Our Business
Nokia and Microsoft partnership delivers innovation and Symbian delight
By Mike on 12 August 2009
NEW YORK, USA – Co-creation is one of those topics that never fails to ignite sparks of enthusiasm here in the Conversations camp. So today’s news that Nokia has partnered with Microsoft to closely collaborate in the creation of innovative software services for Symbian devices marks an exciting evolutionary step for pocket productivity apps.
This pioneering partnership has been kindled to soon equip Nokia’s Symbian devices with smarter and more advanced features for working on the move. Heaps of Nokia smartphones are primed to benefit over time, with Eseries on the frontline leading the charge and set to showcase the first breed of business services and apps.
Dedicated teams from inside Nokia and Microsoft are now working together to bring this new era of mobile productivity to life on Symbian handsets. This isn’t just conceptual stuff, as both companies are closely collaborating to ensure the software and services are fully co-created, from the design and development of their creations to the marketing to ensure the best possible product ends up proudly in our palms.
Microsoft Office Mobile and its stablemates (including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Communicator and OneNote), will be among the first to appear on Nokia’s Symbian smartphones, equipping you with the ability to easily edit and collaborate on Office docs from anywhere around the world.
This collaboration will nurture innovation in future Symbian devices too, as Nokia’s Vice President for Devices, Kai Oistamo, explains:
“Together with Microsoft, we will develop new and innovative user experiences for employees of small and large businesses alike, ensuring Nokia’s smartphones are an integral part of the office and home-office environment, and addressing the significant opportunity in mobile enterprise productivity.”
Microsoft’s Business Division President, Stephen Elop, echoed this saying:
“With more than 200 million smartphone customers globally, Nokia is the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer and a natural partner for us. Today’s announcement will enable us to expand Microsoft Office Mobile to Nokia smartphone owners worldwide and allow them to collaborate on Office documents from anywhere, as part of our strategy to provide the best productivity experience across the PC, phone and browser.”
Let us know what you think to this new collaboration between Nokia and Microsoft, and scribble down your musings in the comments section below.
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- Symbian Horizon looms into view
- Symbian Foundation – the future of mobile
Tags | co-creation, microsoft, Nokia, Office, symbian
August 12th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Where does this leave Quickoffice?
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August 12th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Will I need to reboot once I’ve installed?
Only kidding, this will be very interesting, I’d like to see what sync functionality MS bring to Nokia?
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August 12th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
This sounds almost like the SGI Fahrenheit project that Microsoft “worked” with SGI on.
Could this be another Fahrenheit in the works? Microsoft swoops in with Nokia using a grand scheme of a unified platform. Microsoft could promise developers and unified theories, that would please customers. Nokia goes forward with the project, and Microsoft uses the time to prepare the noose, by gathering strategic information. Nokia has by this time perhaps changed their plans. Microsoft comes out with something entirely new, after discovering enough to destroy Nokia.
It’s not like this hasn’t happened before.
Look at what Microsoft did with Java … Look beyond that in history, and you will find more …
Those that don’t understand history are condemned to repeat the patterns in history, until they learn.
It’s bad enough that Nokia and Microsoft want to take away from the success of RIM. If these 2 companies were 2 kids on a playground, they would be out stealing the ball from a group of kids that play mostly in peace.
Nokia is fortunate, because they have a large vested interested in tools like Qt, and Maemo (to name a few). Microsoft probably prefers that people don’t use those tools, unless they are being investigated for fraud or monopoly charges again.
I wouldn’t blame Nokia or Microsoft, if I knew that they had learned and changed. However, their actions are indicative of something else.
If people enjoy using RIM devices, why not learn why that is? Why try to have your own success at the cost of another?
Enjoy, and may we all reap what we sow.
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August 13th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Dear Nokia guys,
I will not buy under any circumstance a cellphone with windows or any other microsoft software.
I hope you will still develop Symbian or other OS for your devices, or else I will no longer be your customer.
Regards.
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ChrisJC Reply:
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I think that what the article says is we’ll get Microsoft Mobile Office on our S60 phones, not that S60 would be relace with mobile windows.
I think it is the only essential tool missing from Nokia smartphones (having 5800 in mind).
Now, release a nokia 5800i with the following features:
no bugs
faster cpu
higher resolution cameras (back and front)
gps instead of a-gps
microsoft office mobile
xpress-on covers range
and couple spare mirror screen-protectors
gapless music playback (don’t know if it is gapless on the current nokia 5800 as well)
keeping all current characteristics and accessories that are included in the package
and I’d buy a dozen of those devices no matter the cost.
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August 13th, 2009 at 3:48 am
I hope this includes the possibility to play wmv files on Nokia Smartphones so I don’t have convert videos
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August 13th, 2009 at 6:57 am
Sounds good, but this does kind of put a nail in the coffin of QuickOffice doesn’t it. Means those guys will become another third party Office app.
Why use a compatible Office app when you can use the Office app?
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August 13th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Sweet!
Microsoft OneNote hopefully will replace the aging and failed Memo’s inside S60 devices. I’m hoping this comes about as a firmware upgrade to existing devices and soon to be released E72.
Furthermore this should replace the nice attempt but still lacking in proper email sync that Mail For Exchange by Nokia has given us.
People like Von Weege seems to avoid or hate Microsoft products but cannot deny this is one space that Microsoft has EARNED their supremacy. OpenOffice is a great attempt at replaced MS Office products … but the features are still lacking: formulas in Excel, tie ins between all apps etc.
MS OneNote …. I’m hoping has great improvements for Symbian^2 & S60 5th Edition devices given great finger gesture features that we see in laptops.
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August 16th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
i think the most important part here is that how your programs, works together exactly! i mean complexations, are not always a wellcome, i think you’ll understand this but, this partnership if goes further it’ll be amazing, microsoft is traped with his smart ass(sorry) smart phone category and don’t know where to start, so nokia will be a good start, and nokia really (may be only i think but,) needs more software experience, around the new jumped out touch phones! N97 needs serious help, if you do like so, then microsoft please help nokia make it the best, because touch and user interface Philosophy is a more related work to microsoft.(specialy now!)
so if this would happen in future i’m seeing so much light!
Thanks, SASAN.
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August 25th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
How all this gonna affect Windows Mobile????
I think its a blow given by Microsoft itself to its trusted WinMo, on which it has spent so much of money to develop.
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