Nokia today made it easier for web publishers and developers to create applications with integrated services and native-like user interfaces, quickly and with less effort with new Ovi APIs and the Ovi SDK Beta. Ovi is opening its door further, providing developers and publishers access to the world leading context platform.

Based on the web technologies that are familiar to millions of developers worldwide, numerous businesses around the world can now easily create more relevant applications for consumers that run across the Nokia’s portfolio (Symbian & Maemo).

A simple recipe that Nokia continues to use with other Ovi services in the future.  

What can you do with this?
Take for example Deutsche Bahn, the German rail company. Their development team had access to the Ovi APIs and Ovi SDK beta and created an amazing experience – in weeks. With Ovi, this established business are able to improve their customer satisfaction by providing a service whereby people are able to see which trains, trams or busses are available close to the users location in real-time, which ones will get them quickest from A to B and what’s the fastest way to the stop they depart from.
 
Take HRS, a hotel reservation service that gives access to their hotel database with more than 250.000 hotels worldwide and shows the hotels on Ovi Maps. With the new application, searching and booking a hotel using Ovi Maps on your Nokia mobile phone is child’s play.
 
Sounds complicated, but it isn’t – thanks to the new Ovi APIs and Ovi SDK beta it’s possible for developers to build a relevant and compelling experience in weeks rather than months.
 
Interested in more examples? We have worked with some key partners during the development phase of Ovi APIs. Have a look at their apps at forum.nokia.com/ovi or watch the Ovi SDK video featuring Deutsche Bahn, Qype, Lonely Planet and HRS.

What do the Ovi APIs include?
Nokia will progressively roll out web and mobile APIs for its services, beginning with the Ovi Maps Player API and the Ovi Navigation Player API for cutting-edge location solutions on its smartphones.

• The Ovi Navigation Player API allows developers and publishers to use Nokia’s industry leading Walk and Drive navigation services with a few lines of JavaScript. 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.
• The Ovi Maps Player API brings 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. 

The beginning of new and beautiful friendships
“This is just the beginning. We will work in close cooperation with developers to evolve the offering, starting with social location solutions,” said Niklas Savander, head of Services. “Our goal is clear, and that is to make it effortless for our partners to create highly appealing, context-relevant applications that consumers will find indispensable.”
 
Nokia announced yesterday Lifecasting with Ovi. A deep relationship with Facebook and the 17 other testimonials by our partners are real demonstrations on how Nokia is making Ovi an open ecosystem.
“We’ve been very pleased with our relationship with Nokia,” said Henri Moissinac, Director of Mobile, Facebook. “Since its release in June, the Facebook application for Nokia is available for download in more than 150 countries and is currently one of the most distributed applications in the Ovi Store. Needless to say, it’s really exciting to be working so closely with the largest handset manufacturer in the world to bring our 250 million users worldwide an innovative Facebook experience on their mobile devices – and this is just the beginning.” 

Nokia has already been working with key partners such as Lonely Planet, Deutsche Bahn, Associated Press, Qype, National Geographic, Deutsche Telekom Medien and Berlitz to create reference applications using the Ovi SDK beta and Ovi APIs