Nokia and Intel aren’t saying what kind of products could emerge from their newly announced long-term partnership to develop smartphones and other devices that will run on Intel’s microprocessors. But, according to an InformationWeek report, the companies are interested in capitalizing on the convergence of mobile phones and PCs.

"We will explore new ideas in designs, materials, and displays that will go far beyond devices and services on the market today," Kai Oistamo, executive VP of device for Nokia, said in a statement. The companies also indicated they will be collaborating on open source software initiatives involving the Moblin and Maemo platforms. One potential outcome, reports InformationWeek, is that these Linux-based operating systems could be combined for Nokia's mobile Internet devices and netbooks, and the company could still use Symbian for its smartphones. But insiders don’t expect much to come of the software collaboration, since the move may just give the companies more sway with the standards bodies.

Since news of the partnership broke, subsequent reports point to a major win for Intel; in addition to extending its market reach through a deal with the world's largest mobile phone maker, Intel also landed a license for Nokia's HSPA/3G radio technology.

According to a separate InformationWeek report, this technology was missing from Intel's chipsets, which currently support Wi-Fi and WiMax, a wireless wide area network technology that Intel is hoping will someday prove a challenger to carriers' future 4G data networks. But with no guarantee that WiMax will ever be successful, Intel needed technology to get on carriers' existing networks.

Which brings us back to the question of product. Intel has demonstrated its commitment to healthcare through numerous technology related partnerships and market research efforts, as well as through its  development of a virtual community for health care providers, administrators and IT professionals—HealthcareGoesMobile.com—for which I happen to be a blogger.

It was Intel’s work with fellow travelers that helped spark a proliferation of mobile clinical assistants (MCAs) in the healthcare industry and, looking ahead to the convergence of mobile phones and PCs, I’m confident Intel and Nokia will have big plans for product launches down the road. But what?

Right now, Intel chips are too power hungry for anything smaller than a netbook. But, as InformationWeek points out, that's expected to change when the company releases its next-generation Atom-based mobile platform—code-named Moorestown—which Intel claims consumes 10 times less power when devices are in idle mode. The new platform is expected to start shipping in 2010.

Analysts think Moorestown is a viable platform for Internet-enabled devices with screen sizes between four and seven inches. Such devices would be larger than a BlackBerry or an iPhone, but could include Nokia's N810 Internet Tablet, which has a 4.1-inch touch screen, but currently lacks a voice communication function.