Microsoft + Nokia + YAHOO

Looking at the tealeaves today partnership effort between Nokia and Microsoft is likely the first step towards more that will come from the two giants.

Both need a swift kick in the pants, and some housecleaning, and yet at the same time have a very common allie in Yahoo who is ripe to be part of a three corner deal. 

Why? 

Well for starters, Yahoo is and has been always tightly tied to both companies. Yahoo's IM platform and Microsoft's can talk. Nokia and Yahoo Mobile have always been almost Siamese twins. What's more the fit of Yahoo as the consumer online play, dovetails perfectly with Microsoft in areas of search, advertising sales, and more, while the Nokia mobile efforts mirror that as well.

In the area of content, each owns complimentary platforms, and in the past Microsoft and Yahoo have worked very closely together using Windows Media, as has Nokia to deliver content. The overlaps are also minimal there, and with mobile and desktop, laptop and tablet screens taking center stage, the manufacturing know-how of Nokia, the reference design buiilding of Microsoft and the online audience reaching abilities of Yahoo fits like a glove. There's one more piece to this. All three are Intel friendly now so the fit between the three, plus a home, pc and mobile underlying technology partner on the chip side equally plays to the strength of a larger partnership or in effect roll up by the three.

This may be crystal ball gazing, but it makes too much sense not to happen.

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