"A little over two months following the bombshell announcement that Nokia (NYSE:NOK) will embrace Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system as its primary smartphone platform, the two companies officially signed a definitive agreement finalizing the details of their partnership, stating they've already begun joint outreach efforts targeting third-party application developers. Microsoft and Nokia said they will work together to support the creation of new applications tailored for both local and global markets, rolling out a new Nokia-branded global app store that leverages the existing Windows Phone Marketplace infrastructure--the store will offer developers a single portal to publish and distribute applications available for Windows Phone, Symbian and Series 40 devices.
The new Nokia-branded app store also will incorporate the handset maker's worldwide operator billing partnerships: Nokia boasts agreements with 112 carriers in 36 markets. To further sweeten the deal, Nokia and Microsoft will make Windows Phone developer registration free to all Nokia developer partners."
