Clearly, when two competitors like Microsoft and Nokia come together, it shows that times are tough. But it’s unclear what the two companies will tackle next or how deep the relationship will be. In a call this morning, the two companies said there were no plans to put Windows Mobile on Nokia phones, although they will be researching new areas for development. With Microsoft’s wide area of focus, that could translate into everything from games to search.

But it’s really the OS where the two are suffering the most. Microsoft will soon release a new finger-friendly version of its old operating, as it prepares for an entire overhaul next year. Likewise, Nokia is retooling Symbian, first by buying-out the company and then recreating it as an open-source platform. A new version will support touchscreens more easily, but it still won’t be ready for some time.

If Microsoft’s new operating system to be released next year is up to today’s standards, Nokia should consider it an option, especially if it wants to lure business users and the high-end consumer segment (that doesn’t mean it can’t still also develop Symbian phones). If rumors are at all correct, Nokia may be wavering on its commitment to Symbian. Yesterday, undisclosed Nokia sources speaking to the Financial Times in Germany (via TechCrunch), said that Nokia doesn’t trust its Symbian mobile operating system any more and plans to equip many of its smartphones with the mostly open source Maemo operating system it uses in its Internet tablets. However, the open-source Maemo is also not ready for prime time, so that would in theory, also take awhile. Today, Nokia responded to the article, by saying it remains “strongly committed” to the Symbian mobile operating system, reports the WSJ.