Nokia has been losing marketshare in the last few years and has been trying a few things. In 2010 Q4, They lost the title of being the number 1 smartphone to Android. This was after having this lead for 10 years.

They tied up with Intel for Meego, which is Linux based OS for smart phones and tablets.  Now their first device is cancelled.

They also open sourced Symbian, now they are  shutting down the site and taking off all the code from the website. You can still get a copy before the site goes offline next month as the code is open source.

They have now tied up with Microsoft for Windows Mobile 7 based devices. Nokia is hoping to beat Android and Apple with this strategy.

They recently released Nokia N8, which has the best specifications for its price but had poor software Symbian.

Here is some food for thought.

Intel’s Moblin project and Nokia’s Maemo were both great initiatives but struggling to get a popular device with the end user. So they decided to merge the project. Does merging two failing projects result in a successful one?

They also hired Stephen Elop  in September 2010 as the CEO who came from Microsoft. He decided to tie up with Microsoft for Windows Mobile 7. Windows Mobile is another struggling project. What would you expect, if he is expected to show results quickly and has exposure to Microsoft due to his past?

While its a good move for Microsoft as a leading mobile company has adopted their stuggling platform, Nokia is taking a beating. Nokia’s lost $5 Billion in market capitalisation since the announcement.

Microsoft has a history of forging partnerships where they benefit the most at the cost of their partner. They have very good lawyers, you see 🙂 This alliance will surely benefit Microsof, the feedback given by various engineers at Nokia will help them improve their products.

Stephen Elop also owns US$ 6.79 Million worth of Microsoft stocks.. go figure!

While Nokia is hoping to compete with Google with this, they don’t realise that Android is not only Google. Its driven by the Open Handset Alliance which is lead by Google and over 80 companies are members. This include software developers, telcos, semiconductor companies and phone manufacturers such as ARM, TC, Dell, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Samsung, LG, T-Mobile, Nvidia, Sharp, Toshiba, NEC  and Wind River Systems.

Instead of competing with these companies, they could have simply joined Open Handset Alliance. I would have purchased the N8 only it ran Android. It still has the best specs in the market but runs Symbian which is a crawl as compared to Android.

With Nokia’s Microsoft announcement, Intel’s Meego team is going to be single this valentine as their partner has found someone else.

Nokia is not relevant any more. Nokia for Me is NoGo.