Motorola marries Microsoft's search and maps to Google's Android

Stuart Corner
Saturday, 13 March 2010 17:32

Your IT - Mobility

Motorola has formed a global alliance with Microsoft to deploy Bing services on Motorola's Android based devices, to give consumers an alternative to Android's creator, Google, for search and map functions on their Android-based devices.

Motorola says that "With this collaboration, consumers will enjoy a pre-loaded Bing bookmark on their mobile browser and an enhanced search widget with Bing integration.

"By enabling users to customise their devices and select their own search provider, Motorola, with help from Microsoft, is expanding the capabilities and range of services currently offered in the marketplace and opening the doors for increased personalisation."

The first smartphones offering these capabilities will be launched in China by the end of the month, through either pre-load or over-the-air updates for devices already in market, Motorola says. It has given no indication of timeframes for their introduction other markets.

"We believe that consumer choice is one of the most critical components to ensuring a rich and seamless client experience," said Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president of software and services, Motorola Mobile Devices.

"Motorola and Microsoft have enjoyed a longstanding collaboration and the addition of Bing services to our Android-based smartphones in China is another important step in empowering our end-users."