// Pocket Picks //

That’s right, folks, corporate cuddling continues. Nokia and Microsoft have just announced that:

Starting today, Nokia customers in 11 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.

For serious S60 users who’ve already installed a messaging app such as IM+ this will probably be seen as non-news. But given the massive userbase boasted by Live Hotmail, it is hugely significant that a freshly internet-friendly Nokia has chosen to partner with Microsoft in this way. Google has already buddied-up with various handset makers, and is thought to be rumbling forward with its own mobile platform. It seems that the battle lines are being drawn, the armies readied, and war is about to commence.

To find out more and download the Windows Live suite for your S60 handset, head over to www.nokia.com/windowslive — but at time of writing Nokia had yet to activate that link. Once it’s up and running we’ll let you know.

Updated: okay, the page is up now, and it’s showing that the Windows Live services are compatible with ‘many Nokia handsets’ which actually means, er, five. So if you own an N95, N93i, N80 Internet Edition, N76 and N73, and live in one of the countries where the service is initially available (list on site), check it out now.