The agreement anounced today between the two companies, includes long-term collaboration on digital media format support for Nokia handsets and Windows Media Player.
Today at 3GSM World Congress 2005, Microsoft. and Nokia announced they are working together to ensure that consumers can enjoy music from the newly launched mobile music solution offered by Nokia andLoudeye Corp. to wireless operators on both Nokia handsets and Microsoft Windows XP-based PCs. The two companies also have agreed to a long-term collaboration on extended digital media formatsupport. This collaboration includes support on music-oriented Nokia handsets for Microsoft Windows Media Audio, Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) 10 and Media Transfer Protocol (MTP),and support for Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) digital rights management and the MPEG Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) family of codecs in Windows Media Player via a plug-in.
The mobile music service from Nokia and Loudeye is based on the OMA DRM and MPEG AAC standards and enables a wireless operator’s customers to search, listen, download and pay for music using an operator-branded music application on their mobile device. Windows Media Player is used for the PC component of the music solution, and wireless operators will be able to brand their music service when it is integrated into the Windows Media Player.
Expect to see Microsoft on Nokia’s upcoming Smartphones. Other phones by Nokia which are not Smartphone based will most likely use Real Networks player for playing back music. You can read the Nokia/ Real announcement here.
