Nokia’s Ovi Store, which is the mobile phone giant’s answer to Apple’s iPhone AppStore, launched yesterday, and it is severely lacking in medical, health and fitness applications. As we have noted recently, the iPhone now has more than 1,500 health-related applications. Granted, the AppStore had a couple years head start on Nokia, but the Finnish phone maker has taken its time and — at first blush, anyway — the results are less than impressive.
For starters, Nokia’s Ovi Store doesn’t even have a “health,” “fitness” or “medical” category for its applications, and at least one of the more promising health apps, which Nokia designed itself, is labeled with a disclaimer. It reads: ”NOTE: this is an experimental prototype that may break, change or disappear at any time.”
While some of them are a bit of a stretch, mobihealthnews found these seven health or fitness related apps in Nokia’s Ovi Store within the “Sports,” “News & Info” and “Utilities” categories:
HappyWakeUp by SmartValley: A “smart alarm clock” for your Nokia phone. This application monitors your sleep using your phone’s microphone. The developer claims that the app “is very sensitive to detect movements while sleeping”. The application aims to wake you up “when you actually are already awake or almost awake.” The Ovi Store lists the app has being based on “medical research of human sleep.”
Endomondo Tracker by Endomondo: This app uses GPS to track running, cycling, hiking, skiing, sailing, rowing etc. While you are tracking, you get audio cues on your performance. At www.endomondo.com you have your full training log with track information on speed, duration, distance, altitude and your tracked path on a map. On the website you can setup competitions with your friends and follow them live while they are out tracking.
Calorie Countdown by SingHealth: This app includes “great calculators” to help users track their health. It also provides useful tips from SingHealth about diet and weight management as well as how to optimize workouts.
Nokia Step Counter by Nokia Beta Labs: This app counts your steps and determines how far you walked as well as your energy expenditure. Compare activity levels from different days by using the app’s diary. “NOTE: this is an experimental prototype that may break, change or disappear at any time.”
Smart Yoga by MIGITAL: This application explains ”correct” yoga postures with detailed descriptions.
Yoga Coach by Yeni Mobile: Step-by-step yoga learning with animated asanas. This app is “slow-paced with hands-on instructions and plenty reinforcement.”
Men’s Fitness by Mipin: An application characterized as a “downloadable launcher” that simply takes the user to the Men’s Fitness mobile internet site. The site features health, exercise, nutrition, fitness equipment, weight training workouts & fitness advice.
For more on Nokia’s Ovi Store, check out the store for yourself here.