Today, Microsoft and Nokia launched the
first application from their alliance around mobile productivity,
Microsoft
Communicator Mobile for Nokia devices. This new unified communications
client
connects directly with a company’s communications systems to streamline
mobile collaboration. Owners of a number of Symbian based Nokia Eseries
smartphones can download the English version today from Nokia’s
Store
the easiest place to get content on their Nokia device.
"Our alliance with Nokia aims to bring the Office productivity
experience
to the millions of people using Nokia smartphones around the world,"
says
arrival of Communicator
Mobile for Nokia today, we have a great start to fulfilling our joint
vision."
Communicator Mobile enables people to see their colleagues’
availability,
and click to communicate with them using the best method, from IM to
email,
text to phone call. The names and status of colleagues are embedded
directly
into the devices’ contacts application, enabling people to update their
own
presence, start and join instant messaging sessions, and begin calls
directly
from the contact card.
"This application really provides a much more efficient way to
work with
others as you can see if someone is busy or available, and the best way
to
start a conversation with them," says Ukko Lappalainen, Vice President
at
Nokia. "It also meets all of the requirements for enterprise: cost
effective
to implement, secure, familiar and reliable."
The launch is the first product from the alliance – announced
last August
– which was the first time either company had embarked on an agreement
of
this scope and nature. Since then, the two companies have been
collaborating
on the design and development of new solutions, as well as embarking on
joint
marketing efforts around others they already share.
"As part of our push to constantly enhance our unified
communications
proposition, we are keen to extend the collaborative benefits of
Microsoft
Communicator Mobile to Nokia devices," says
Director at Vodafone
Group Business Services. "Communicator Mobile offers great potential for
our
large corporate customer base who have already deployed Communicator for
desktop and now are looking to extend that existing infrastructure to
mobile."
"We trial all potential offerings ourselves and have been very
happy with
the internal response and productivity increase we have experienced
using
Microsoft Communicator Mobile," says Roger Wuthrich-Hasenbohler,
Executive
Vice President at Swisscom / Webcall. "Having these two companies work
together is really helping us serve the needs of our customers."
This new application, available initially for Nokia E72 and Nokia
E52,
adds to the work Nokia is already doing in optimizing direct access to
email
and other personal information with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. The
companies plan to deliver Communicator Mobile for Nokia pre-installed on
select Nokia smartphones in the future and plan to support additional
devices, including the recently announced Nokia E5.
