Redmond, Washington — Software behemoth Microsoft Corp. is expected today to announce an alliance with European mobile giant Nokia Corp., unveiling plans that would bring the mobile version of Microsoft Office to Nokia’s market-leading smartphones.
Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, is set to unleash the latest version of its Office product next year, including an online version that will allow users to access the popular Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs over the Internet.
News of the partnership was reported by CNET News.com, withouth citing any sources.
Furthermore, Microsoft has mailed out invitations to a joint press conference led by Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft Business Division, and Kai Oistamo, executive vice-president for Nokia Devices, Wednesday morning in New York City.
With the next version of Office, Microsoft is planning to expand its desktop hold on the productivity market into one that spans the PC, Web, and phone, and this deal is seen as a significant move in that last category.
According to CNET News.com, the software giant has already said that, with the next version of Office, it plans to offer browser-based versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote. Those programs will be able to run inside Safari and Firefox in addition to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. This indicates that Office, for the first time, will run on Linux-based machines as well.
The Microsoft Business Division, or MBD, as it is referred to contains Office, as well as closely related products including Exchange, SharePoint, Unified Communicator, and others. Nokia Devices includes all of the Finnish firm’s handsets and smartphones.
The move, if affirmative, would represent a major strategic shift for Microsoft, which today only makes Office for Windows Mobile to give its mobile operating system a competitive advantage versus RIM’s BlackBerry, and as consumer phones get more enterprise savvy, Apple Inc’s iPhone and Nokia’s Symbian-based phones.
A Microsoft representative declined comment on the nature of the alliance, but according to an industry source confirmed the alliance concerned Office. However, Microsoft has already demonstrated the ability for Office 2010 documents to be displayed on mobile phones.