Samsung Overhauls, Rebrands App Store to Galaxy Apps

Samsung has renovated and rebranded its mobile apps store, adding hundreds of new apps exclusive to its Galaxy mobile devices segmented by categories such as Best Picks, Top and For Galaxy, in a move seemingly aimed at landing Google (GOOG) Play customers.

The official name of the Korean manufacturer’s app store now is Samsung Galaxy Apps. In a blog post, the vendor said the expanded store will “allow greater customization of mobile devices.” And, in a play for more traffic, Samsung also said it will use the store as a platform to launch promotions and discounts.

At this point, it’s far too difficult to say if an expansion of Samsung’s app store will irritate Google. Whether the Samsung apps are compelling enough to interest users is yet to be determined.

“At Samsung, we continuously strive to create value for our customers by providing differentiated solutions and services coupled with innovative devices,” said WonPyo Hong, Samsung Media Solution Center president. “Samsung Galaxy Apps is an extension of that promise, as it offers our customers exclusive apps to enrich their experience.”

The app store user interface consists of three sections—Best Picks, Top and For Galaxy. The Best Picks section includes recommended apps and promotions, while the Top category features the most popular apps that can be searched by popularity, date and price.

With the For Galaxy section, users can sift through four sections, including Galaxy Gifts for premium apps; Galaxy Essentials for “must haves”; Apps for Professionals, which includes business-centric apps and services that extend the capabilities of Galaxy devices; and, Galaxy Specials, which allow users to download apps built using Samsung software developer kits (SDKs).

Samsung said it will roll out access to the Galaxy Apps store in all regions of the world over time.

The app store revamp comes just after Samsung’s decision to incorporate some elements of its Knox enterprise security platform into the next version of Android, a move that has been interpreted by some as the Korean vendor handing over control of the suite to Google.

Samsung has denied that it’s giving over Knox control to Google. In an email to the Android Community website, the vendor wrote, “While Samsung is contributing a part of Knox technology for the benefit of the entire Android community and enterprise customers, Samsung Knox remains the most secure Android platform from the hardware to the application level. Samsung will continue to work with our partners to enable Knox for all of our valued customers.”