Jim Chapman, the developer of the Freda ebook reader for Windows Phone 7, writes to let us know that he has seen a boost in the downloads of his app with the introduction of the Russian Marketplace recently, with nearly 50% of his downloads going to Russian-localized devices.
The reasons for this is not clear, but it could indicate both great growth in the Windows Phone 7 market as it expands into new areas, or that the Russian market has a greater affinity for downloading e-books. The country does have several websites where even recent books, still under copyright in the west, can be freely downloaded.
Either way it is good news – Windows Phone 7 will see a significant growth in sales as it expands into more markets, and developers will both have a bigger installed base to sell to, but also have a more varied population to address, which may just be what specific niche titles need.
Jim asks of other developers have notices this same increase in Russian downloads? Let us know below.