Nokia begins rolling out Microsoft business apps to Belle-enabled handsets

Nokia has begun rolling out a suite of Microsoft productivity apps to Nokia Belle-enabled handsets, providing users with four new business applications that extend the Nokia and Microsoft partnership beyond their Windows Phone collaboration.

Nokia device owners will need to have updated their handsets to Nokia Belle, which began rolling out to handsets on February 7.

If it has been installed, users can then use the software update app on their phone and pull down the following apps:

• Microsoft OneNote – Creates rich text notebooks using words and images. Includes SkyDrive synchronisation so users can grab their documents from wherever they are.
• Microsoft Document Connection – Provides a single view to all documents in one place, whether they are on the device, attached to emails or in SharePoint.
• Microsoft Lync 2010 Mobile – Microsoft’s popular enterprise instant messaging application.
• Microsoft PowerPoint – Share Powerpoint presentations from a PC on a Nokia device.

Nokia and Microsoft will support up to 48 languages with the new apps and will make them available to Nokia E7, Nokia C7, Nokia C6-01, Nokia X7, Nokia Oro, Nokia 700, Nokia 701, Nokia 603 handsets from today.

Nokia N8, Nokia E6 and Nokia 500 owners will see the update soon after.

Further down the line, Nokia Belle devices are set to become the first mobile handsets to receive native Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint apps outside of Microsoft’s own operating systems.