August 11th, 2009
Microsoft and Nokia expected to bring Office to Nokia phones
Microsoft and Nokia are expected to announce on August 12 details of a distribution agreement for Microsoft’s Office on Nokia mobile phones.
Microsoft has yet to field a test build of its Office 2010 for Mobile product. It also still has not provided testers with access to its promised Office Web Apps, the browser-based Office 2010 complements of a number of its Office apps.
It’s not clear whether Nokia will preload a customized version of Office Mobile on select models of the company’s phones or simply offer Office Web Apps access — which any vendor with a cellphone with a browser will be able to do — or do both. On August 11, Microsoft officials declined to comment.
Update (August 12): The answer: It’s Office Mobile, not Web apps, being ported to the Symbian phones. The pair also are going to port Office Communicator to Symbian and make various Microsoft collaboration services available on Nokia E Series (and other unnamed Nokia phones) going forward.
Microsoft and Nokia are expected to share more specifics about the Office deal during a press conference at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday. Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft Business Division, and Kai Oistamo, executive vice president for Nokia Devices, are slated to announce the terms of the partnership.
Microsoft and Nokia announced a deal in 2008 via which the pair would work on a port of Silverlight to Nokia mobile phones running the Symbian operating system. The year before, Microsoft and Nokia inked a deal to make Windows Live services available on select Nokia phones.
Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 20 years. Don't miss a single post. Subscribe via Email or
RSS. You can also follow Mary Jo on Twitter.
Got a tip? Send Mary Jo your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. For disclosure on Mary Jo's industry affiliations, click here or to see Mary Jo's full profile click here.
