Nokia to use Microsoft's Web video technology
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia said on Tuesday it would add support to Microsoft's Silverlight Web video technology to millions of its handsets, in the latest deal between the two technology giants.
The world's top cell phone maker Nokia said Silverlight would first be available for S60 software platform, used in more advanced phones, but later also for S40, which is used in many of Nokia's cheaper phones.
Nokia's S60 software, built on UK-based mobile phone software firm Symbian's operating system, is used extensively in Nokia's line-up, but also in advanced cell phones of LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics.
The S60 is used in every second smartphone sold globally, and is in more than 150 million phones sold so far.
Its closest rival is Microsoft's own Windows Mobile, with just over 10 percent of the market.
In 2005 the two companies signed their first co-operation agreement to put Windows Media player on to Nokia phones, raising eyebrows as the two had been fierce competitors in the mobile software industry.
As cell phone prices fall, handset vendors are looking for new revenue from potentially lucrative software operations, while Microsoft is looking for new revenue from the mobile space.
In 2007 Nokia also started to use Microsoft's copy protection software PlayReady and added access to Windows Live services to its cell phones.
Silverlight is a rival to Adobe System Inc's Flash technology.
"We continue to support Flash and several other technologies," Nokia spokesman Mark Durrant said.
(Reporting by Tarmo Virki; Editing by Louise Ireland)
