Nokia to buy Trolltech and keep it on the Qt

Nokia is to buy Trolltech, the company whose Linux-based Qt application-development framework is at the core of many PC and mobile applications.

Wireless from A to Z

Click on the links below to find out more…

A is for Antivirus
B is for Bluetooth
C is for The Cloud
D is for dotMobi
E is for Email
F is for FMC
G is for GPS
H is for HSDPA
I is for i-mode
J is for Japan Air
K is for Korea
L is for LBS
M is for M2M
N is for NFC
O is for Operating systems
P is for Pubs
Q is for QoS
R is for Roaming
S is for Satellite
T is for TV
U is for UMTS
V is for Virgin
W is for WiMax
X is for XDA
Y is for Yucca
Z is for Zigbee

The companies have announced Nokia is offering 16 Norwegian Kroner per Trolltech share in cash, making the total value of the deal around NOK844m (£78m). The deal has been unanimously approved by Trolltech's board of directors, and holders representing approximately two-thirds of Trolltech's shares and votes have also accepted the offer in advance.

Qt forms the basis of many well-known desktop applications, such as Google Earth, Opera and Skype. Qt is used to develop graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and is the main GUI toolkit for the KDE Linux project, one of the two main desktop environments for the open-source operating system - the other being Gnome. Qt's derivative, Qtopia, also a Trolltech product, is already used in millions of consumer-level mobile phones, notably in Asia and through the manufacturer Motorola.

Dr Kai Öistämö, the head of Nokia's devices unit, said in a press conference that it would allow Trolltech to "continue in its current organisation form with full operational alignment" after the deal closes - a development expected to occur in the second quarter of this year. Nokia already uses Qt in its Nokia PC Suite application to allow mobile handsets to integrate with Windows PCs.

Öistämö said: "Trolltech brings software talent and technologies that are proven, world-class and with wide industry support, and will ensure exciting innovations and bring new momentum to us."

Öistämö said the acquisition would aid Nokia in its strategies of being "a leader of the converged world in internet mobility" and "growing consumer services and businesses solutions".

Nokia's intention is to use Trolltech's technology to develop its next generation of software horizontally across "all the major software platforms in the world", said Öistämö, who specified Apple OS X, Linux, Windows Mobile, Series 60 and Series 40. However, he stressed that Nokia's existing Linux-based devices, such as the N810 tablet, would continue to use the Gnome environment rather than KDE.

Öistämö said: "The Qt tools… allow developers to build applications across different types of devices and PCs. In practice, Qt is the only set of libraries and tools available on all desktops and on mobiles. With Qt, the services and applications can be built only once and then simply compiled using Qt tools to bring the innovation to all different software platforms, [thus allowing] a faster time to market."

Öistämö added: "Qt also is the most compact solution within the market allowing use in [low-end] devices, where memory is quite pricey and always a constraint. Qt is a great fit with Nokia's assets and evolution plans."

Öistämö promised Nokia would "actively contribute to the open-source community, especially KDE", and would "continue to invest in Qt, adding more advanced graphical capabilities". He also provided reassurance that, as one of Nokia's key drivers for the acquisition had been Trolltech's "talent", the manufacturer had "no plans to reduce [Trolltech's] workforce".

Click here for page 2 of this article…