Microsoft, Nokia | featured news

Nokia and Microsoft Corp took the wraps off the struggling European company's most powerful smartphone on Wednesday, in what may be their last major shot at reclaiming a market lost to Apple, Samsung and Google.

Nokia and Microsoft joined forces to make the Lumia 900, a top-of-the-line device. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that people will flock to it.

One of the bigger, if expected, events at today’s CES Press Day was the announcement (three times) that AT&T will offer the Microsoft Windows-based Nokia Lumia 900 smart phone. AT&T announced the news Monday morning at a meeting for developers – with a hand from Nokia CEO Stephen Elop and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer; Nokia then discussed it at their own event; and then Ballmer discussed the launch again at his keynote Monday night.

Nokia is getting back into the U.S. smartphone business with an entry-level model powered by Microsoft's latest Windows software and sold by T-Mobile USA. The Lumia 710, one of two models that Nokia has launched in Europe, is slated to go on sale Jan. 11 for $50 after a rebate and a two-year contract. The Lumia 710 retails for €270 ($351) in Europe.

Oops! Nokia will launch a Windows 8-based tablet in June 2012, according to Paul Amsellen, the company’s general manager in France. He disclosed the tidbit in an interview with Les Echos; The Verge picked up on the news.

Microsoft offers glimpse into the operating system that will feature in its Nokia handsets later this year.

The 12 percent reduction in the leading cellphone maker’s global work force will help trim operating costs by 1 billion euros as it prepares for its alliance with Microsoft.

Technology titans Nokia and Microsoft are combining forces to create smart phones that might challenge rivals like Apple and Google and revive their own fortunes in a market they have struggled to keep up with.

Nokia has announced it will bring social networking to the masses on its freshly minted C3, C6 and E5 phones. This comes just a day after Microsoft did the same for mobile Windows users, and Sony Ericsson is promising to catch up. The Nokia phones will communcate with Facebook and Twitter, as well as Ovi Mail and Chat. Meanwhile, Sony Ericsson's Spiro and Zylo add Walkman branding to the inevitable Facetwit connections, as money ceases to be a barrier to social networking.

Microsoft Corp and Nokia announced an alliance on Wednesday to bring advanced business software to smartphones in a bid to counter the dominance of Research in Motion Ltd's Blackberry device.