‘Samsung Apps’ Celebrates its First Anniversary With Aggressive Market Expansion

The FINANCIAL — Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, one of the global leaders in mobile technology, on September 13 marked the first anniversary of Samsung Apps, its mobile & TV application store, by announcing the service has expanded to cover 109 countries.

"Initially available from September 2009 in select European and Asian countries – including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy – Samsung Apps has expanded its coverage at a rapid pace riding on the successful global launch of the Samsung Wave smartphone. Samsung Apps recently added nine more service countries – Costa Rica, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Iceland, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, and Sudan – to increase availability to 109 markets," Samsung informs.

The Samsung Wave, the first smartphone based on Samsung’s own bada platform, hit the market in June 2010. Since its launch, more than 14 million bada applications have been downloaded from Samsung Apps, as the service’s user base continues to expand.

“The expansion of the Samsung Apps gives us the opportunity to reach more users than ever before with entertaining, compelling and enriching smartphone experiences. We are committed to introducing users to new applications and services, unique to Samsung,” said Hosoo Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of the Media Solutions Center, Samsung Electronics. “Samsung Apps rapid expansion also signals an incredible opportunity for developers and content providers to reach new customers all over the world.”

Already offering an array of applications, including games, social networks, e-books and health-related services, Samsung plans to drive the creation of more locally-customized applications. It will also integrate relevant local information, designed to reflect cultural characteristics and provide a more enriching, tailored service to users globally.

Samsung will continue to drive Samsung Apps by introducing further bada-powered devices. The Samsung Apps will expand to accommodate new smartphones and automatically display the relevant application catalog available for a user’s specific phone model.