Take this one with a grain of salt, but a new rumor is circulating which says Nokia may consider making Windows Phone 7 devices.
The folks over at VentureBeat are quoting an unnamed source who says that new CEO Stephen Elop has been given the green light by the company’s board to consider all options, including a strong shift in the company’s software strategy.
As you may know, Nokia is strongly pushing Symbian, as it just unveiled new devices like the E7. There are still some complaints that Symbian, even a retooled and open sourced one, is not on par with the competition.
We also have some high hopes for MeeGo, which Nokia will use to power its high-end devices. There’s an event set for November, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the first MeeGo smartphone debut then.
As for Nokia switching to Microsoft Windows Phone 7, it does kind of make some sense. CEO Elop was formally at Microsoft and he worked with Nokia while at the software giant.
A move to Microsoft Windows Phone 7 would also allow Nokia to focus on its hardware and value-added services. The world’s largest handset maker still knows how to crank out good hardware, so this seems like a match made in heaven, right?
I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I’m sure that Elop is (rightfully) exploring every single option out there but the company has invested a ton of resources in to Symbian and MeeGo and I don’t think it wants to lost all that investment. Its Ovi Store and its mapping services would also be kind of useless with Windows Phone 7, which will default to Microsoft’s services.
The handset maker wants to control its own destiny too, as a company executive recently said switching over to Android is like peeing your pants for warmth – it may solve the problem in the short run, but it will lead to bigger problems down the road.
Would you like to see a Nokia smartphone with Windows Phone 7?
[Via VentureBeat]
