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Windows Live Search has been running their standalone voice-activated search and location app on BlackBerry since mid-July, but it looks like that partnership is going to deepen further, as RIM has announced that Windows Live Search will be powering local search within the BlackBerry Maps application, as well as being built into the Browser (presumably as an option from the home screen’s drop-down menu, right beside Google, Wikipedia, and Dictionary.com). While the Browser integration isn’t that big of a deal, being built into the native GPS app is pretty huge, especially considering the close relationship RIM has had with Google lately. Right now the Yellow Pages handles local search on BlackBerry, which are going to be some pretty big shoes to fill, unless Microsoft can somehow integrate the same search results with their own. A big OS patch is rumored to be coming out this month, which could be when we see the updated software.
[via RIM]
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
