Nokia told Forbes that its new Ovi app store will open later this month with about 20,000 items ready for download.

Research In Motion (RIM) and the Google-led Android Marketplace have opened app stores but with far smaller inventories. RIM opened with a few hundred apps, and Android opened with only dozens.

To date, the most notable competition in the mobile apps segment is Apple’s App Store. In April, Apple recorded its 1 billionth download and a catalog of 15,000 applications.

Apple recently unveiled the new iPhone 3.0 OS and developer SDK. The new operating system will give developers thousands of new APIs, which some in the industry say will lead to another explosion of application development for the Apple App Store.

2012 PREDICTIONS

Dec 3 2011

View From CES: Augmenting Reality

Jan 11

Ten-Yard Penalty, Failure to Engage Via Mobile

Feb 6

Report: Android Hits 53 Percent Market Share

Dec 13 2011

MetroPCS Inks Broadcast Mobile Television Deal

Jan 4

Ten-Yard Penalty, Failure to Engage Via Mobile

Feb 6 | Wireless Week Blog

I was about as impressed with attempts to integrate mobile with this year's Super Bowl as I was with the Green Bay Packers’ effort during their NFC divisional playoff loss to the New York Giants.

HP Move Solidifies Top OS Contenders

Aug 23 2011 | Wireless Week Blog

For now, the mobile platform market is coming up Apples and Android.

AT&T Promise Highlights Android Fragmentation

Jul 26 2011 | Wireless Week Blog

Google needs to "huddle" with partner OEMs and figure out some kind of standardization for Android

App Store Is Not A Kleenex

Jun 14 2011 | Wireless Week Blog

Or why it’s silly to try to trademark the term “app store.”

WWDC: Apple will Refine, Define Cloud Services

Jun 1 2011 | Wireless Week Blog

Some would say it's about time, I'd be quicker to say all in good time, which has been Apple's mantra for quite a while.

Qualcomm Keynote at CES 2012 Recap

Jan 30

VZW Day One at CES 2012

Jan 30

Quick Look: Huawei Ascend

Jan 23