You read that right: Nokia, the lumbering hulk of the cell phone world, famous for turning up its nose at Google's Android OS, may be considering a line of smart phones that run Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, according to a well-respected phone blogger.
According to Eldar Murtazin of the Russian-language Mobile-Review, as roughly translated by Google:
In the last month behind closed doors is a discussion of expanded cooperation Nokia and Microsoft (two-way discussion, initiated by the new leadership of Nokia). Not simply the exchange of technology, but creating an entire line of Windows Phone devices that may go under the name Nokia, through the sales channels for the company, and will also have the characteristic features of its products.
Murtazin adds, "This is a desperate measure of the two companies," a clear defensive tactic meant to fend off Android.
I think we'd all have to agree with that assessment, along with the general blog consensus that this is very far-fetched. Still, imagine the possibilities if it worked out. Microsoft would get a powerful global partner that wasn't so distracted by Android as Samsung and HTC are, and Nokia wouldn't have to bow to Google to get back into the smart phone game. When I asked Microsoft about the deal, they had no official comment. And that's not the same as denying it. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)
The Mobile-Review piece was linked via multiple sources, including Boy Genius Report and UnwiredView.com.
