Samsung says it has more than tripled the size of its recently-launched Samsung Apps store in many of its major European, Asian and Latin American markets, and is looks for even more growth with the launch of the Wave smartphone.
Samsung Apps launched in September 2009 to provide Samsung smartphone users with a dedicated online app destination. The UK, France and Italy versions of the store now have more than three times the number of apps they had at launch, while the number of apps in the German store has doubled. Samsung is not revealing actual number, however.
Samsung says it is expecting demand for apps to increase across its European app stores with the launch of its Wave handset, the first to run on Samsung’s bada open smartphone platform. Samsung says the device is: “expected to launch across Europe in Q2 2010”.
“Launching the application store has enabled Samsung to increase smartphone sales, while at the same time add value for our existing customer base,” says Kanghyun Kwon, vice president, Media Solutions Center at Samsung. “Samsung Apps allows users to discover new apps, which are consistently making our smartphones more useful, productive and entertaining. In the future, we will continue to offer apps perfectly optimized for our smartphones, and introduce new devices to fit all lifestyles.” 
The apps in the store can be downloaded by users of the Samsung Omnia, Omnia HD, Omnia II, OmniaLITE and the Wave. The store is designed to automatically display the relevant application catalogue available for a user’s specific handset. There are lots of participating app providers including Digital Chocolate, Electronic Arts, Gameloft, Handmark and Layar.
In the coming weeks, Samsung Apps will be supported by a dedicated Facebook fan page where customers will be able to get information on the latest promotions at the app store. The official Facebook URL will be www.facebook.com/SamsungApps.
The store is currently offered in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia, with more than 80 countries and 100 operators around the world to follow with the Wave launch.
