Microsoft to Add Bing to RIM Products, Push BlackBerry Servers

Posted 05/03/2011 at 12:50pm | by Ryan Whitwam

1

Comment

Print

Just when we thought BlackBerry World 2011 was going to be boring, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage by storm as only he can. Ballmer told the crowd that Microsoft had joined with RIM to embed Bing search and maps in future BlackBerry products. This isn't as simple as setting a default, Microsoft will be right there at the OS level. Redmond is also coopertaing with RIM on a server product that changes the company's enterprise strategy.

The search and maps integration will roll out by the holiday season. It was not clear if only new devices will have it, or if existing devices will get an update. Microsoft will also be working with RIM to push BlackBerry Enterprise Servers. In some ways, this is a tacit admission that Microsoft has been unable to develop their own enterprise presence with Windows Phone 7. 

Having fully integrated maps and search on a platform can create a better experience for users. We will be interested to see how useful the Microsoft products end up being on RIM devices, or if they keep some goodies for their own platform.