Nokia, world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer, and Microsoft, world’s largest software company, have announced a partnership which will bring the Redmond-crafted Windows Live suite of services to S60 smartphones.

The Windows Live mobile platform will suffer modifications specifically designed to fit Nokia’s Symbian-powered smartphones. Starting today Nokia customers in eleven countries with compatible S60 devices can download the new suite enabling access to Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Contacts and Windows Live Spaces. Starting next year, customers who purchase compatible Nokia Series 40 handsets will also have access to these popular Windows Live services.

Although many programs for the Symbian OS are not free, the Windows Live suite will be free to download from nokia.com/windowslive. All you have to do is to download and install the application, and services like Live Search, Live Spaces, Hotmail and Contacts will be available to you in an instant. You will be able to upload photos taken with the phone’s camera directly to your Live Spaces profile, while the Live Search engine will be accessed through the Nokia Mobile Search menu. It is yet unclear how will users benefit from the addition of the Live Search engine, since Nokia’s Mobile Search is also free and has very similar features (local services, websites, images, etc).

However, Windows Live Messenger will require you to purchase a 30-day pass. Pricing is still a mystery but owners of S60-powered Nokia smartphones already have the option of acquiring the Agile or IM+ clients for 30 euros.

Both the Nokia S60 and Series 40 platforms are using standard web services protocols in order to provide Nokia’s and Microsoft’s mutual customers with the possibility to seamlessly move between contacts, mail, messenger, phone calls, text messaging, camera, gallery and browsing all in an integrated way.

"By taking advantage of the extensive and agile distribution network that Nokia has, we have the opportunity to bring the power of Windows Live services to Nokia devices, thus ensuring our customers can take their most important online information with them on the go," said Jari Pasanen, vice-president, Strategy and Technology, Nokia Multimedia.

Windows Live is currently available for customers in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, UK, Sweden, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who own one of the following smartphones: Nokia N73, N76, N80 Internet Edition, N93i, and the N95.

Initially the service will be available as a free trial and then customers in the aforementioned markets wishing to continue using the service may be asked to pay a monthly fee.

"The availability of Windows Live services for Nokia's devices demonstrates our commitment to delivering great mobile experiences and extending people's online lives - taking it from the PC to the device," said Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of the Online Services Business from Microsoft. "The alliance will enable a much broader group of consumers to experience the benefits Windows Live has to offer, easily connecting them to the information and people that matter most from virtually anywhere." Nokia also plans to extend this service onto the Series 40 platform to enhance the search experience across a greater range of devices.