Verizon Wireless Joins App Store Craze

In addition, Verizon said it will start offering music downloads from devices through a new music store.

For applications and games, Verizon customers with "Get It Now"-capable phones can click through or search by keywords for hundreds of games and applications from the mobile Web via the Mobile Web Games and Apps Store. Verizon said both WAP and HTML handsets will support the service, which lets users preview, sample and order games and applications.

The launch of the Mobile Web Games and Apps Store comes as the widely popular Apple AppStore for the iPhone and RIM's recently launched App World store gain traction.

Meanwhile, Verizon said it has added MP3 downloads to its Verizon Media Store, which makes Verizon Wireless the first telecommunications company in the U.S. to offer MP3 downloads via its online store.

According to Verizon, the Media Store will offer access to more than 5 million MP3 downloads, which can be bought and listened to on computers or any MP3-capable devices, including sideloading music-capable Verizon devices. Verizon said it plans to offer a tiered pricing model for tunes. New releases cost $1.29 per song, standard songs cost 99 cents and classic catalog songs cost 69 cents. The tiered pricing structure will launch on Tuesday, April 7.