Origins & Lemons: EA reveals new-look digital store

Tired of the old, boring and slightly broken EA digital store? Yes, so was everyone else. So perhaps Origin will be better.
Sounding, I have to say, suspiciously like Steam or perhaps Battle.Net, EA’s new Origin store will provide digital downloads of all those “highly-anticipated” EA PC titles like Battlefield 3. EA claim that certain ‘limited edition’ versions of titles will be available through Origin, and that this will be the only place in the whole wide internet where you’ll be able to download Star Wars: The Old Republic (when it finally comes out).
There’s a social aspect to all of this too, of course. Through Origin, players will be able to hook up with friends and see what games their chums are playing, then laugh at them for their bad taste. Games will be permanently linked to your account, so if you happen to be away from your own PC you’ll still be able to download and play stuff.
The Origin beta application is available to download right now from the service’s site. During E3, EA will be uploading “exclusive game content and trailers for Mass Effect 3, FIFA 12, SSX, Need for Speed: The Run, Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Sims 3 and Battlefield 3” to the service.