The companies said BlackBerry smartphone users will be able to use Microsoft Live Search as their search engine within the BlackBerry Browser, access Live Search on Mobile.BlackBerry.com, and use Live Search to perform contextual, location-sensitive searches, or look for nearby points of interest using BlackBerry Maps. The service is expected to be available later this year with support for multiple languages.
The move expands an agreement earlier this year between the two companies for Microsoft to provide its Windows Live services for BlackBerry smartphones.
Brian Arbogast, vice president of Microsoft’s mobile services division, said: This joint endeavor with RIM is an indicator of our increased focus on securing broad-scale distribution for Live Search. Microsoft is committed to extending our services across mobile platforms. Partnership with RIM will help bring Live Search to millions of BlackBerry users worldwide.
