My subsequent analysis (starts with Ovi): http://tabulacrypticum.wordpress.com...ting-over-ovi/

Well, at the very least it's a two week old claim, funny how it explodes in media now.

It's a new claim, Eldar tweeted it yesterday night.

If, God forbid, there's something to the rumours of selling the core division, Nokia will need to have something under the Nokia brand.

Ah, the new part being "have struck a deal" as opposed to "is about to"?

I would say that this is a great deal for MS, if its true. Skype for $8,5 B against nokia's phone buisness for $19 B. I say nokia is extreamly cheap or skype extreamly expensive...

Both.

Skype in itself can never be that valuable, what is valuable is that Microsoft needs the technology for their other products.

Nokia has a serious brand problem at this time, and Elop has completely ruined it's stock value in short time.

Zach Epstein goes further than I did: http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/01/with-p...he-next-apple/

Now, that is just crazy talk. Once Microsoft has the hardware, they will not rent software and services from Symbian-pusher Nokia. That's what Microsoft lives from; software and services. That's where Nokia has lagged the most behind; software and services.

Edit: you know what would make more sense to me? The complete opposite. If Microsoft bought out Nokia's software parts. We've seen the slide that shows just how little money Nokia plans to use on software. That's where Nokia phones have failed, and what Nokia now wants Microsoft help with. On the other side, up to (and including) Windows Mobile 6.x, Microsoft repeatedly showed us that they could need some extra help on the phone part of the phone OS.

I bet Microsoft could use Nokia's competence on making a smartphone be a simple phone to use, plus Nokia's experience in building essential phone software, as opposed to file browsers and internet explorer and reg editors and task managers and solitaire and the stuff that you've historically found in Microsoft phones.

Back to stocks, now may actually be the ideal time to buy. Or once the panic is starting to near the end.