Microsoft, RIM announce new alliance: Bing on Blackberry

blackberry-boldThis morning at Blackberry World, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage to announce an agreement to put Bing on Blackberry devices, including the Playbook.  From the Bing Search blog post announcement:

Blackberry devices will use Bing as the preferred search provider in the browser, and Bing will be the default search and map application for new devices presented to mobile operators, both in the United States and internationally. Also, effective today Bing will be the preferred search and maps applications with regular, featured placement and promotion in the BlackBerry App World carousel.

Bing is also now shipping as the default search experience, and map app, for the newly released BlackBerry Playbook. Together, we’ll also market and promote the strength of our joint offerings as “Making better decisions with Bing on BlackBerry.”

Also reported by Joshua Topolsky, who is at the Blackberry conference, is that Microsoft will also be “getting behind BlackBerry Enterprise Server in a big way, and will be pushing the service to its enterprise clients “.  RIM also announced today a new “Multi-Platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution for smartphones and tablets”, a new server management tool that, using technology RIM recently acquired from ubitexx, will allow enterprises the ability to manage iOS, Android, RIM, and now presumably Windows Phone devices.  From the RIM press release on the solution:

IT administrators will be able to manage devices over-the-air, including activating devices, distributing software and applications, locking or wiping devices, enforcing and resetting device passwords, setting IT policies, and managing optional mobile applications for end users.

While RIM, like recent Microsoft partner Nokia, is having its problems lately, the new agreement should help Bing to gain a better foothold in the mobile market.



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