So it’s official Microsoft and Nokia has finally joined hands to bring Microsoft solutions and Services to Nokia Mobile phones . earlier MS and Nokia has been collaborated on smaller projects like Microsoft Exchange , for which Nokia has renewed their license for Activesync protocol for further development and support for MfE and MS had been offering it’s Windows Live Communicator client for select Nokia devices .
So what MS is bringing for the Nokia users ?
The start will be from Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile 2010 . With MS Office 2010 on the way and MS facing competition from Google with their Google Docs and other Cloud Offerings , MS had also worked upon offering MS Office 2010 Online and with the alliance with Nokia it can get access to more than 200 million mobile computers world wide which will enhance it’s reach .
The alliance is not limited to Office 2010 only , Nokia and MS have planned to take it a lot further from Office [productivity to Collaboration to Communication offering a similar workspace on the PC , on the web and on the phone enhancing productivity and acceptance among the mobile professionals . In communication and collaboraition , through MS Sharepoint and One Note, a mobile professional can share his current status i.e in meeting , on phone or free and his contacts can decide the best way to contact him be it email , text or phone through their own cellphones .
During the current recessionary times , cost is an important factor to consider when shifting to new offerings and Nokia and MS are aware of that and will be offering customized solutions as per the need of the consumer , If I want MS Office 2010 productivty but not Share Point I can get it etc .
The alliance in the coming time will also be expanded into the newer range of services and software as the market dictates including overall Device Management . However the main target is the Enterprise market thus the first devices to get this support will be the E series and later it will be ported into other Symbian devices .
In the Q&A , very inquisitive questions were asked , some were answered straight forwardly and some were dodged and different explanation was given , very sly MS and Nokia 
Will this alliance hurt Micorosft’s plans for WinMo ? when asked the question , Stephen said no, Microsoft will collaborate with Nokia in certain segments and will compete in other . So Win Mo there is still hope for you as Stephen did mention Win Mo 6.5
For Nokia why this alliance is so important , when asked the question that is Nokia feeling the heat from Apple gaining up on it’s share ? , Kai , without taking name of Apple says no , they are offering enterprise solutions which range much further than email and office an said the only company which should worry is RIM- Poor RIM , everyone is after it’s berries
When asked the question about small business like mine , where we don’t use Exchange Server , how we will use this service , MS is making Sharepoint and Exchange available online for small business users to access the services with Nokia acting as the service provider - Google watch out the Cloud is rising
On the special hardware requirements to run MS Office Communicator Mobile – it was said that given the power of today’s smart phones as it’s web based any symbian device can easily access it .
Will the software may later prove to replace Ms Office desktop , Stephen said no ,due to it’s extended functionality on desktop , the mobile version will complement it
When asked when and on which device the software will debut , the timeline given was 2010 but no other specifics were given but Nokia E71 was mentioned as one of the supported devices . Long Live the E71 , the smartest phone every made 
What I think about the alliance .
For me it’s a good start to bring the two giants together and it will have symbiotic effects for both , on one side MS will be getting access to 200 million devices on the other Nokia will be getting the suite of services which will boost it’s falling smart phone market share .
About the software , I’m excited about it , with MS Office Comunicator Mobile , my E71 can truly convert into a mobile office ( I’m currently using Quick Office which has limited productivity options ) and with collaboration and communication applications , it can enhance intra team productivity but the question arises what will happen to the Nokia’s own suite of services ???
When talked about status sharing on MS Office Communicator Mobile , the same features are being offered by OVI Chat , . Team collaboration on PPT , try Nokia Easy Meet what will happen to these services will they be integrated with MS suite or offered separately by Nokia or discarded .
How I predict the future in collaboration , as said in the conference it’s just the first step and MS and Nokia are looking forward to opening new venues so if it gets successful , other ventures may begin with Microsoft centric cell phones to run the softwares smoothly and on the wild side could lead to Nokia Xbox phones .
Question I asked still remains unanswered will Microsoft will have a role in design of future Nokia Phones to better complement it’s services .
What you think about it , do inform
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