Google signs deal with Nokia

By Steve Malone

Posted on 15 May 2006 at 10:43

Mobile phone giant Nokia is set to announce a deal with Google that will see Google Talk offered on the Nokia 770 portable Internet Tablet. The announcement, due to be made on Tuesday, will allow 770 owners to have voice conversations and perform instant messaging on the device.

The 770 Internet Tablet, which currently costs £245 in the UK, runs the Linux-based Tablet 2005 software and currently offers a web browser, email client, Internet radio, media player and notebook.

This is not the first time that Nokia has partnered with a search engine. Earlier this year Nokia struck a deal with Yahoo! to provide the Yahoo! Go service which includes email, messenger, FlickR and search on Nokia phones.

Earlier this year, Google signed an agreement to offer Google search on new handsets from Nokia's arch rival Motorola.

A recent survey found that there has been strong growth in the use of mobile phones and other portable devices to access the Internet - particularly in Europe.

Technology companies around the world are looking to cash in on the trend to stay online while on the move. As applications move from the deskbound computer to the Internet, the major search engines are increasing their range of online apps in order to capture and retain Internet users. This trend is a particular threat to Microsoft, which is seeing its control slip away from desktop applications to the web.

Hence, while, the 770 is more of a leisure device than a business tool it will not prevent the announcement from raising hackles over at Microsoft, which recently launched its own Ultra Mobile PC initiative with a number of hardware manufacturers. As with the 770, the UMPC is a tablet device with WiFi connections to the Internet, although the bundled Microsoft software has a bigger business focus.