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Microsoft In Mobile Search Deal With Verizon

Posted by kdawson on from the sea-spider dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Verizon Wireless will forge a deal with Microsoft to include the software giant's Live Search on its mobile phones, giving Microsoft a victory over rival Google and ending a months-long dance toward the partnership. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will announce the deal in his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas." InfoWorld notes that Microsoft is rumored to be changing the name of its Live Search service to Kumo, which is Japanese for "cloud."

23 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Let me be the first to say... by Aqua_boy17 · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...I'm glad my Verizon contract is up.

    --
    What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?
    1. Re:Let me be the first to say... by Shakrai · · Score: 4, Interesting

      ...I'm glad my Verizon contract is up.

      I don't really care as I'm in the (apparently shrinking) pool of people who only use my cell phone to make and receive phone calls.

      Does anybody know what happened to Verizon's much touted plan to provide open access? Funny how we haven't heard anything about that lately isn't it? If I was a cynical person I might assume that they only made that announcement to forestall efforts to impose an open network via the regulatory structure.....

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    2. Re:Let me be the first to say... by Blob+Pet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Last month, I had a broken Verizon phone and a year left on my contract. I really wanted an Android-based phone as a replacement, but I figured that would happen later rather than sooner with Verizon given how they like to take their time qualifying new phones (i.e. removing features), so I paid the early termination fee to jump-ship to T-Mobile. With this agreement, it seems even less likely we'll see an Android phone on their network. Even if we did, it'd be amusing to see how they'd try to make MS Live Search the default search engine for it.

      --
      "...today consumers have been conditioned to think of beer when they see a bullfrog..."
  2. so... by prozaker · · Score: 2, Funny

    it's like a search engine?

  3. This makes for a fine game of Chess. by gcnaddict · · Score: 4, Interesting
    It's interesting how Microsoft nailed Dell for search. They've now got Verizon as well, which leads me to think that either:
    1. Microsoft offered more money, or
    2. companies are getting weary of partnering with Google and dealing with Google's bottomless desire for control.

    It'd be interesting to see how all of this plays out.

    --
    Viable Slashdot alternatives: https://pipedot.org/ and http://soylentnews.org/
    1. Re:This makes for a fine game of Chess. by nine-times · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If people are siding with Microsoft because they're afraid of Google taking anti-competitive actions, then either:

      1. something has happened that I haven't heard about.
      2. the people making the decisions don't know what they're doing.

      I'd bet that Microsoft is paying more.

  4. "Kumo" as a Search name? by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 5, Funny

    They should name it "bukakke" because the search results would just keep pourin' in!

    And also because using MS is humiliating.

  5. Cloud? by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Cloud?! Will the marketroids PLEASE stop referring to the Internet and everything else in it as a 'cloud'!

    Thank you. That is all.

    --
    My blog
    1. Re:Cloud? by MikeDirnt69 · · Score: 4, Funny

      What about 'fog'? People won't find anything.

      --
      Am I eval()? - http://www.monst3r.com.br
  6. Will they be paying users to use search? by Vandil+X · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Seeing as how Verizon likes to charge a lot for its data plans, will Microsoft re-issue its previous plan of paying people for using Live Search? Would be a way to offset the mobile data cost.

    --
    Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, START
  7. I like cell phones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Everyone calls me and they are like, "wassup, dawg?" And I'm like yo, wassup wicchew, homie? And everybody's like, "chillin, homie, chillin." And I'm like, word. That's whassup. Yo then theres texting my girlfriends and like, internet and shit, yo. Yo, cell phones is da fly shiznit, yo. Word.

  8. Re:Nice try Microsoft by vux984 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Microsoft faces an uphill battle as the word "google" is now a verb.

    "Microsoft" can be used as a verb too. Trouble is...if I were to say I'm going to "Microsoft something" its not exactly a positive image.

  9. In Japanese by BetterSense · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "kumo" can also mean "spider"

  10. Re:Kumo? by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 4, Funny

    Isn't that, like, almost the name of the Steven King movie? The one wih the rabid dog?

    No no no. You're thinking of Carrie.

    --
    This guy's the limit!
  11. Who cares? by thammoud · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Unless the phone is retarded, users will still bookmark Google and conduct the search there just like they do in Windows.

    1. Re:Who cares? by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Funny

      You are trying to switch your search engine to Google? [Cancel] or [Allow] Allow
      Are you sure? [Cancel] or [Allow] Allow
      Please hold while we connect you a Verizon Service Representative [Cancel] or [Allow] Allow

      "Hello this is Tom? How can I help you?"
      Can you hear the representative now? [Yes] or [No] Yes
      "Yes, I'd like to change the search engine on me phone."
      Can you hear him now? [Yes] or [No]
      "For the love of God, yes!"

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  12. And now begins... by stimuli_ii · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The Microsoft hate circle jerk...

  13. Re:What's in a name? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2, Funny

    [Dear Marketing People, please, please kill yourselves now.]

    Yes. All of you.
    (Just wanted to be clear on this point.)

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  14. Pyrrhic Victory by SuperKendall · · Score: 2, Insightful

    giving Microsoft a victory over rival Google

    Is that really a victory for Microsoft, or a loss for Verizon?

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  15. "You have one minute left on your call..." by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Please enter a search term to pay for the next ten minutes. The search results and limited advertising will be randomly inserted during awkward pauses in your conversation."

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  16. Awesome! by Tibor+the+Hun · · Score: 4, Funny

    Except of course that Verizon charges and arm and a leg for unlimited data, so Microsoft just spent millions on making sure about 114 people will get their search engine as the default.

    --
    If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
  17. Bottomless desire for control???? by brunes69 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Lets see - if I get the GPhone from T-Mobile I can replace any application I want on it, right down to the kernel. I can totally customize it from the ground up, and use anything I want on it to access any information I want.

    Name one Verizon phone that lets me do this? Hell I doubt I will even be able to uninstall this Live Search POS.

    1. Re:Bottomless desire for control???? by Korin43 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Hah you clearly have never used a Verizon phone.
      Not only can you not customize anything (except using the 3 themes it comes with), but you can't install ANY application without paying $5-15 (keep in mind these are all clones of games from the 80's with their characters replaced with people from movies), and you can't use the GPS without paying $9/mo for their crappy GPS service which doesn't integrate with other programs. Oh and did I mention that if you want to add your own programs you have to pay a couple thousand dollars?