Nokia Teams Up With Microsoft

According to a WSJ article, Nokia Corp. will include Microsoft applications on their handsets in 11 European and Middle Eastern markets - including the UK, France, Germany and Spain.

Users will be able to download Windows Live Hotmail, Messenger, Live Contacts and Live Spaces software on their N-Series Nokia devices.

According to John Mangelaars, Microsoft's European vice president for online services business,

We have a lot of expectations for the mobile Internet, but it's not really taken off yet. However, we see the number of users doubling every year on the mobile side and I see this deal helping to accelerate that.

This is debatable - especially in Europe. Microsoft seems to be coming into the Mobile Web game a little late. Other software developers (especially those who specialize in developing rich web applications) have made their products readily available for almost all mobile platforms. That's where Microsoft lags behind the new and improved software developers in the Web 2.0 arena - they're still isolating their products by limiting platform compatibility. They've started doing better, but purely internet based applications are becoming suitable replacements for their killer apps of old.

These Microsoft applications are hardly even a cherry on top of the available features on the N-series media devices. Some might even argue it's the best device available.