Last year we suggested that, rather than Microsoft or Apple, Nokia was Android’s main competitor; since then, the Finnish company has announced Q4 2007 sales of €15,7bn ($23bn), an increase of 34-percent over the same quarter the previous year, and strong performance in all regions bar the US.  Today, however, comes the next step in Nokia’s plans to rival the Open Handset Alliance: they’ve made a €104m ($153) bid for Trolltech, a multi-platform Linux developer responsible for the software currently found running Google Earth, Skype, and a variety of mobile devices including Sony’s Mylo messenger.

“The technology landscape evolves and, for Nokia, software plays a major role in our growth strategy for devices, PCs and the integration with the Internet. We continue to focus on areas where we can differentiate and add more value. Common cross-platform layers on top of our software platforms attract innovation and enable Web 2.0 technologies in the mobile space.  Trolltech’s deep understanding of open source software and its strong technology assets will enable both Nokia and others to innovate on our device platforms while reducing time-to-market. This acquisition will also further increase the competitiveness of S60 and Series 40″ Kai Öistämö, Executive Vice President, Devices, Nokia

Trolltech’s C++ GUI framework, Qt, features in the KDE open-source Linux distro, and forms the basis of the Qtopia mobile and embedded device platform that powers - among a variety of set-top boxes, media streamers and medical devices - the Greenphone cellphone reference & development design, launched back in 2006.  To Nokia, it represents an environment whereby applications can be run identically whether on the internet, on a PC or on a cellphone, and is a relatively straightforward buy-in to the open-source community and the LiMo Foundation.

“We will continue to actively develop Qt and Qtopia. We also want to underline that we will continue to support the open source community by continuing to release these technologies under the GPL” Trolltech open-letter

Both Trolltech and Nokia confirmed that the platforms will continue to be licenced under open-source and commercial terms, and it is believed that the acquisition will only increase the number of clients utilising Qt and Qtopia, both of which are highly established (unlike the relatively unknown quotient that is Android).

Finalisation of the deal is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory and Trolltech shareholder approval, which is expected to be completed by June.

[via PHONE Magazine]