To be honest i'm getting quite sick of the hyperbole that this was all a Microsoft ploy to get Nokia when there's no evidence for that other than Elop used to work there. The article clearly states how Elop got to Nokia, that they head hunted him despite him just about to take another position. It was Elop who approached Microsoft, and he also approached Google. He openly said Google wouln't give Nokia the creative freedom it wants or deserves and in the meeting with MS he said Nokia want to be able to do things with and to the software. Reading the Business Week article really makes it clear Elop wants Nokia to succeed and succeed as a pioneering brand not just a profitable handset maker. I think he's a rich enough guy to not move across the world from his family just to do Ballmer's dirty work, especially as the collaboriation wasn't even Microsoft's idea.

Microsoft benefit here, probably more than Nokia in terms of profit - Nokia shift 24m smartphones a quarter and Microsoft sell what, none? All this crap about MS buying Nokia, when this partnership is the best of both - MS get Nokia's hardware and global presence without paying the overheads or salaries or coming up with the designs.

And this anti-Linux stuff, MS as a company may be, but Elop not only said that he told Nokia employees he wants them to get to work developing something that will change the mobile market and make Apple, Android and even the MS deal insignificant, he even took the interviewer around that section of the company to show current innovations like a phone that still works submerged in water.

Am I convinced WP7 is better than Symbian for this? No, but then i don't know how much actual software work Symbian needs to be easier to develop for. I am more confident and reassured that Elop is truly wanting Nokia to get back on its feet and not just sell it out, and am hugely relieved Elop fought for Nokia to add to WP7 software in its own way AND make it clear that Nokia will continue to strive forward with its own innovations.

Now, if the N9 is a part of that then the new patented technology we've been hearing about and 'our next sense' etc may actually be part of the future and not just another N900 situation.

We'll see as events unfold but i am pretty confident about the future consisting of WP7 being developed to be a competing OS with the missing features added, while the innovative power we want from Nokia is still being developed.

Nokia hasn't given up and Elop hasn't given up on Nokia. Reading that article, it does seem like he's giving the company the kick up the butt it desperately needed.

Not that that excuses his ballsing up the February conference though.

Nokia has historically released unfinished products around Maemo.

That would explain why each iteration of ITOS2005-2008 to Maemo 5 was a basic start and stop and felt largely unfinished to all but the hacker and enthusiast.

If Microsoft was smart they would just buy Nokia and rebrand Symbian as Windows Phone 8. At least they would then have a platform that doesn't completely suck.

You're right. It would blow.

this is ********.

there is no way even if platform had bugs to take 4 years to make 3 devices.

specially since all of them based on the SAME OS. that should be ironed out along the way.

meego device would be ready and more capable than WP7 this year. probably even last yaer.

Puff piece from the PR (propaganda?!) machine.

Are you insane ?

Why would MS give a SH1T about linux on mobile when its desperately behind its main competitors - Android and Apple !

Its main enemies are Android and Apple - FOSS linux (not android!) doesnt have a foothold in the mobile market at all !

Saying MS is concerned about FOSS linux on mobile now is like saying that Balmer is concerned about the car radio when the brakes on the car are not working !

Please apply logic !

So, WP7 is already using RPMs, and is MeeGo compatible, so it was chosen?

It has been said that Symbian has a lot of cruft, and large parts that needed to be radically updated/refactored. Well, I can believe in that (It's maybe a picture of Nokia itself). About Meego, the article tells a story about the white board where they wrote down all that still needed to be done. I would love to take a look at that board, what did they list down?... "Foursquare app... Flash 10... WMV codec..."?

Question to the audience: how does the WP7 white board looks like compared to MeeGo's?

I bet it went like this... "It's released"

That's all I can conjure up.

Microsoft can't buy Nokia due to antitrust laws and the Finnish government.

However, Microsoft can buy the Nokia board members.

What happened is a hostile takeover of Nokia by Microsoft, plain and simple; if not in name, then in deed.