Verizon Loves Microsoft, Google Jealous

Microsoft goes head-to-head with Google in the mobile search market by signing a five-year deal with Verizon Wireless.

Microsoft has gained some serious ground in the search engine market with this move and also has the go ahead to manage search and display advertising on Verizon’s mobile web site. “Mobile search and mobile advertising offer tremendous opportunities for innovation and growth, says Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Microsoft is in a unique position to deliver a fully integrated, voice-enabled solution for Verizon’s customers

Verizon will soon be the largest wireless carrier in the industry once the acquisition of Alltel Corp. is finally taken care of. Microsoft’s deal with the top wireless carrier may carry it to the top of the wireless search engine market, stepping over rivals Google and Yahoo. As of this moment Google holds the largest share of the mobile search engine market, but once the arrangements of this deal are put into place Microsoft may hold solid competition for the top spot.

I don’t know how much affect this will have on users. The deal may make Microsoft a large presence in the mobile search engine market, but it may also mean diddly-squat. The average user is becoming more tech savvy as the days pass and they may decide to switch their default mobile search engines to whatever they are using on their desktops (Google), abandoning Micrsoft’s search engine all together. As far as I’m concerned I’d never allow Microsoft to perform my searches, Google’s got that area down to an immaculate science.

I really hope this doesn’t lead to anything more, either. Microsoft already has a larger presence than I want any company to have in my life. If the company breeches any further into my digital life I’m going to have to become really nerdy to start finding ways around using their products. Not that I’m convinced Microsoft is evil, I just don’t want to use Microsoft products in every aspect of my digital realm.

Good for Microsoft though, Google needs some competition. I wouldn’t want it to swing the other way either where Google rules everything (in my heart I know it soon will no matter what we do).

I’m still rooting for the underdog though, go Yahoo!

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