“Nokia Corp. has agreed to license Microsoft Corp.’s new PlayReady DRM (digital rights management) technology,” John Blau reports for IDG News Service.

“The deal extends Nokia’s existing copy protection offerings, which include Windows Media DRM 10 and OMA DRM (Open Alliance Mobile DRM), Steven Knuff, a spokesman at Nokia’s multimedia division, said Monday,” Blau reports.

“Nokia plans to support PlayReady across a range of devices using the S60 and S40 user interface platforms beginning in 2008,” Blau reports.

“Knuff declined to comment on whether the most recent DRM agreement with Microsoft would have an impact on Nokia’s rumored plans to launch an online music and mobile content store, following the company’s acquisition of U.S. digital music distributor Loudeye Corp.,” Blau reports.

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Note: Nokia employs the Symbian OS.

Research from Canalys (Feb. 07) states that total smart phone shipments for 2006 totaled 64.1 million.

Canalys estimated 2006 smart phone operating system market share as follows:
• Symbian: 67% share (42.947 million units)
• Microsoft: 14% share (8.974 million units)
• RIM: 7% (4.487 million units)
• Linux: 6% (3.846 million units)
• ACCESS/PalmSource with the Garnet OS: 5% (3.205 million units)

Apple’s publicly-stated goals: 1 million iPhones by the end of this quarter, 10 million iPhones in 2008.