The biggest app stores are now tipping the half-million mark in terms of overall inventory, but a recent report from the app analytics firm found that when it comes to the most popular apps, consumers often gravitate to content published especially for their markets. In the biggest store of all—the App Store from Apple—on average, nearly one-third of the most popular apps in each country store—27 percent—were unique to those stores.

Distimo notes that the U.S.—at 7,158 apps—has the most exclusively published apps in its App Store. No surprise, really, given this is where so many developers are based and where so many hope to find success first before trying elsewhere.

Looking at worldwide trends, language also plays a big role.

Taking the U.S., UK, Canada and Australia, these countries’ top apps overlap 54 percent of the time. Although Latin America does not seem to get ranked by Distimo, you can imagine that it too would see a similar trend. The storewide average overlap is 33 percent.

On the other hand, countries with the highest number of localized apps in the top rankings marry two important trends: they have very mobile-friendly consumers, and they are countries where English is not the first language.

Japan topped the list with 67 percent of its most popular apps being popular in that country alone. China, where Apple launched a country-specific App Store in October 2010, came in second with 56 percent of most popular apps specific to the China App Store.

Is there a limit to how many local apps have a chance against the world-wide bestsellers like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja? For now, it appears the answer is yes. Distimo notes that one-third local seems to be the general number for local apps’ popularity across all platforms, not just Apple’s.

Nokia’s Ovi Store, for example, has significantly more country-specific apps than other app stores—29.4 percent for Ovi with Apple the next-highest proportion at only 5.2 percent—but Distimo notes that the number of local apps that make it into the top rankings are roughly the same as for the App Store and the Android Market, despite Apple’s and Google’s catalogs having far fewer local apps.

That could spell an opportunity for those developers looking to have more visibility among users in specific markets.

You can see that trend playing out especially in China. Platforms like Android are seeing the creation of full-out local app stores to compete with the Android Market, catering to those using devices built on the OS, with app stores from the likes of Baidu (NSDQ: BIDU) and Tencent.

There have also been a number of companies setting up shop to help localize apps from, say, the U.S. market for the Chinese market. The most recent of these was an effort from the DIY app platform Mobile Roadie, which as partnered with local mobile agency FabriQate to launch Q Mobao to help Western developers create iOS and Android apps for the Chinese market. It has also launched a similar initiative in South Korea.

Targeting specific markets is not just about local content, of course.

Last week IDC published figures (via Bloomberg) for smartphone market share in India, and it turns out that Apple has only a tiny part of the market in that country, shipping just over 62,000 iPhones to India in the last quarter, less than it shipped to Norway. That gives Apple a 2.6 percent share of the smartphone market in India. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) currently enjoys the biggest share of the market in India, with 46 percent.

With India the second-largest mobile market after China, that is a big miss for Apple (NSDQ: AAPL). IDC notes that part of the issue has been a lack of widespread 3G network for fast mobile data services. Although users can still connect by WiFi, that’s an impractical solution for a person on the move.

Its always nice to be the first with new technologies like 3D.It is the content however that puts the fun and excitement in 3D. LG must have experienced the same with the Optimus 3D hardware.

To solve the issue, LG will be issuing a new tool that converts 2D games into 3D games. The new tool will be called the 3D Game Converter and doesn’t require any action from game developers as long as the game is created in landscape modus and OpenGL is involved; hence it will be distributed directly to 3D smartphone owners. Still, LG does offer developers optional control over the 3D effect in their games.

LG will distribute the tool with the introduction of the new firmware for the Optimus 3D in October.

Following its recent announcement of the “Live With Walkman” Android smartphone, Sony has today officially introduced the Walkman Z Series (Japanese press release) of personal media players.

These Android 2.3 devices will weigh approximately 156g and will feature the following specs:

• 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core CPU
• 4.3 TFT color LCD, WVGA (480 × 800)
• 512MB RAM
• Bluetooth
• 802.11b/g/n WiFi
• WEP/WPA/WPA2 Encryption
• GPS
• E-Compass
• G-Sensor
• FM Radio
• Built-in mono speaker (this is an interesting choice considering this device is billed as a “Walkman” phone)
• HDMI output
• DLNA

As these devices are billed as “Walkman” PMPs the lack of a camera is not entirely surprising.

In the course of saying last week that Samsung Electronics would “never” buy webOS from Hewlett-Packard, Samsung CEO Choi Gee Sung also made some rather open-ended comments regarding the company’s software options and capabilities. He said that “it’s not right that acquiring an operating system is becoming a fashion,” and that Samsung is working to boost its software capabilities “harder than people outside think.”

Samsung spokesman Kim Titus clarified further: “As we move forward, our software capabilities are going to become even more visible as we strive to marry software, hardware and content to provide a richer experience.”

What do these comments mean for the world’s second-largest handset maker and, perhaps soon, the largest smartphone maker? There are multiple paths Samsung might take and if the company executes on its plans, it could vault ahead of its rivals.

At the minimum, the comments suggest that Samsung has realized that it is no longer enough to produce dazzling hardware. Samsung is also probably going to focus its software capabilities on a few key areas rather than spreading its resources too thin.

“Samsung’s operating system strategy in the past has been to bet on every horse in the race, and that way you can’t lose,” said Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart. “The problem is you can’t win that way either.”

Here are the main options for Samsung:

• Android: Samsung has made a killing by going big with Google’s  Android platform, thanks in large part to the runaway success of its Galaxy S and Galaxy S II devices, and its position is envied by the likes of LG, Motorola Mobility and Sony Ericsson. However, Samsung’s TouchWiz UI does not have the same kind of cachet that HTC’s Sense has with users and enthusiasts. Analysts said Samsung will likely invest to change that, and to deepen users’ connection to their devices. This is especially true for Samsung’s burgeoning line of Galaxy Tab tablets. “We have yet to see anything that looks like the level of customization in the tablet UI side like we have on handset side,” said Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin. Samsung will not just be making UI tweaks but will likely look to more fully integrate Android with its Media Hub services for movies, music and books.

• bada: Another option is for Samsung to further invest in the capabilities of its homegrown bada operating system, which it has pushed largely in Asia and Europe. The company introduced three new bada devices recently at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, and as my colleague Mike Dano pointed out earlier this year, bada has a lot going for it, and analysts say it is gaining traction overseas. Samsung is not going to abandon bada–it’s a significant hedge against Android and  Microsoft’s Windows Phone–and while it will continue to add capabilities to the platform, the company is likely not going to undertake an all-out effort to make bada a platform to compete head-to-head with Android and iOS. Samsung would need to convince both developers and operators that the ecosystem is large enough and worth developing for and would have to undertake a massive marketing campaign to raise awareness. “It’s a pretty serious investment,” Golvin said. “I’m not sure they’re willing to make it.”

• Cloud: The most obvious software area for Samsung to innovate with is in cloud services. Apple realized that it was falling behind Android in the cloud, which is why it unveiled its iCloud suite. Samsung will need to beef up its own cloud services–especially related to media and content distribution–if it wants to remain competitive. Enhancing its cloud services could also help it integrate its mobile and TV products by streamlining media sharing. However, others are not standing still. HTC’s August purchase of cloud sync firm Dashwire and its earlier investments in content delivery platform provider Saffron Digital and cloud gaming company OnLive made its cloud ambitions clear. Who knows what Google will do if, and when, it acquires Motorola? If Samsung is going to be at the vanguard in smartphones, it needs to be up in the cloud.

Why does all of this matter? The combination of customizing Android and Samsung’s cloud services and Media Hub could help it deliver a more immersive user experience from a software perspective. Golvin said these enhancements are “elemental” to maintaining brand loyalty, which will be especially important as more people pick their first smartphones and tablets in the years ahead. If Samsung–or any vendor for that matter–can get a consumer to buy into, enjoy and identify with a particular mobile user experience, they will have gone a long way to strengthening long-term brand loyalty.

“Alongside cloud services, which they still have a long way to develop, those UI components are going to be real important elements of maintaining their customer base, so they have to continue to invest in that,” Golvin said.

Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg said it’s all about how well Samsung executes its software plays at this point. But if the company can rival HTC in terms of user experience and develop more robust cloud capabilities, then other smartphone players better watch out, because Samsung will become more of a juggernaut than it already is.–Phil

The investment arm of silicon giant Intel has announced a US$300 million fund to ramp up support for ‘Ultrabooks,’ mobile devices which it claims will combine the performance of today’s laptops with tablet-like features. In a statement, Intel said the Intel Capital Ultrabook Fund will develop over the next 3-4 years and will “focus on investing in companies building technologies that will help revolutionise the computing experience and morph today’s mobile computers into the next ‘must have’ device.” Ultrabooks aim to offer a thin, light product at mainstream prices that boast longer battery life and improved storage capacity compared to today’s smartphones, tablets and laptops. The first devices are expected to hit shelves this winter.

Wal-Mart Stores and Amazon are looking to reach Apple iPad users directly with online books and movies, without going through Apple’s App Store, which takes a 30% cut of transactions. Wal-Mart’s video-streaming service Vudu can be accessed via a Web shortcut that is designed to look like an application. Amazon’s Kindle Cloud Reader works much the same way, giving readers access to their Kindle libraries even when they are offline. The offerings are built using HTML5, which gives applike functionality to Web services.

TechCrunch said that a number of developers selling products via Google’s Android Market are claiming that the payments they receive do not match-up with the number of apps they have sold. According to the report, the issue is related to transactions made via the Android Market web store, rather than to products purchased directly from Android handsets. It was suggested that these transactions are being processed via Google Checkout, without developers receiving their share of the income.

TechCrunch said that Google has made an official response, and that once an official fix has been put in place, developers will be notified if they are due more cash and the next payment will rectify this. It was also said that the company argues it has been proactive in keeping developers up-to-date with its progress.