3D graphics and digital media silicon products maker ATI Technologies Inc., Markham ON, and wireless mobile communications giant Nokia Corp., Espoo, Finland, recently inked a long-term strategic relationship to add enhanced mobile multimedia experiences to Nokia products.

ATI says it and Nokia are now working closely together to develop high quality multimedia capability, such as music playback, 3D gaming, mobile TV, video and more, for Nokia mobile devices used worldwide.

"Working with ATI underscores the commitment that Nokia has in providing unparalleled mobile multimedia experiences to consumers," Ilkka Raiskinen, Nokia Senior Vice President, Multimedia Experiences, says. "With the mobile device now at the center of people's lives, we want people to have access to fantastic mobile content when and where they want."

"We are announcing our collaboration with ATI now, so that developers have the next 12 to 18 months to be innovative and create world class mobile multimedia experiences," he adds.

The two firms are working to drive the complexity out of multimedia development by promoting open standards and providing integrated hardware, software and tools, ATI says. Developers will need to create content only once for users to enjoy on a range of devices.

ATI says it aims to provide a dedicated tools chain and software development kit (SDK) for developers in the fall of 2006. ATI and Nokia will also hold a series of joint workshops in the second half of this year to showcase the environment to key developers.

"Our role is to enable all content, from ultra-high quality music playback to 3D gaming, and we'll jointly guide and support the members of the content development community as they focus on creating amazing user experiences," Paul Dal Santo, ATI Vice President and GM, Handheld Products, says. "With a shared vision of how multimedia impacts the mobile market, Nokia and ATI are providing much needed direction and a framework to move the whole industry forward."