UPDATED: Nokia and Microsoft joining forces, to hold an event

An invitation for a live meeting held by Nokia and Microsoft just arrived in our inbox. Wondering what it could be about, we found that WSJ has actually given some information on the matter. It informs that the two companies have reached an agreement to produce a new mobile version of the Microsoft Office suite that would be fully compatible with Nokia devices, thus eliminating the need of some third-party software. Does this mean there will be no more Quickoffice on Nokia phones? It remains to be seen of course, if this is really what the companies are to announce.

source: WSJ

Stay tuned for our report, as the meeting will commence at 11 a.m. EDT (3 p.m. GMT)

*Update*: So, here's the outcome of the live conference. The info provided by WSJ turned out accurate and the two giants are indeed working to bring Microsoft Office Mobile and other communication and collaboration software to Nokia smartphones, starting with Eseries, which is somehow natural. Still, support for other S60-powered handsets by Nokia is also on the way.

In short, starting next year, Nokia will be equipping its smartphones with Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile that should ease communication and collaboration when working on projects. This first step will be followed by adding the Office applications themselves, which will include Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. In addition, users will benefit from access to intranet and extranet portals, build on Microsoft SharePoint Server. Enterprise device management will also be easier, thanks to the upcoming support for Microsoft System Center.

And there you have it! Kai Oistamo, Nokia's Executive Vice President for Devices, and Stephen Elop, Microsoft Business Division President, said this new alliance will aim to help both business and personal users. The main goal is to remove the limitations and give users a choice, so that they would be able to decide how to communicate and collaborate, without having to worry about support or paying for additional third-party products.

Of course, we like the idea, because every step towards creating a richer user experience is what we want to see from manufacturers and developers. We hope that everything will go according to plan and that we'll see the first products of that newly-formed alliance early next year.