Sprint to offer Microsoft Live Search service

Friday, November 17, 2006

Microsoft has announced an agreement with Sprint to offer, on the company cell phones, the Windows Live Search service. It will be immediately available for the Sprint subscribers that joined the Sprint PCS Vision and Sprint Power Vision plans. Thanks to the use of the Live Local Search service the customers will be able to search for location-based keywords or phrases.

For example user will have the possibility to search local businesses and restaurants. The customers will only need to enter their ZIP code, address or city to receive localized information. According to early press releases in the future this process should be automated so the cell phone will know where the customer is located.

Besides users will be also allowed to use the Live service to search particular Sprint add-ons line games, ringtones, screensavers (plus similar content). Lastly, always using keywords and phrases, the customers will be able to search and receive on their cell phone general and sport news.

This alliance will benefit customers because of the accessibility of information but also Microsoft can profit from it. For example the company will better position itself in the advertising race because it will be able to offer, to businesses, localized ads.

Considering that the search service on the cell phone is still developing this could net a big advantage for Microsoft over its competitors. It must be noted however that on the Sprint cell phones the company Google has already landed a spot. Google has in fact reached an agreement with Sprint to offer for free on the cell phone the GMail Mobile service.