I origianlly planned to write something like: Nokia decides it doesn't want U.S. cell phone company partners when I read this item in Reuters...

Nokia to skip operator tailoring for Linux phones

And, while I don't think this will help Nokia gain U.S. mobile carrier partnerships, it really isn't that different from what other smartphone makers are doing. Apple's iPhone, for example, doesn't have any AT&T branding on its case or on its screen. HTC's Touch Pro2 (Windows Mobile) smartphone has a small T-Mobile logo on the right with an HTC logo on the left. But, once you turn on the phone, you don't see anything about T-Mobile even if you choose to use the T-Mobile provided Today Screen option.

Perhaps we have moved beyond the need for carrier branding on phone hardware. But, I still don't see how this strategy will help Nokia get a larger foothold in the U.S.