Microsoft and Nokia will make a joint announcement at a press conference in New York on Aug. 12. Headlined by Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft Business Division, and Kai Oistamo, executive vice president for Nokia Devices, the details are being kept under wraps.

I'll update on eWEEK's regular news feed during the conference and include a post-conference interview with spokespeople for both companies, but for now I'll speculate that this has something to do with Windows Mobile 6.5 being installed as the operating system for one or more Nokia devices.

I say this because Windows Mobile 6.5, the newest version of Redmond's mobile OS, includes both improved touch capabilities and a capacity for customized widgets. You can manipulate the interface by tapping, tapping and holding, panning and flicking, among other gestures.

This would dovetail nicely with Nokia's newest device, the Nokia N97, which features a 3.5-inch touch-screen with separate touch foil and touch feedback (in addition to a proximity sensor). Piggybacking Windows Mobile 6.5 (and its upcoming applications store, Windows Marketplace for Mobile) onto either the Nokia N97 or similar touch-screen device will allow both companies to counter competition within the enterprise space from Apple's iPhone and the Palm Pre, and maybe even allow them to take a tougher shot at RIM's BlackBerry line.

Again, this is all speculation, but that seems to be the sweet spot for both companies' technology with regard to the marketplace. But we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see.