Microsoft & Nokia dealing: past the point of no return

Two months later, the "Elopocalypse" has officially been inked: Microsoft and Nokia's industry-altering announcement of a strategic alliance back in February has today been bolstered with the signing of a definitive agreement between the two companies. In announcing the inking of the paperwork, the Microkia crew point out that they're already hard at work developing "a portfolio" of Nokia Windows Phone devices, which will be shipping "in volume" in 2012, but there's still a twinkling hope that they can get something out on the market in 2011. What this means for the future of MeeGo is still up to the market to answer, and although there have been some notable new companies joining the project, companies join trade groups to hedge their bets. No one has yet stepped forward to make MeeGo as strategically important to their business as Nokia did. With the MeeGo division in Nokia effectively reverting back to 770 days (Valtteri Halla and Sakari Poussa being two notable losses), and still no new hardware or software in sight, things don't look hopeful. Hopefully next month's conference in San Francisco will re-energise the community and commercial partners.