Intel-Nokia Collaboration [UPDATED]

[UPDATE] Updated with a link to a Nokia Conversations article below.
One of the big news of the previous few days was the announcement of a formal colloboration between Intel and Nokia.  The press release is rather long and after reading it, there are only a couple of points worth noting:

1. Nokia will use Intel’s processors in its future devices.  There was no mention of any devices, nor timeframes for when we can expect the Intel processors to be present in Nokia’s devices.
2. Intel will license Nokia’s HSPA/3G modem technologies.  Again, no further details on how and when Intel will begin to build Nokia’s technology into its future chipsets.
3. both companies will leverage off each other to further advance each other’s investments in Moblin (which Intel started, and is positioning as an alternative operating system to Windows on netbooks), and Maemo (a largely open source, Linux based operating system developed by Nokia for use in its internet tablets such as the N810).

This announcement has given rise to a lot of speculation in the blogosphere regarding what future devices we can expect to see from Nokia in the near future.  There was talk earlier that Nokia was considering manufacturing a netbook before this announcement; while most netbooks on the market today use Intel’s (Atom) processors, even if the rumour of the netbook was true, it doesn’t warrant an announcement of this nature!  So, will we see some sort of Nokia netbook, with an Intel processor, with voice and data capabilities, running Moblin in the near future?  Who knows?  I’m interested, so long as the battery life on such a device is acceptable and the small form factor is attractive enough.  This device may even be the rumoured N900 – the next generation Nokia internet tablet purportedly in the works.

Meanwhile, to add further intrigue to this story, a website reports that Nokia has already placed orders for netbooks from Compal and Quanta, who manufacture most of the world’s netbook for other major brand hardware names such as Acer, Asus and the likes.  The order is reportedly for a mixture of Intel Atom based netbooks, as well as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon based smartbooks.  Interesting indeed.

Click here for Intel’s press release on the collaboration.  Click here for a Nokia Conversations article that talks about, and elaborates a little more on this collaboration.

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