi Store), operator billing, and a capable smartphone.  Some fast facts relating to Ovi Store, and other Nokia services, in South Africa:

- Nokia Drive Navigation (which is standard on all new Symbian smartphones, and can be updated through the Store) covers 100 percent of the road network (554 239 km) with speed limits for major roads and lane guidance for all motorways.

- Walk Navigation is available for Cape Town and Johannesburg.

- Ovi Store current operator billing coverage includes Vodacon, Cell-C, MTN, allowing more users to access great apps and content.

So, tell us what your favourite apps are – and why. That way, other readers can see what works for you, as it may work for them, too.