February 11th, 2011 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Platforms: Windows Phone | No Comments »
Nokia and Microsoft just announced a strategic partnership in which Windows Phone 7 will become the principal smartphone OS for Nokia. Nokia is the first European device vendor to join Microsoft.
Windows Phone 7 adoption is very slow while Nokia has a good device coverage outside the US. By adopting the OS, Microsoft will see a steep increase in market coverage while Nokia sees a steep decline in platform development costs.
As you might expect, Bing will become the primary search engine on Nokia’s WP7 devices and Microsoft will also handle mobile ads through adCenter. Nokia Maps will become a core part of Microsoft’s mobile mapping services including those of Bing. Nokia will also be adding direct billing to Windows Market to make purchases easier.
The press release also says “Nokia’s content and application store would be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.” which is probably referring to Ovi?
“Today, developers, operators and consumers want compelling mobile products, which include not only the device, but the software, services, applications and customer support that make a great experience,” Stephen Elop, Nokia President and CEO, said at a joint news conference in London. “Nokia and Microsoft will combine our strengths to deliver an ecosystem with unrivalled global reach and scale. It’s now a three-horse race.”
“I am excited about this partnership with Nokia,” said Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. “Ecosystems thrive when fueled by speed, innovation and scale. The partnership announced today provides incredible scale, vast expertise in hardware and software innovation and a proven ability to execute.”
