Photo: Android

As the title indicates, this story has so many dimensions to it, it would be irresponsible not to look at each implication of this piece of news in itself.

Catch up

Firstly, this move comes as a result of Google pulling out of China over quasi-political quasi-business reasons, and Motorola’s decision to search for alternate partners. But to snub Google for Microsoft almost feels disrespectful. On top of that, this search and maps deal would bring Microsoft Bing and maps to Android OS, a Google platform.

Motorola says: we have sway

The other dimension with regards to this switch is what this means for Motorola’s relationship with Google’s Android when compared to Motorola’s relationship with the Windows Phone 7 Series. Sure, The Motorola Milestone (Droid) is a beloved Android phone used by many and the first to show the gulf between the iPhone and Android OS was exaggerated. To lose a partner like that would be costly to Google.

Google says: fine, whatever

Photo: Google

It is unlikely this would be enough to change Google’s stance on China. The company who brandish ‘Don’t be evil’ as a corporate moniker for reasons often questioned are unlikely to let this switch their policy with another country, even though the advances Microsoft Bing has been making have to be in the back of Google’s mind.

Microsoft says: we like this!

Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft is the only winner here. Not only is Microsoft woefully handicapped by not being the default search engine on any of the popular contemporary mobile phone operating systems, this may be the avenue the company needs to woo Motorola into committing to Windows Phone 7 Series more than Motorola’s present commitment to Android OS. Insofar as they get the foothold, even if it is out in China, Microsoft has enough of a launchpad to extend their influence.

The phones powered by Microsoft Bing search and maps will begin seeing release this quarter, and the relationship has openly been discussed as ‘global’, meaning this could just be the very beginning.

Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft has the unenviable task of unseating a company whose name has become a verb. People no longer search for things on the Internet, they google them.

The big search war

Photo: Google

Given Microsoft and Yahoo have finally concluded their search deal, the search engine market is really a two-horse race: Google vs. Microsoft Bing. To this extent, Bing is throwing a ton of money, millions of pounds in fact, at a television campaign to promote Microsoft’s search engine. With the tagline, ‘Bing and decide’, Microsoft hope to break user’s habits of defaulting to what they know in the interest of trying the unknown, which Microsoft believes is actually superior.

Bit by bit

The disadvantage Microsoft has is this process of trying something new will not be prompted the way the company had to prompt users to try a different web browser with the recent EU-initiated browser lottery. Even then, though, Microsoft Bing has seen its market share in the US inch forward bit by bit with its eighth straight month of growth going from 10.7% to 11.3%. All the while, Google, who are still the undeniable leader in search, had their share drop from 65.7% to 65.4%, indicating Bing is clearly doing something right.

What money cannot buy

Photo: Microsoft

As the saying goes, money cannot buy everything. It goes a long way in getting one exposure, though. Microsoft Bing has enjoyed much positive sentiment for being semantically different from Google in that it returns a different set of results, while being more aesthetically pleasing than Google’s Spartan approach. The Bing picture of the day has been a major attraction and Microsoft’s fresh outlook on the product is promising.

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO and, by extension, the ultimate overseer of Bing, has said that the company’s strategy was to focus on online services, and no service is more important or lucrative than search.