Ever since Nokia announced that it would be adopting the Windows Phone 7 platform, questions, speculation and comments on the news have flooded the web. Rumors that employees were upset enough to walk out the day of the announcement was shocking – though some say Nokia employees were given the rest of the day off and were just leaving the office – and some die-hard Nokia fans were crying for Elop’s head. But what about some of the most important people to Nokia’s future – its development team?
Clearly the move to Windows Phone 7 adoption affects the developers the most, and if any are thinking of jumping ship, Nokia is enticing them to stay by giving away free E7 handsets in addition to Windows Phone 7 handsets “as soon as they become available.” So there’s no telling whether they’ll get something svelte like the HTC HD7 or something on the lower end like the LG Optimus.
But it’s more than just free devices for the devs:
The olive branch would similarly include up to 10 free technical support talks with Nokia in the next three months as well as one free, detailed evaluation of an existing app. Business development support should be extended as well, and developers would get a free pass to visit Nokia World.
I can’t imagine a sweeter deal for developers, so perhaps this might be a great way to kick-start the transition to Windows Phone 7 for Nokia. In addition to building a stronger relationship with developers, Nokia is helping both Microsoft and the devs to a road of better quality apps given its support and detailed evaluations of their apps.
There’s no doubt that there are very talented developers that have been committed to Nokia, and that’s exactly what Windows Phone 7 needs right now. Although its portfolio of apps has seen tremendous growth in its first few months, it’s still very lacking and has a long way to go. Keeping its developers will be huge for not just Nokia, but Microsoft, too.
[Via: Electronista]