Nokia closing down Mosh on May 1

Nokia confirmed reports it will shut down its Mosh social networking effort, replacing the service with the new Ovi Store application storefront May 1. According to a "farewell mail" sent by Nokia to Mosh users and obtained by Techtree, from May 1 forward it will redirect Mosh users to Ovi Store, which the handset giant first announced at Mobile World Congress in February. Nokia warns Mosh users that once the site is no longer active, user accounts and uploaded content will no longer be available.

Nokia first announced Mosh (a.k.a. "Mobilize and Share") in August 2007, touting the service as the first mobile social network created by a handset maker; the following June, Mosh shed its beta tag and went live after drawing an average of 100,000 visitors and 175,000 to 200,000 downloads a day. Ovi Store, which consolidates Mosh along with Nokia's Download! and WidSets efforts, will base much of its identity on the social networking paradigm, promising a customized and contextually relevant user experience determined by factors like personal contacts and physical whereabouts (or as Nokia calls it, "Social Location"). Consumers can activate social discovery features to receive updates and recommendations on content enjoyed within their social networking circles.

For more on Mosh's imminent demise:
- read this TechTree article