Microsoft and Nokia look beyond Office with alliance
Published: 13 August, 2009
READ MORE: Nokia | Microsoft | Applications | Symbian
As expected, Microsoft and Nokia announced their mobile enterprise alliance yesterday, insisting it was about more than just Office on the smartphone. The agreement to support a mobile version of Office on Nokia handsets was just a move to spearhead a broader attack on RIM, executives indicated.
"While today is important for both companies, we're only starting to scratch the surface," said Kai Oistamo, EVP of devices at Nokia. "This is much more than putting Microsoft software on Nokia smartphones. We are here to address the significant opportunity represented by the enterprise space." He was dismissive of Apple's recent attempts to gain greater ground in the enterprise and instead said: "If any company should be worried about this, this is really about creating a formidable competitor for RIM."
While Nokia has tried for years to snatch more of the corporate email niche that RIM calls its own, its sights are set on more ambitious targets, notably to fend of Google's assault on the mobile business market. The Office-based mobile communicator that was outlined by the new partners sounded similar in many of its features to the new Google Voice, which is the search giant's most disruptive move yet in shifting the traditional carrier software models.
The new Office Mobile Communicator is short on details so far, but will appear on the Nokia E Series phones next year and then move into other areas of the Finn's portfolio.
MS Exchange and Calendar are available now on the E Series. Microsoft denied that the Symbian-oriented deal showed any weakening of its commitment to Windows Mobile and insisted the firms would still compete on the mobile OS front.
The companies will co-develop a range of Symbian productivity applications including enterprise instant messaging and presence, mobile intranet access, and enterprise device management aimed at businesses, carriers, and individuals. "We will make Microsoft Office solutions available to over 200m Nokia smartphone owners," said Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft Business. The apps will also be launched on Windows Mobile 6.5. Like many of Nokia's recent moves, this one fits with its attempt to make more impact on the US market, where Symbian has its lowest reach. But if it wants more dramatic results from its new friendship than just a higher profile in the still-important corporate WinMo space, it will need to pull Microsoft along with it, in a shift to web-based business apps that can take on Google and appeal to first time mobile enterprises in emerging economies.
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