It has been a time since the launch of the Ovi store and lots of apps have been released for the joy of the Nokia users. Just recently the daily app blog organized an app award, the best of the best apps would receive the honor to be called a must have, a title that every app wishes to be granted with.

They put the nominees in 8 different categories: Music, Social Networking, Twitter (so important these days that it needs it own category), City Guides and Mapping, Entertainment, News and Info, Games, and finally, Utilities. And let the users vote for their favorite app, at the end they would count the votes and choose the winners. I should tell you who won.

In the Music Category, the winner of the Must Have App is:  Shazam! I really like this app, so useful for those moments when you hear a song but you cant know the song and the singer/band, and asking a friend later won’t help much. A few minutes ago I just heard a song in a tv commercial and wondering “nice song, I like it, I would like to know the name to buy it on the Music Store later”, but no, I dont have Shazam on my phone, YET!

In the Social Networking the only winner is: Nimbuzz! Today the social networks are a very important part of our daily life, so much that we usually use more than one, and that is when Nimbuzz comes along to help. With a large list of supported social networks and instant messengers, Nimbuzz connects you with the people you care, all in one place. No need to have mutiple clients on your phone, just one: Nimbuzz

The winner of the Twitter category is no surprise: Gravity, with universal acclaim it has been named THE twitter app for your phone. With neat and practical interface it makes easier than ever to tweet on the go. There is a 10 day trial on the Ovi Store, so check it out. I really liked it even when I am not a big tweeter fan.

The winner of the City Guides and Mapping is: World Mate 2009. If you are always traveling around then this is for you. It has free content wich includes, world clock, currency converter, weather forecast and so on. But the real value of this app is the paid upgrade which include realtime flight alerts for 350 airlines. You can not miss a flight with this, unless you really want to.

On the Entertainment Category the winner is: SPB TV. Well I have to admit that I have never tested this app, I just tried downloading it from the Ovi Store but looks like it is not working. Bad luck I guess. Anyways, I saw the demo on the developer site and I think it worths it. You get television off the internet, not sure which channels you can get but I bet that they should entertain you. Also it’s suscription free, you just buy the app and you’re done.

In the News and Info category the winner is Accuweather.com. I’m not really sure on this, I have tested this app since the first day I own my N97. Everything works fine, I like the UI, and the widget works perfectly. The only downside of this is that it is not that accurate. I have seen the app tell me that my city is at 30°C and then I see my local weather forecast tell me we are on 20°C. So maybe they should get the info right and I maybe will put it in my homescreen.

In the Game Category the winner is MicroPool s60. I have to say that I’m not a big player of my phone, I prefer a giant tv with killer sound and real graphics. Also I prefer to save my battery for the whole day. But when I’m bored or waiting in a room or something I usually pull my phone to play some games that keep me distracted. One of the games I really like is pool. And Micro Pool is one of he best games I have ever played on a cellphone, they even call it a ‘simulator’ and that means that you get real physics, real sounds and the best graphics you can get.

Finally the winner of the Utilities category we have: Vlingo. The idea behind this app is really good, you talk to your phone and it will do what you want. You can send messages or make notes among other things. And the best thing is that it rarely mishears your words. You talk to it and it will send your voice over internet and then execute your commands. But, sadly, even when you can choose the spanish language, the Vlingo app struggles to understand me when I talk in my native tongue.

So that’s it folks, to get more details visit the App Awards website and get the Must Have Apps of the 2009. Hope we get even better apps for this 2010. Happy New Year .

David Castro

Today I received an envelope directly from womworld Nokia. I’m now wondering what can be inside? It’s pretty light and small, so surely it is not a new device, a shame I know, but let’s open it

So inside there is an invitation card and says:

Dear David,

You are cordially invited to the Ovi Daily App “Must Have App of the Year” virtual awards 2009. The announcement will be made at blog.ovi.com/dailyapp in january 2010

Please find enclosed some sample applications for your consideration. The ballots open on december 14th 2009 and you will have just seven days to cast your votes in the corresponding categories.

Please watch the video embedded here for further information: blogs.nokia.com/dailyapp/appawards

May the best app win!

(QR code include)

Also, included inside the envelope there is this ultra cool USB stick which includes 6 apps that I will check out very soon. The apps are the following:

1. Fring

2. Nimbuzz

3. Nokia Barcode Reader

4. Touch Note

5. Tweets

6. World Mate

So now, in the following week I’m going to check these apps and then I will cast my vote. Exciting, I know. Keep an eye for more details on the next days! Meanwhile you may check some apps at the Ovi store and visit the Daily App Awards site to cast your own vote!

David CAstro

ps. wondering what does the QR code says?

“Why are you messing around with QR codes? You should be voting!”

Of course!