14 DAY TRIAL // Today, Finnish handset vendor Nokia and software giant Microsoft announced that they signed a definitive agreement on a collaboration that would result in the release of Nokia devices powered by Windows Phone, and the establishing of a new global mobile ecosystem.
On top of that, the two companies announced that they already made significant progress in the development of the first Nokia Windows Phone devices, and that their employees are currently working together on designing the portfolio of new Nokia devices.
At the same time, the Espoo, Finland-based handset vendor announced steps forward made in its attempt to port some of its existing Nokia applications and services to the Windows Phone platform.
“At the highest level, we have entered into a win-win partnership,” said Stephen Elop, president and CEO of Nokia Corporation.
“It is the complementary nature of our assets, and the overall competitiveness of that combined offering, that is the foundation of our relationship.”
For those out of the loop, we should note that Nokia plans on bringing its mapping, navigation, and other location-based services to Windows Phone, and that it would adopt Microsoft's Bing search on all of its handsets.
Through this agreement, all Nokia developers would receive free Windows Phone developer registration, and they would be able to submit apps to a new Nokia-branded global application store, which would include Windows Phone, Symbian and Series 40 applications.
During the ongoing year, Nokia aims at making available for purchase the first handset built on the Windows Phone platform, Kai Oistamo, executive vice president and chief development officer, Nokia & Andy Lees, president, Mobile Communications Business, Microsoft note in a blog post.
They also unveil the fact that Nokia Windows Phones would reach volume shipments next year, and that these devices would be pushed to new markets in the following years.
“You will see unique innovation and differentiation across hardware, software and services as the Nokia products using Windows Phone roll-out, delivering consumer experiences in mapping, search, gaming, social media, advertising and productivity,” the blog post reads.
“Along the way, you can expect an increased focus on mobile business and productivity scenarios that build on Microsoft’s cloud services, new features for Symbian, and new capabilities for Windows Phone devices.”
Some of the previous reports on Nokia's Windows Phone plans mentioned a number of four handsets that the company is already working on, including the Nokia W7 smartphone, which should land on shelves first, sometime in fall this year.
Rumor has it that these phones would feature similarities with existing Nokia Symbian phones, but that there would also be some handsets based on Microsoft's Windows Phone “chassis 2.”
Some more details can be extracted from the video below, in which Microsoft's Tim McDowd chats with Nokia's VP of Microsoft Alliance, Waldemar Sakalus, and Microsoft's General Manager of Developer & Marketplace Experience, Matt Bencke, about Nokia and Microsoft signing the strategic alliance.