Nokia N8 ... Powered by Windows Phone 7 OS?

When Nokia hired Microsoft Exec Stephen Elop September of this year, I knew some big changes were coming up for the mobile strategy of both firms.

Nokia, suffering from a corporate structure that is resisting change by resting on the laurels of its global featurephone domination, needed a facelift. Suing Apple wasn’t really doing it for the Finnish company’s powerhouse image. Nokia had a leading edge OS – Symban S60 – in the N95, but that was back in 2007. Nokia is now essentially last in line in the smartphone race.

Microsoft on the other hand released a seriously depressing device – the Microsoft KIN. Was it the marketing, was it the feature set, was it the delivery? Nobody knows completely, but we’re all on the same page -- that it bombed.

Nokia has excellent hardware device construction. They’ve made some of the best devices of our modern age, cramming some serious electronics into our palms, featured in films and music.

But, they could really do with a single OS line (right now they’re befuddled with Symbian^3, Meego and Maemo).

Microsoft on the other hand could do with a solid, dedicated hardware partner and some customers for their refreshed OS -- Windows Phone 7. They’ve developed a fantastic device but just frankly too late to the game. Anybody who would have gotten a Windows Phone (like Ian and I) waited so long that we lost hope and jumped ship to Android earlier this year. Sure, Microsoft has teamed up with Samsung and HTC to offer some fantastic devices -- but these manufacturers are goaled on moving devices, and are uncaring to whether they carry Android or Windows Phone 7. With the Android share numbers that we're looking at right now, wonder what the big wigs with the ROI pitch-books would do.

Going back to where I started this article and the hint of the image that’s been circling the internet; there is a lot of value in an alliance between Nokia and Microsoft. Great hardware + software = awesomeness. Nokia has a ton of featurephone customers who will upgrade to a smartphone when LTE (true 4G mobile network) becomes daily coffee and data plans become much cheaper. When they’re ready to switch, Nokisoft will be ready for all those consumers. @ 40% of global mobile consumers, that’s an amazing place to be.

Let’s find it all out during CES 2011. Keep checking back, wannabetechie!

update1.1: some blogger just commented that even though this could be a perfect stopgap measure, it is very likely to be warded off as 'loony' as Nokia has the same stringent control patterns exhibited by Apple. See the rant/post here. You make the decision.