Now this is a rumor that has been going around for some time now. And with Nokia launching their first Window phone handsets globally, could the couple of old tech “has beens”, forge some sort of a lasting relationship that ends up in marriage rather than the “friends with benefits” thing they currently have going.

So would it be a good buy if it was on the cards?

According to Slash Gear the Danish bank Danske Bank is apparently reported stating that they predict that Nokia could sell their smartphone arm to Microsoft, and after this news the share price of Nokia was seen to rise by 3%, though it has to be said that Nokia have played down any future sale to Microsoft.

However the rumor, if true, could see the deal could go ahead as early as the first half of 2012.

Make or break for Nokia:

We did a report back in our formative days stating that Nokia needed to pull something out of the bag and quickly, otherwise seal a fate worse than death, OK that was exaggerated, but it was paramount that Nokia properly entered the smartphone market with gusto.

The release of the Nokia Lumia series has been pretty well received, generally.

With Nokia well and truly on the marketing trail peddling their new Windows Mango devices, it would seem ajar to then go and sell their smartphone division to Microsoft as other rumors suggest that Nokia are going to manufacture the new Windows 8 tablets.

But with the Lumia series getting mixed reports and analyst Alexander Peter stating that “only 2.2 per cent of surveyed buyers are firmly intending to purchase the Lumia,” could a sale now, be better than being bottom rung for the old Giant of old?

But in defiant talk, a statement from Nokia to Slashgear said:

“We have only started our journey to regain smartphone leadership, but we are pleased with the early results. The Lumia 800 is getting good traction in all six European markets where it has already launched. Initial feedback from India, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan — where the Lumia 800 starting selling this week — has been very encouraging”

So how much would it cost Microsoft to buy Nokia?

Talk earlier this year surrounding this very issue suggested that a price tag of $19 billion was a ball park figure for Microsoft to obtaining Nokia’s smartphone division.

And with Google already in the process of buying Motorola Mobility could this be a smart move or are both companies best off staying independent and collaborating in the way they are now?

You have to love Alex James, the ex bassist from Blur, who I remember well from a gig in 1993 singing with a cigarette constantly in his mouth playing the bass for Blur. The songs were from the album “Modern Life Is Rubbish” and it was at a small theatre type venue in Bradford on a set designed to look like an oversized kids bedroom.

This gig cost me £3 to get in! And if you like Blur, please make sure you get hold of their best album by far “Modern Life Is Rubbish”.

I digress.

So what has Alex got involved in with Microsoft?

As creative consultant for the “into” project he has been lending his name and ideas to an application created by Windows that aims to allow users to enter competitions and share news related to the new Windows 7 phone O/S release.

So “Mango” lovers will be able to access exclusive content and offers if they help promote the operating system.

Prizes on offer are access to video content that Alex has provided and a chance to enter a competition to go on an Arctic adventure, plus a chance to win some Nokia 800 phones.

To take part you must either “like” the Facebook page here, or download the application from the Windows Phone Marketplace (soon to be available)

Demo of Windows Mango in HTML5:

It is nice to see that Windows are getting creative with their marketing drive as they do have some catching up to do in both the Smartphone and Tablet markets, so this idea as well as the “Test a Windows 7 phone on your Apple or Android device” HTML5 experience, is a great way of getting some interest and allowing people to sample their new technology easily.

Alex James is quoted saying:

“Windows Phone offers a pioneering experience which has social and enjoyment at its core. I’m a keen believer in pursuing the extraordinary and my choice of phone is no different. by providing such a personalised experience, Windows Phone draws in all that’s important to me; my hobbies and all my interests, and the ability to keep in touch and share everything I care about with everyone I care about. I’m delighted to be partnering with into by Windows Phone.”

So will you be helping the cause and getting stuck in?

The launch of a Lenovo windows mobile phone is likely to be seen in the second half of 2012 according to sources, though there is no assurance that this release will go beyond a China only roll-out.

China market set to be crucial for Windows:

If Windows can crack the Chinese market with affordable devices running on Tango or Mango (Windows 7+ O/S), then the entry by Nokia to the Chinese market with their Lumia 800, could make for an attractive option to many who are currently out-priced by Android or iOS based phones, and let us not forget that this market is big, and one both companies have their eyes firmly on.

Mango update went well for Windows:

The new release of the Mango update has gone down smoothly, and with the Windows O/S being adopted by more and more manufacturers it looks likely that they have turned a corner now that the Windows 7 mobile operating system has some style and a growing application market.

Windows offers sweeteners to app developers:

In order to make sure that the growing adoption of the Windows Phone operating system by consumers is not met with disappointment when accessing the Windows application market. Microsoft have dished out thousands of Lumia devices to developers in order for them to start looking at the platform as a new means of revenue generation. This has seen a marked increase in the amount of applications available in their own marketplace and is likely to continue to grow.

So it seems like interesting times for both Lenovo and Windows, as both look to offer something new to a rapidly growing marketplace.

With the launch of the Nokia Lumia 800 in the UK last week, Nokia are only expected to ship around 500,000 units globally before the end of 20122.

Now forgive me but that actually seems like quite a large number for a device that has just entered the market. Most people on the high street are unaware of Nokia’s need to save face in the smartphone arena, so this figure actually seems to be pretty high considering there are only a few weeks left in 2011 and it only just got released, and we seem to be in a global meltdown financially!

So let us look deeper into the findings and opinions of the Bernstein research and others:

An analyst at the firm going by the name Pierre Ferragu has indicated that the Google trend activity seems to be roughly the same as what was surrounding the Nokia N8 which was the Symbian powered older brother to the Lumia 800.

Why are they predicting lower sales?

Bernstein Research reckons that the Nokia Lumia 800, which launched in the UK last week, will only ship half a million units before the end of 2011.

Similarly, another research company called Pacific Crest says it has revised its forecast for units shipped from two million by the end of 2011 to the figure quoted above of half a million, so why have both of these companies ended up with pretty much the same figure?

Pierre Ferragu is quoted saying:

“We don’t believe Lumia phones are competitively priced…..and with no breakthrough innovation, we believe Nokia’s new phones are unlikely to get traction in a highly concentrated high-end…..we have seen evidences of lack of traction for the Windows operating system over the last 12 months and challenge the idea that the Nokia brand can make a meaningful difference today.”

In my own opinion and from speaking to people at recent events I have to say that my own theory is that Nokia will bounce back slowly with their new product ranges as the device does look very appealing running Windows O/S, and the general public seem impressed.

Time will tell.

Have you used a new Nokia Lumia device? And if so, were you as impressed as me at it’s overall look and feel? Though for me the browser seemed sluggish and average.

You have to love the technology world. Why? Because it keeps you well and truly on your toes! Only the other day I wrote an article about how Adobe had pandered to Apple’s dislike of all things Flash and created a workaround that would allow Apple devices to show Flash video in particular.

Today, we hear that Microsoft Window’s much anticipated update to the Windows 7 series, Windows 8, will most likely kill off flash support, also signalling the perhaps timely death of the much used but often criticised format.

So what is happening with the new Windows update?

Similar to Apple, Microsoft appear to be dumping plug-ins contained within their Internet explorer 10 browser and the new “metro” style Windows 8 interface.

Windows 8 aims to be the all-in-one operating system for smartphones/tablets and PC’s.

The change is however quite intriguing and will mean that you will still be able to access content that needs plug-ins but users will have to revert back to the older desktop version to use them. So Windows 8 users who want to stick in the modern “metro” style interface will not be able to get Flash content on the plug-in free operating system…or is it that simple?

So what will provide the new user experience that so many people know and love if flash is to be dumped?…HTML5 to the rescue.

Yes for once Microsoft appear to be taking a leaf out of trend leaders books and not dragging their heels with new technology that is designed to enhance and speed up life for users of the internet.

Dean Hachamovtich has started in a Microsoft blog:

“For the web to move forward and for consumers to get the most out of touch-first browsing, the Metro style browser in Windows 8 is as HTML5-only as possible, and plug-in free, the experience that plug-ins provide today is not a good match with Metro style browsing and the modern HTML5 web.”

HTML 5 offered as a result of Apples precedent:

With many video hosting sites now offering an HTML 5 version of their video as a reaction to Apples refusal to budge on the Flash issue.
Microsoft has done research of its own and found that of the top 97,000 sites globally, 62% already offer a HTML5 version already.

So what happens if you visit a site that does not offer a HTML5 alternative?

Essentially it looks like you will be given an option to “Use Desktop View” and this will take you back to the traditional desktop so you can carry on and view as you would using Windows 7 etc.

Where does this leave Silverlight – Microsoft Flash competitor’s?

With silverlight being a tool/framework that could still be used by developers, will they incorporate this into their O/S?

I actually do not know the answer here but will be keeping a close ear to the ground on developments.

Will they eventually just build flash into their browser like Google?

It is unclear whether Microsoft have any plans to slightly mislead people by building the Flash application into their browser and thus avoid the term “plugin” as Google do with Chrome, but one of the other interesting areas is that they have “kind of” stated that they will support add-ons; those third party applications that can make the user experience more tailored to the individual….but only on the desktop version…

Steven Sinofksy, president of Windows and Windows Live has said:

“In Windows 8, IE 10 is available as a Metro style app and as a desktop app. The desktop app continues to fully support all plug-ins and extensions.”

So there is some confusion if there will be an add-on supported Metro interface, though it appears only the desktop version/option looks probable from the above words.

All these changes look likely to go some way to improving the speed and perhaps the security of the Microsoft browser and operating systems, something that they have seriously suffered with over many years.

Adobe to suffer?

If the metro style interface is shown as the default medium to interact using Windows 8, then Adobe could be in serious trouble in relation to Flash.

Do you think this move by Microsoft will be the nail in the coffin for flash as we know it and if so do you think it is deserved? Or do you think Microsoft will renege on their slightly unclear statements and incorporate flash into their browser, carrying on it’s large scale use and lifespan?

We have an almost World exclusive video of the new child of Nokia and Microsoft code named “Sea Ray” it actually looks pretty swish I must say.

Here is the video showing the full leaked video and read our report below:

Sea Ray did you say? I seem to have lost him?

So what has been let out of the bag?

A cat or a……… “Sea Ray!!!”, “Sea Ray!!!” dah dah dah da da da!!….not sure about the name I must say, especially when your Northern European colleague finds it very tough to pronounce…but apparently there are 500 new features!

Nokia starting to get open about their technology:

In a display of openness that you can only give credit to, Stephen Elop – Nokia’s CEO called for an open dialogue within the company, gong on to ask for employees to share experiences and be honest about the products they are developing even if that news may not sit well with everyone.

Adding:

“It is OK to give us the bad news. The pain we suffered just a few weeks ago about the earnings release would not have happened if the people in this company had shared the bad news earlier.”

Look and feel:

On look and feel it seems to resemble a newly released Nokia N9 although it has one tell tale sign that it is a superior model by having another button on its side….assuming that more is better!

Windows 7 Mango

It is also currently running Windows 7 Mango, a nice looking interface that works on the premise that we all want to use “tiles” and not pinch our devices bottoms quite as much.

We have done a report on Windows and Nokia releasing a tablet with Windows 8 as the OS for future Windows devices this is really quite intriguing having only just written that report the other day, it would appear that Windows 7 will be a stop gap before the Windows 8 beast that should tie up all Windows based devices with one OS that integrates better between desktop, laptop, Xbox, smartphone and tablet….time will tell.

Lets take a look at the User Interface an apps that were shown in the “leaked” video:

Xbox integration

Appealing to gamers worldwide, the expected Xbox integration looks OK, nothing to really see from the video, though I personally except this to be a major selling point assuming it is done as well as the actual big daddy Xbox, this I expect to be a given considering what is at stake.

Microsoft Office For Windows 7 Mobile

We can also see that Microsoft have ported their Office suite onto the phone which we hear Microsoft believe is a missing market for Tablet owners….the higher end business user….and assume this will also be a feature on the tablet version running (we assume) Windows 8 in the not too distant future.

British Airways App For Windows 7

Quite a nice little app here and something in deep contrast to its Xbox integration, here Microsoft are trying to widen their appeal by showing off a high end app such as the British Airways app where you can take a virtual tour of your flight and pick your seat…nifty!

We will leave the rest up to you.

Are you looking forward to Nokia and Windows finally entering the Smart Phone market properly; perhaps feeling a little sad that they missed the first real excursion into a truly useful mobile phone experience enjoyed by the likes of Apple, Samsung, HTC, Android, Motorola, RIM etc?

And do you think they will muscle their way in with a unique product and operating system such as Windows 7 on mobile?

Or too little too late?