Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:27 pm
Microsoft said it has reached a deal with Nokia to make a mobile version of its Office software that works on devices made by the world's top handset manufacturer.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant said it will launch the latest version of its Office product next year, including an online version that will let users access Word, Excel and PowerPoint over the Web.
The deal with Nokia helps Microsoft expand into mobile devices while countering the recent entries of free Web-based word processors, spreadsheets and applications from Google, Sun Microsystems and others.
The agreement is another sign that the two companies, once fierce rivals, are coming closer together as mutual threats have emerged.
Both companies have lost market share with the advent of new technologies from Apple's iPhone, Research In Motion's BlackBerry and Google's Android.
Microsoft already makes a version of Office for devices running its Windows Mobile operating system. Other companies, such as DataViz, also allow users to open Office files on BlackBerrys and other smartphones.
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