Nokia to collaborate with Microsoft over digital music

Microsoft media player to be available in Nokia handsets

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Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia revealed two cooperation arrangements with software giant Microsoft at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes on Monday.
      The first project is related to listening to music. Nokia announced that Microsoft Media Player software will be a standard element of its handsets in the future. Up until now, Nokia’s phones have used competing software, such as Real Player.
      The second project concerns e-mail. In the future, Nokia handsets can be linked to the Exchange e-mail system of Microsoft. Nokia is hoping that corporations that use Exchange will begin to use the handset application through Nokia phones.
     
Nokia’s courtship with Microsoft raised numerous questions at the company’s press conference on Monday.
      Nokia and Microsoft are on a collision course in mobile phone operating systems. Microsoft would like to see handsets running with Windows, whose worst competitor is the Symbian system developed and used by Nokia and other handset companies.
      Microsoft has been on the losing end of the battle to date. Nokia's head of Enterprise Solutions, Mary McDowell, and Anssi Vanjoki, the head of the multimedia business group, explained that companies can compete in one area and cooperate in another.
     
Chairman and CEO Jorma Ollila was not present at the Nokia stand this year. Vanjoki described the year 2005 as the year of music, as a contrast to the previous focus on camera phones.
      In addition to the Microsoft news, Vanjoki revealed a new mobile music distribution platform through which operators can sell music to their subscribers. The users can download songs at the push of a button.
      Nokia has developed the platform together with American company Loudeye.
      Vanjoki stated that more than half of the Nokia phones sold this year will contain advanced music properties.
     
Nokia unveiled its new third generation 6680 smartphone in Cannes. In addition to powerful data connections, it boasts two cameras and the possibility for video calls.
      Nokia also announced on Monday that it will begin to tailor its handsets to the needs of operators. Nokia will begin to design and manufacture entire handset models based on the wishes of operators. The customer can then choose the phone’s colour and physical design.
      The first such handset is the 6102 model designed for China Mobile. Nokia has focused on the wishes of its customers after accusations last year that it disregarded the needs of operators.


Links:
  Nokia press release

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