The only problem with this analysis is that MSFT is not exclusively partnering with Nokia (there are a slew of other WM7 devices coming out) and Nokia will not control the core software (as you state Google does for Android). Their best play was to develop their own ecosystem, which they abandoned. Anyway you slice it, I can't help but see this a terrible business decision for Nokia. HTC will eat their lunch as it offers every platform in every configuration.......I am curious to see how Nokia will differentiate itself now....I suppose it better have some excellent services.

Nokia were failing through lack of commitment. I believe they had a killer O/S in Maemo, they just didn't have the vision or the motivation to take it further and improve on it.

Microsoft were in the same position with Windows Mobile. They lacked the vision, commitment and motivation to take it further.

Both parties were losing out to Google big-time. And it's no surpise because Google were literally giving Android away. It's obvious manufacturers were going to jump ship. It's been the view of almost every technology firm for the past decade or more that "If you can get one for nothing, why pay for the alternative?"
Microsoft saw a big money pit and jumped in, end of. Anything that Elop or Ballmer says to try to avert attention from that is bull. They knew where it was going.

You know, I've looked at Microsoft's roadmap on this and it spouts on about Microsoft Adcenter too many times to make me feel comfortable.

I simply can't imagine anyone who lives in a rural area where 3G/3.5G is none existant grinding their way through ads before they can get to the homepage to find more waiting in the wings.
I don't want that, it's my bandwidth, I pay £5pm for 1GB (way too much money IMO, given the state of the network) of course I'm going to want every drop of that 1GB for my own use, not for some plonker of a consultation company to tell the guy who's gawking over my shoulder on the bus that Robin Emblind Insurance is better than Bodget & Scarper.

Elop had No loyalty to anyone or anything as a Outsider Coming in and I think he as made the best decisions for Nokia in the Long run.

People on here Won't agree b/c Microsoft is the enemy as they are Linux people
If you think MeeGo-Harmattan was DELAYED & First device scrapped b/c a dodgy hinge like blogs reported think again.
Operators all turned it down b/c they hated the UI and Nokia thinking it was there mass market product of the future at the time decided to rework the UI and gut it to a Iphony UI like standard in the meantime making original product Specs out dated so they skipped it for one without the KB.
Having to go back to the drawing board and delaying MeeGo/harmattan products while they rework anew UI must of swayed Elops decision and made blood boil amongst longer serving Nokians

Elop is King

Nokia and Microsft relationship is the real Royal Wedding and Should Be celebrated

disclaimer everything i say is true apart from KING and Wedding part

NvyUs, while i agree that the hinge story was a load of bollocks, suggesting the UI as a cause for such major delay smells a bit in my opinion.
as a rank amatuer, i read the meego wiki design/ui pages and then after copying the default/base theme folders to my desktop and using nothing more than inkscape, gimp and gedit, i'd pretty much replaced the existing theme in 4-5 hours.
one of the great features of Meego is how easy it is to customise the UI.
i find it hard to believe that Nokia wouldn't have had a dozen different options available for all the telcos to look at. furthermore i find it hard to believe that professional designers at nokia would need months to rejig the meego UI when a dumb grunt with a few spare hours and no previous theming experience can change it at home on a 4yr old pc running a linux beta os......
nokia and many of it's employees have suffered from being no 1 for too long. they got lazy and chose to rest on their laurels. it will be interesting to see now, how hard the symbian devs at nokia (IMO the real internal blockers to meego progress) will start working in a desperate last ditch effort to keep their baby going.
furthermore, with microsoft now pushing to develop their os for arm compatibility, it represents a classic multipronged approach to monopolising a market by buying out the biggest player and stopping them from further developing a competing os in the mobile arena

You are confusing the MeeGo Ui guidelines from meego.com with Nokia's own UI for Harmattan, Harmattan is not MeeGo however they try and spin it.
My story is 100% true from a reliable source way up the chain inside Nokia. I'm not going to say more b/c I was told in confidence from someone high ranking.

Theres many Nokians on here in the know
I ask them to deny that Harmattan/MeeGo UI was knocked back by Operators in 2010 (specifically US ) and so you gutted it
I guarantee not one will deny it and many was angered by decision.

btw i believe it would take designers ages to rework things inside nokia, It's only taking them longer than 3 years to design a UI for symbian touch after scrapping numerous attempts and the promised new UI is still not here until Q4 11

When companies find their industry has changed, and what has historically been their reliable income generator is now faltering, they have a tendency to focus their efforts and resources on strengthening that old product rather than risk embracing newer alternatives that may better suit the evolving market.

mate i'll take your word for it.
there's certainly no way we'll ever hear the truth from the horse's mouth.
having said that, given all the talk that the n900's successor (n950@or whatever they end up calling it) is going to be a slate without h/ware keyboard, i'll probably end up not getting it anyway, especially, as you said, it's not REAL Meego.
having had a play with the E7 and it's awesome keyboard, i'd rather get that as my main phone and keep my N900 as my Meego device.

Just an after thought what as just crossed my mind, it all now makes sense why they roped in and poached webOS design VP Peter Skillman when they did towards end of last year

in this case, I think it was a GOOD plan for MS, Nokia got the shortend of the stick so-to- speak

calm down dears, its only a telecommunications device manufacturer.