Today’s announcement about the strategic alliance between Microsoft and Nokia is an interesting move. Both companies have been suffering on the phone market and will now join forces. The alliance is important for both. Microsoft gets a premium phone maker and Nokia gets a global app platform. The following are the key points in the alliance:

  • Nokia brings its expertise on hardware design and its reach into a broader price range.
  • The two companies will collaborate on product development and have a common roadmap.
  • Bing will power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services.
  • Nokia Maps will be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services.
  • Nokia’s content and application store will be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace

My guess is that we will see the first Nokia phone running Windows Phone in time for Christmas 2011. In the meantime, the Windows Phone platform has got a vital energy boost.