Nokia in bed with Microsoft

Microsoft scored a sizeable deal with Nokia on Tuesday, when the two announced a partnership that will put Microsoft’s raft of Windows Live services on a number of Nokia devices.

With immediate effect, Nokia customers in 11 countries with compatible S60 devices can download a new suite of Microsoft products, including Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Contacts and Windows Live Spaces.

From next year, compatible Series 40 handsets will also have access to these services.

Nokia users with the Nokia N73, N80 Internet Edition, N95, N76 or N93i can get the Windows Live services via the Download! application in the Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, UK, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Initially, the service will be available as a free trial but users may be asked to pay a monthly fee when the service takes off. This could be a brave move given that Google’s mobile applications are available for free.