Nokia Partners With Xyo To Power “Replacement App” Search For Windows Phones

One of the persistent criticisms of Windows tablets and Windows Phones is that they just don’t have the app selection of Android or iOS. Microsoft says however that Windows Phones currently have access to 120,000 apps. Nokia adds,”Of the top 50 apps available for iPhone and Android, 46 of them are available” on the Windows Phone platform.

In an interesting and creative move Nokia has partnered with app search engine Xyo to help you discover “replacement apps” for Windows Phones if particular iOS or Android apps aren’t available (yet) for Windows Phones.

The site is directed at iPhone and Android owners who either just made the switch or are contemplating it. In the latter case, it’s a marketing tool — though it will need to be publicized — to give would-be Nokia buyers confidence they won’t be entering the app desert if they jump to a Windows Phone.

The Xyo-powered search engine is localized for multiple countries, including the following:

In addition to PC and mobile web sites enabling “replacement app search,” Xyo becomes the international app search provider for Nokia’s “Welcome Home for Windows Phone” site that helps Lumia owners to migrate to the new platform.

Xyo contends that in the Apple and Google app stores, only “10 percent of the top apps get 90 percent of downloads.” However the company also claims that a much larger distribution of apps (75 percent) make a contribution to 90 percent of its downloads.

This Xyo-Nokia announcement follows a partnership between Quixey and Ask revealed earlier this week to enable online app search through Ask.com.