From their press release:
From this point on, the media you consume is no longer just about “what” you’re buying, but also now about “where,” “when,” “why,” and “who” bought what. Consumers will be able to activate social discovery so that content enjoyed by their social network can be automatically surfaced and made available for download and repeat consumption. Content will also be presented based on location so that consumers will always have the most relevant experience wherever they are in the world. Consumers will be able to choose to pay for content with a credit card or through operator billing. By providing a choice of payment options for consumers, content providers and developers will gain access to consumers in markets where credit cards are not widely available.
Contextual recommendations, based on location and time. Social recommendations, based on friends and “people who bought this.” The strengths of Apple and the strengths of Amazon, plus even more.
And, though not in the press release, the developer revenue split is the same as Apple’s. Caveat: apparently the fine print says “after operator fees,” so that could be really tiny.
With Nokia’s smartphone market share, the disproportionate content use of smartphone users compared to feature phone users, and this massive improvement in user experience, the operators will be seriously hurt if they don’t manage to compete … in 2009, and at least as good as Apple.