EXCLUSIVE: Verizon Dropping Google Search From All Future Androids?

[YaBoiD]

EXCLUSIVE: Verizon Dropping Google Search From All Future Androids?

 

[jasnmb]

what the heck! I can understand they have a right to exclude it as part of the default setup, but how do they have a right to completely block it from the market!? Are there other instances of carriers blocking specific apps?

 

[YaBoiD]

Not that I've seen...
Bad move on VZW's part...smh

 

[turbosol16]

If this is true I will not be switching to Verizon as planned. I know I can root and I have done so with my N1 but you shouldn't have to just to change to your preferred search engine. Customers should have a choice, I have no problem with Bing being on Android but blocking other search engines is BS.

 

[Isthmus]

Yet another ****ing company that feels the need to mess with android and shove it down our throats. what the fark!. To all the manufacturers and access providers, LEAVE VANILLA ANDROID ALONE!!! We buy the phones because we like android, not because we like your crappy strong arm tactics.

 

[drone46]

Verizon has had a marketing deal with Bing for a couple of years. My old LG Voyager had Bing all over it too. What it boils down to is that Microsoft has to pay to have Bing put on devices because that is the only way they are going to get anybody to even try it. Google on the other hand doesnt even need to advertise their products right now. They work so much better and we all want them so bad we advertise for them. Verizon is just trying to get the price of devices down by selling the bloatware rights. If you dont like it, dont use it and the companies will slowly disappear. Microsoft making Bing apps for Android phones tells me that they are at some level admitting defeat in the mobile OS arena.

My point is dont hate Verizon. Its not like they are saying that you HAVE to use Bing and only Bing on their phones. They are just allowing Microsoft to pay to put an app on their devices in an effort by Microsoft to struggle to remain relevant.

 

[jasnmb]

Verizon has had a marketing deal with Bing for a couple of years. My old LG Voyager had Bing all over it too. What it boils down to is that Microsoft has to pay to have Bing put on devices because that is the only way they are going to get anybody to even try it. Google on the other hand doesnt even need to advertise their products right now. They work so much better and we all want them so bad we advertise for them. Verizon is just trying to get the price of devices down by selling the bloatware rights. If you dont like it, dont use it and the companies will slowly disappear. Microsoft making Bing apps for Android phones tells me that they are at some level admitting defeat in the mobile OS arena.

My point is dont hate Verizon. Its not like they are saying that you HAVE to use Bing and only Bing on their phones. They are just allowing Microsoft to pay to put an app on their devices in an effort by Microsoft to struggle to remain relevant.

WRONG! ...

However after careful review of the Samsung Fascinate we found that the

 

[YaBoiD]

Wouldn't this violate some sort of antitrust law? Hopefully this report is bogus.

Verizon has been pulling stuff like this for years...They have always been able to block apps or force you to use a specific service. That's one of the reasons I had dropped them. However, since the Droid was released, it seemed as though those days were over since the embraced the OPEN sourced community until THIS...SMH

 

[turbosol16]

For some reason I think all Droid branded phones may stick with Google experience and non Droid branded phones could be stuck with Bing. The Samsung Fascinate isn't marketed under the Droid brand and it isn't stamped Google on the back. Maybe this is what the story is about. I just can't see Verizon removing Google from all Droid phones also, money does make companies do dumb stuff though.

 

[icerado]

I agree with turbo about the whole google brand. I don't see google letting their name be put on a phone and then not having their search bar included. But if thats the case who cares? I don't want a low-end phone anyway. So the bing "experience" is more directed towards people who are just getting into smart phones and who may not know how to use the phone in the first place.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Would it be ironic if Sprint or other carriers changed the default BING search on Windows 7 phones to Google search?

This is BS by VZW and hopefully consumers will wake up and give a huge backlash to Verizon.

First the Motorola eFuse fiasco and now this. VZW is going down in my book as bad as AT&T in choice of carriers.

 

[turbosol16]

Microsoft: No, Bing Is NOT Powering All Verizon Android Phones

Not happening on all Verizon Android phones.

 

[YaBoiD]

Microsoft: No, Bing Is NOT Powering All Verizon Android Phones

Not happening on all Verizon Android phones.

"The deal for Verizon Android devices is not exclusive."
We called to get clarity on the matter. Bing will be on a many Android phones, but not all, as part of a 5 year mobile search pact signed by Verizon and Microsoft in the first half of 2009".

You can perceive that statement both ways.

1. That the deal is not exclusive to VZW so therefore Microsoft may have agreements with other wireless carriers.

2. The deal is not exclusive to all VZW Android devices. They were never clear on that statement.

Verizon did the same thing to their Blackberry's. All of a sudden the only search option switched to Bing & there STILL is no way to change it back to Google or Yahoo.

 

[turbosol16]

All I really ask for is the option to choice my own, even the iPhone has options for search engines. If Bing is loaded from the factory let me change it and I think most Android fans could live with that.

 

[Deleted User]

what the heck! I can understand they have a right to exclude it as part of the default setup, but how do they have a right to completely block it from the market!? Are there other instances of carriers blocking specific apps?

Verizon is the only carrier with Skype, and I think I heard something of AT&T forcing Yahoo search on some Android devices

 

[Arcadia]

Microsoft probably payed them a lot of money for exclusivity. They are known to do this, Xbox 360 owners should know what I'm talking about. Microsoft bought exclusive DLC for games like Modern Warfare 2 to help them get more revenue.

I'm surprised Google allows this.

 

[Droidable]

If i were Google id try getting something out of this from MS too.

 

[MrX8503]

I say screw verizon and move to sprint/tmobile

 

[YaBoiD]

This^^^^^^^^^^