Nokia Ovi Mail now powered by Yahoo -- but why not Hotmail?

Nokia has turned to Yahoo to power its Ovi Mail service. But with the Finnish phone-flogger signing a high-profile deal with Microsoft recently, why didn't it choose Hotmail?

Yahoo provides the behind-the-scenes gubbins for Ovi's messaging services Mail and Chat, now rebranded as Ovi Mail and Chat by Yahoo. We're baffled by the move, as Nokia has teamed up with Microsoft to put Windows Phone 7 in all its smart phones. But it's probably a question of commitment: the Yahoo deal was planned last year, and the Microsoft partnership was only put together earlier this year.

Nokia wouldn't tell us why it hadn't plumped for Microsoft's Hotmail service. A Nokia spokesman told us the Finnish company "remains committed to both our Microsoft and Yahoo partnerships". Reading between the lines, we're guessing Nokia is stuck with Yahoo.

The Chat instant messaging app supports assorted IM services, so you can chat to people on different networks from your phone. Other IM apps include Nimbuzz and Fring.

In its partnership with Microsoft, Nokia is "planning a new global ecosystem that creates opportunities beyond anything that currently exists today, offering a serious alternative to the existing choices for operators, developers and consumers". Whatever that means. It'll be pretty annoying if users need a Yahoo account, an Ovi account and a Windows Live ID.

To continue using the Ovi services, you'll need to accept the new Yahoo terms and conditions. Head to t.ovi.com and fill in your details.