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Microsoft Buys Out Nokia’s Mobile Phone Business

Microsoft Buys Out Nokia’s Mobile Phone Business

While you probably have heard of the Windows Phone by now, you are likely far more familiar with the Nokia brand of mobile devices. Well, soon they will be one and the same, as Microsoft has just bought out Nokia’s phone business. The deal went down for €5.4 billion, or approximately 7.2 billion U.S. dollars. In technical terms, that is a whole lotta money. The deal will likely be concluded in early 2014.

The deal includes all of Nokia’s devices and services as well as its employees. Over 32 thousand Nokia employees will be transferring to Microsoft. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who will be leaving Microsoft sometime in the next year, has also announced that Nokia CEO Stephen Elop will be taking charge of Microsoft’s expanded devices team.

You may be asking yourself “why is a gaming site covering mobile phone news?” Well, Microsoft’s devices team includes, you guessed it, the Xbox One, and so Elop will be in charge of the console’s new direction. Does this mean that we might see new mobile features integrated with the Xbox Smart Glass? Does this mean that Microsoft might finally jump into the world of handheld gaming? Who knows, but Ballmer is hopeful, saying, “It’s a bold step into the future–a win-win for employees, shareholders and consumers of both companies.”

Source: Gamespot

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