Is it all over for Ovi before its begun?

When Nokia announced that its Ovi application store was to launch with a massive 20,000 titles, it drew gasps from industry watchers. By way of comparison, the Apple App Store could muster just 300 when it was unveiled.

But not long after Nokia’s announcement appeared, it emerged that in fact that the word ‘titles’ was a little misleading. In fact very few of the wares on offer were to be bona-fide applications.

Now, it seems the disappointment surrounding Ovi has become even more palpable. A scan of the site earlier today revealed why. Pages were down all over the place. Meanwhile, of those that were working, loading times were punitively long.

But of course, most sites have teething problems. And given the kind of volume of traffic, this one will be receiving, it’d take an especially vinegary churl not to afford Nokia some grace to sort out the issues.

However, unfortunately the products are even more of a letdown. When we checked, just ten business applications were available. Conversely, thousands upon thousands of the titles were just shonky wallpapers or ringtones.

All in all, then, not the best launch ever. But at least Nokia will have a chance to remedy its fast-fading love affair with the British public when it unveils the N97 in June. Let’s hope it gets it right this time.