Windows Live and Nokia

Aug 23, 2007 08:59 GMT  ·  By

The Windows Live suite of services and products is nothing more than Microsoft's vision of the cloud operating system. Windows Live is of course an extension of the Windows operating system. However, Microsoft is also going for a different strategy, making steps toward transforming its online suite of applications and services into a platform agnostic set of offerings. Just to be clear, Windows Live is by no means fully cross platform at this point in time, but the Redmond company is integrating it not only with its Windows client but also with the operating system designed to run on top of mobile devices. The latest initiative from Microsoft and Nokia marks the evolution of Windows Live from Windows Vista and Windows XP and Windows Mobile 6 toward Nokia S60 handsets.

"When looking into the future it seems to me that the separation of the PC web experience and the mobile web experience is blurring especially with more functional devices coming onto the market and the reliance that customers have on online services. Partnering with the #1 mobile device manufacture to enable such a high fidelity experience on the phone is an incredibly important milestone for us to mobilize our web services and its something a number of us are excited about," revealed Phil Holden, Microsoft Director, Windows Live.

Windows Live is available for download for Nokia N73, N80 Internet Edition, N95, N76 and the N93i in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, U.K., Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Microsoft informed that the initial collection of offerings would be delivered as a free trial, but that continuing using the service will require a monthly fee. "The alliance will enable a much broader group of consumers to experience the benefits Windows Live has to offer, easily connecting them to the information and people that matter most from virtually anywhere," said Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of the Online Services Business at Microsoft.

The Microsoft and Nokia partnership underscores the trajectory behind the Redmond company's vision with Windows Live, a cloud operating system, intimately connected with the Windows platform, but accessible from an extensive gamma of devices outside of the personal computer. Only time will tell if bringing Live Contacts, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Spaces to Nokia devices, will pay off for Microsoft.