14 DAY TRIAL // Today, during the BlackBerry World conference in Orlando, FL, Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion took everyone by surprise when announcing the fact that BlackBerry smartphones and the new BlackBerry PlayBook would feature Microsoft's Bing as the default search engine.
At the said event, RIM’s CEO Mike Lizaridis announced the move along with Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer, and unveiled that, along with search services, Bing would also deliver Maps to BlackBerry handsets.
This is not the first time Bing is loaded on RIM's BlackBerry devices, but it is the first time we learn that all these smartphones would receive it, and that the deal would involve more than just the usual search service.
“This goes way beyond a search box, it’s about finding real tools to help people get things done,” Steve Ballmer stated at the conference.
Apparently, Microsoft and RIM plan on working together on deeply integrating Bing with the BlackBerry platform, though it remains to be seen how far the deal would stretch.
At the conference, the Bing Maps service was demoed on a BlackBerry Torch smartphone featuring altered software. As stated above, the PlayBook would also feature Bing services from now on.
Among the showcased features, we can count the fact that users would have the ability to embed location on the home's screen.
When tapping on it, the Maps with location would be brought up, while sliding on it would launch the search. Microsoft Deals and more will also be included with RIM's smartphones.
The deal would offer Microsoft the possibility to better compete with Google and its Google Mobile Services, including Google Maps, which are integrated in all Android devices.
Of course, Microsoft does have Bing Search and Maps available on Windows Phone 7 devices, but they account for a small portion of the market. Having them on BlackBerry smartphones would increase the services' market share considerably.
Recently, Microsoft and Nokia announced a deal through which the latter would supply, among other, its mapping services to all Windows Phone 7 devices, and beyond, since Nokia's Ovi Maps would power Microsoft's Bing Maps.
However, it seems that Ovi Maps won't replace Bing Maps, or at least this is what Microsoft reportedly stated when asked:
“Bing Maps has utilized Nokia content for road data, geo-coding and routing services for several years, through Nokia’s Navteq vector data business, relying on the quality of its data for core location services. The Nokia/MS partnership will enable deeper collaboration in the future.”