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Shortage of applications compared to the big two stores is the biggest handicap for Windows Phone, but Nokia says most of the popular Android and iOS products can be run on its handsets, via a partnership with 'data wrangler' Xyo.

The Finnish firm has launched a mobile and desktop website called App#Switch, designed to demonstrate to current Google and Apple users that their favorite apps are also available on WP8 - so while its total numbers may be small, nearly all the products that are most commonly used have already been ported. The site also suggests similar alternatives for apps which are not available.

The service is powered by Berlin-based Xyo, formerly called Xyologic, an analytics start-up with launched its multiplatform app search service in August. As GigaOM points out, the firm is tapping into a rising trend - user dissatisfaction with current app search and discovery mechanisms, which can be confusing in the giant Google Play and App Store shopfronts. Xyo argues that sheer volumes of apps are irrelevant if customers cannot find the products they want, or only easily encounter expensive premium offerings. Xyo says it presents many genres and sub-genres with a more granular structure that allows less famous apps to reach the surface.

Nokia will be promoting App #Switch in retail stores and on Lumia phones themselves, and will also use Xyo as the international app search provider for its Welcome Home app, which imports content to the handset from the PC or Mac.

Xyo's CEO Zoe Adamowicz said in a statement: "22% of our users intend to install an app directly from Xyo.net. That's good news for our search product - it shows that a large percentage of users find what they are looking for. But it's also great news for the whole industry: It shows that there are great apps in the app stores and users are keen to install them - they just need better tools to find them."

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