The Apple App Store has been an unmitigated success for the company. It has spawned a host of competitive offerings from virtually every other smartphone maker hoping to grab some of the success for themselves in a time when phone makers need all the profits they can get.

The latest application store to open for mobile phones is the Nokia Ovi store. The store officially opened earlier today in several European countries as well as Australia and Singapore. Engadget reports that the store is now live everywhere including here in America.

The big news for Nokia phone users is that the Ovi store can be accessed from over 50 different Nokia handsets and can be reached from any mobile provider's network. Applications purchased on the store can be paid for through the mobile carrier or directly with a credit card.

CNET News reports it was able to download one of the free game apps, which crashed the E71 it was installed on. The fault was placed on the shoulders of the application though and not the Ovi store. However, CNET News points out that the store was so slow, purchasing a paid application during testing was impossible.

The inability to complete a paid transaction was likely due to heavy traffic from users around the world wanting to see what applications are available on the Ovi Store. If you have ever visited the Apple App Store, the Ovi apps are very similar with different categories and offerings. Users can choose from ringtones, utilities, news and info apps as well as games and social networking.