Nokia has been celebrating its financial performance with some shopping, and has picked up fellow-Finnish software developer Trolltech ASA.  The software house is responsible for the Qt multi-platform C++ GUI framework, which features in the KDE Linux environment as well as being the core of the Qtopia application platform for mobile devices, embedded and medical systems.  Back in 2006 the company unveiled their Greenphone cellphone, a reference design for developers wanting to code directly onto a mobile device.  Now, Nokia will use the Qt environment to develop software that can run identically on cellphones, on the internet or on PCs.

“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

Development of the Qt platform – currently used by over 5,000 customers including Skype, Google Earth and Adobe Photoshop Elements – will continue for both desktop and mobile applications, and Nokia will continue to licence it under commercial and open-source licences.  The total cost for Nokia is approximately €104m ($153m).

[via SlashPhone]