Nokia to acquire mobile analytics firm Motally

Nokia announced today that it will acquire mobile analytics firm Motally for an undisclosed sum. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2010.

San Francisco, Calif.-based Motally specializes in analytics for both mobile websites and apps on the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, and Android. With the acquisition, Motally’s service will be adapted for mobile platforms that Nokia uses like Symbian, Meego, Qt, and Java.

Its analytics allows both mobile web developers and app makers to get a better sense of how users interact with their mobile offerings. In March, the company enabled a feature called 2-Way Communication for its iPhone app analytics that allowed developers to make Motally-specific settings changes without resubmitting apps for approval. The feature also works for both BlackBerry and Android app analytics.

Former VentureBeat writer Paul Boutin explained the feature in past coverage:

Previously, if an app built with Motally’s software toolkit transmitted data to its maker from an iPhone, Motally’s API would respond with a simple message saying, “OK, got it.” With 2-Way Communication — can we just call it 2WC? — the app’s maker can send marching orders back to the app that tell it to change Motally-specific settings for tracking and debugging the app.

Earlier this year, it launched an API for uploading and downloading large data sets for analysis. The company brought on former Nielsen VP John Forese as its CEO in March.

Nokia plans to keep Motally’s existing users, and it’s still up in the air what exactly Nokia will be getting from the acquisition — aside from bringing Motally’s analytics to its own platforms. One possible  end game: Nokia could be making its own platforms more appealing to developers by offering them high-quality analytics for every app.

Motally was founded in 2008 and currently has eight employees. The company was one of 20 featured at our MobileBeat 2010 conference.