Microsoft and Nokia have united against, Blackberry and Apple to thwart their advances on smartphones. This time they're bringing out the big guns, targeting the lucrative business users market.

The two companies, once fellow competitors in the telecoms market, are hoping to bring out a range of devices running office applications sometime next year. Robert Andersson, Nokia executive vice-president, said: "This is giving some of our competitors - let's spell it out, RIM - a run for their money. I don't think BlackBerry has seen the kind of competition we can provide them now."

And his confidence isn't without cause; by pooling their resources, Nokia and Microsoft are making it possible to bring new software, compatible with browsers on both Mac and PC. With this kind of power we could well see the alliance making their next assault on Google and its move into free online software.

Phones4U NEWS