Nokia Developer Summit kicked off in Monaco on 28^th April 2009 with a host of announcements designed to make it even easier for developers to extend the functionality of Nokia devices.

Although the conference did not include the formal launch of the handset giant’s Ovi Store mobile application storefront, it did throw light on Nokia’s plans for the Ovi platform, its evolving relationship with the mobile developer community and its transformation from device manufacturer to solutions provider. Here are some highlights.

Nokia N 97 Beta SDK

This software development kit enables users to get the latest updates from an application, directly from their home screen, without even having to open the application. To support the growing interest and demand of the N 97, the company is making the Nokia N97 beta SDK available to anyone who registers on Nokia forum.

Mobile Games will play a central role in Ovi’s future

Ovi Store’s concept of “social location”–i.e., a more personalized and relevant user experience determined by friend recommendations and related tools–is critical to Nokia’s mobile gaming plans. This will be done keeping in mind the challenge faced by Ovi store to persuade non-gamers to rethink their attitude.

Nokia N 97 Widget Competition

A competition was hosted for developers for creating widgets for N 97. The winner would bag himself a brand new Nokia N 97 complete with his winning widget displayed on the home screen.

Nokia Growth Partners looking to invest      

A $250 million venture fund targeting growth-stage companies, Nokia Growth Partners, which works closely with Nokia, its sole limited partner, is on the lookout for acquisitions of services that tie in well with the Ovi platform, in particular local search and mobile social networking applications.

Adobe and Nokia Open Screen Project Fund

The 10 million USD initiative between Nokia and Adobe is designed to accelerate the creation of applications, content and services that “leverage the Adobe Flash Platform and run across mobile, desktop and consumer electronic devices”. The first five applications to receive funds through this initiative have also been announced.