They may be rivals, but it looks like they'll soon be forced to hold hands on a number of occasions. A series of recent moves concerning tech juggernaut Microsoft indicate that the company is opening its doors to Google's Android operating system. Whether it is with open arms or with reluctance remains the question.

For starters, there's the fact that Nokia released an Android smartphone, the Nokia X, "which will compete with Android devices in the affordable smartphone category and introduce the Microsoft cloud to a new set of customers in growth markets."

Microsoft and Nokia formed a partnership in 2011 resulting in the popular Lumia series of smartphones that exclusively run the Windows Phone operating system. Going even further, Microsoft acquired Nokia's mobile device business in 2013, although the two will remain as separate companies until the deal is complete in the first half of 2014. How Microsoft will treat future Android phone releases will be interesting to watch. The release of the Nokia X marks Nokia's mobile division's first use of an operating system other than Windows Phone in over two years.

Then there's the fact that Microsoft is now opening up Office 365 to Android developers. Microsoft, although not as big a player in the mobile market as Google or Apple or Samsung, still reins king in the business department. Microsoft's Office suite is still one of the most popular tools for businesses, and until now, has been boxed in the Microsoft ecosystem.

"This week, we're announcing the availability of the Android SDK for Office 365 and Windows 8 Libraries, which allows for easier and more streamlined development using the above-mentioned Office 365 APIs, including Files, Lists, Mail and Calendars," Microsoft wrote on its Office blog March 3.

Adding to the growing number of strings between Microsoft's Windows software and Google's Android software is the rumor Microsoft could soon allow Android apps to run on the Windows and Windows Phone platforms. According to unnamed sources speaking to The Verge, Microsoft is looking for ways to bolster its app offerings due to a lack of a) volume and b) popular high-quality apps that are available on Android and iOS. Nothing has been confirmed, but the prospect of such a convergence would surely shake Microsoft's image as a closed-off hermit.

Those in India will soon get the best of both worlds thanks to Karbonn Mobile: a smartphone that is able to boot both Android and Windows Phone operating systems.

"Microsoft has eased the regulations and is opening up its platform for other players. We signed the agreement two days ago and will launch a range of Windows phones in about three months," Karbonn Mobile chairman Sudhir Hasija told The Times of India.

According to Hasija, the dual-OS phones should hit the market by June.

And let's not forget the ASUS Duet, a quad-mode laptop/tablet that will run both Android and Windows 8.1, a product that has apparently drawn some ire from both the Microsoft and Google camps.

Do all these moves signal a growing affinity for cross-platform integration? Or is it Microsoft's acceptance that it isn't doing as well on its own in the mobile market? Only time will tell, but as Microsoft states in its official blog, "It is a fascinating time in the industry today. The rate of improvements in devices, the breadth of services offered, the way consumers and businesses are using devices of all shapes and sizes to do more -- it is a reminder to all of us that what is considered status quo in Barcelona this year has the potential to look very different in the rear view mirror a year from now."