Today’s the day, the day when Nokia and Yahoo! were supposed to announce their big alliance to take over the world … and what exactly did they give us? Not much. Yahoo!’s mapping service will now exclusively use Nokia’s Ovi Maps.
Raise your hands if you use either Yahoo! Maps or Ovi Maps.
Another seemingly worthy news item is that Nokia is dumping their mail and instant messaging service, the one they’ve built themselves, and instead will use Yahoo!’s platform to provide you with email and IM.
Raise your hands if you use Yahoo! Mail or Yahoo! Messenger.
And last we have Nokia and Yahoo! agreeing to “work on ID federation between their services”, which is a fancy way of saying implementing OpenID, something that Flickr has been doing forever now.
Apologies for sounding cynical here, but after watching the Google I/O keynote where Vic Gundotra tore Steve Jobs a second asshole so large that he could have setup camp for the weekend in said newly created rectum, the feelings I get after reading such a heart warming, but self defeating, press release about two old companies that once were the bee’s knees, getting together to try and do something cool, just makes me want to open a book and entertain myself in the world of Harry Potter.
Full press release after the jump.
Update: Michael Gartenberg, Partner at Altimeter Group, Columnist for Computerworld, Engadget and SlashGear, just blasted out this tweet that sums up exactly what I’m feeling: “Yahoo and Nokia deal feels like two brands that have lost relevance seeking to reclaim it.”
Nokia and Yahoo! to bring integrated web services to millions of consumers around the world
May 24, 2010
Global strategic alliance enables industry leaders to leverage strengths in e-mail, instant messaging, maps and navigation across PC and mobile devices
New York, NY, USA – Today, Yahoo! and Nokia announced a worldwide strategic alliance to extend the reach of their industry leading online services and offer people rich experiences that keep them connected to their world and the world around them.
Building on more than five years of collaboration, Nokia and Yahoo! ® will leverage each others’ strengths in e-mail, instant messaging and maps and navigation services, to provide consumers with access to world-class experiences on both PC and mobile devices.
As part of the alliance:
– Nokia will be the exclusive, global provider of Yahoo!’s maps and navigation services, integrating Ovi Maps across Yahoo! properties, branded as “powered by Ovi.”
– Yahoo! will become the exclusive, global provider of Nokia’s Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat services branded as “Ovi Mail / Ovi Chat powered by Yahoo!”
– Nokia and Yahoo! plan to work on ID federation between their services, beginning by making it easy for people to use their Ovi user IDs across select Yahoo! properties to easily access the online content and services they need.
“Delivering great user experiences — both online and on your mobile – is what this alliance is all about,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO, Nokia. “We’re enabling millions of Yahoo! customers in key markets including North America to discover the unique capabilities that Ovi Maps brings. Similarly, Yahoo!’s online expertise will bring exciting mail and messaging enhancements to millions of Ovi Mail customers across almost every country around the world, many of whom will have their first Internet experience on their mobile.”
“What a combination,” said Carol Bartz, CEO, Yahoo!. “We’re excited to expand the reach of our best-in-class Mail and Messenger services, bringing personalized experiences to more people across the mobile web, particularly in emerging markets where we are seeding the next generation of Yahoo! users. At the same time, we believe Nokia’s strength and continued investment in maps and navigation will greatly enhance our existing products, enabling us to focus on areas that are core to our business.”
Together, Yahoo! and Nokia will continue to deliver compelling Internet experiences that address the core needs of consumers, developers, operators and advertisers. The companies will utilize their respective global distribution advantages and brand recognition across consumer audiences.
Select, co-branded service offerings are expected to become available from the second half of 2010, with global availability expected in 2011.
Nokia is the world’s largest mobile device manufacturer, with hundreds of millions of devices sold each year and a leader in digital mapping, with continuing investment and innovation focused on developing comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, now covering 77 countries in 46 languages. With more than 600 million users of Yahoo!-branded sites per month, Yahoo! is a global Internet powerhouse, a one-stop web destination enabling consumers to enjoy their online life anywhere and everywhere – all customized for their interests. As one of the leading Internet brands, Yahoo! is focused on growing its audience by providing seamless web experiences across PC and mobile devices.