Microsoft - Nokia for Windows Mobile Devices

Microsoft - Nokia for Windows Mobile Devices. Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business International Marketing Director John Starkweather confirmed with iTWire that talks were indeed occuring and that while "they obviously have significant investments in Symbian … there are a lot of places where we have significant synergies and we would love to see the day where those synergies would extend completely with Windows Mobile."

He added: "It’s something we talk about all the time." I'm sure they'll talk about it, but I doubt we'll see something come out of it, unless Windows Mobile 7 and 8 really start to kick ass. By that time I imagine S60 will be even better than it is today and I can't even begin to imagine what RIM or Apple have up their sleeve.

Yeah, Microsoft's Windows Mobile isn't successful by any stretch of the imagination. When you compare the number of Symbian, RIM and even Apple devices out there, you quickly begin to see the disparity between the hype of Windows Mobile and the actual sales figures. Windows Mobile currently only has just over 6% of the smartphone operating system market compared to more than 70% for Symbian. However, it is gaining acceptance among smartphone manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung that have released Windows Mobile based handsets offering similar features to the Apple iPhone which runs a mobile version of Mac OS X.

No joint announcements between Microsoft and Nokia are known so far, though the earliest opportunity would be next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.