there are two questions that need answering:
1. What will be left of Nokia if they do sell?
2. Does MS has that kind of money to buy?

it's true.
Besides, Nokia have changed your name to Nokia Services, because only will be a company of services

quite a significant networking division.

all Nokia needs is android and sales would go up.

Considering that the calls for Ballmer's head is increasing in the wake of the Skype purchase (I do wonder how they expect to get 8.5m worth of value from them), a lot of things are up in the air.

I could perhaps see it as another in Ballmer's long line of dumbshit moves that continues to sink Microsoft. I don't see the benefits from Nokia's side, tho.

comment from Nokia's Mark Squires on twitter

"We typically don’t comment on rumors. But we have to say that Eldar’s rumors are getting obviously less accurate with every passing moment."

https://twitter.com/#!/DrPinball

I strongly oppose to this, but I do have to say, Nokia is dead to my eyes... From now on, I only support Maemo/MeeGo, no matter who is behind it. If Nokia is so far the only one to provide hardware for MeeGo, then so be it, but that is all they are getting from me. I entrust my love and passion for mobile technology to this wonderful community (as well as the MeeGo one). We don't need corporations :P

There's a rumor from the reliable Eldar Murtazin that claims that Microsoft will be purchasing Nokia's mobile division very, very soon:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/16/e...-to-buy-nokias

Gulp.

already a thread on this http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=73126

First Skype, then Nokia. Perhaps Microsoft is transitioning into making themselves into a true communication business.