MacDailyNews Take: Geez, for $500 million they could’ve bought a U.S. senator.
Metz continues, “Verizon pushed the search change over its network two days ago, the company has confirmed with The Reg. ‘We’re a proud supporter of Microsoft’s Bing search engine,’ a company spokesman tells us. ‘On a couple of select smartphones (Storm 2 the most prominent), we’ve changed the [Verizon Wireless]-supplied web menu to make Bing the default search engine.'”
“Previously, the search box – baked into the top of Verizon’s browser, above the url address bar – could be set to search Google, Wikipedia, and other sites,” Metz reports.
“Naturally, such sites can still be queried via the browser proper. But countless users are up-in-arms over the switch,” Metz reports. “A discussion thread dedicated to the change at CrackBerry, a popular BlackBerry user site, is now 36 pages long.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Oh, BTW, Apple’s Safari for iPhone and iPod touch offers users a choice: Settings>Safari>Search Engine and choose “Google” or “Yahoo.”
And people call Apple heavyhanded. Now they know, Verizon is evil. No matter how good their network MAY be, their business practices are just wrong.
“Left or Right, I don’t really care…as long as it’s a Mac I’m on board.”
Didn’t seem to be a Left or Right statement to me. Seemed like the statement was, if you’ve got half a billion dollars, you can buy the vote of a US Senator.
Which is about the going price.
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Yeah, I have a BlackBerry and noticed the Bing app on my phone and I was like WTF, how the hel did that get there? Then I realized I updated the OS a couple of days ago. Lame. Too bad they’re needing money that badly…
@PR
“MDN
I appreciate the wry humor in your take but please, please, please, don’t YOU be a hit whore by stirring up more political rancor.
This site devolves enough that way…
Left or Right, I don’t really care…as long as it’s a Mac I’m on board.
I somehow doubt that over on Politico.com they are seeing a raging Mac vs. PC war.”
What MDN’s take should have been…
“Geez, for $500 million they could’ve done another commercial using Jerry Seinfeld.
@Wrong Again
“”Left or Right, I don’t really care…as long as it’s a Mac I’m on board.”
Didn’t seem to be a Left or Right statement to me. Seemed like the statement was, if you’ve got half a billion dollars, you can buy the vote of a US Senator.
Which is about the going price.”
I think come the next election, I’m gonna ask my US Senator what’s the going rate to buy my vote! ; )
you do realize apple lets you choose between google and yahoo to search with on the iPhone. Look in the safari preferences. Geez!
For 500 mil, I’d pretend to be a proud supporter of Bing too.
Bottom line- it DEPENDS WHERE YOU ARE.
Verizon works better “around here” (Southern NH). Fortunately- most of the time- I’m in the greater Boston area for business.
I travel to the Carolinas and to the West Coast- it seems anyway, for the short visits I’m down there and out there- AT&T;seems to work better.
We just want a choice- we have a great phone but it would be nice not to drop calls— I haven’t upgraded from the 1st Gen iPhone because I don’t want to bind myself to AT&T;for another 2 years- I’m still hoping Steve can hammer out a deal with the V boys.
To be totally honest- I’ve been shopping around for another phone I can fall in love with- no- the Droid doesn’t do it for me- I got a chance to use it for about 2 hours- it’s fast but not smooth like the iPhone. It has some nice features but… it’s just not. And forget about the other “iPhone killers” – For me anyway- and for millions of others- the iPhone is the way it should be- we just need a choice of a few US carriers- at least two.
Happy Holidays everybody-
I saw this icon show up on my company liable VZW Tour the other day, regardless on carrier “pushing” applications to me I do not want you are presented with a usage terms that you can not agree to as well delete the app.
I don’t seem to have that option on my 3GS with some of the worthless Apps Apple deems I need installed.
@Tony
“I’m not usually a complainer about “customer choice” and such… but taking away choice when it was previously offered is just insane!”
Tell that to iMovie 06 users…
@Mark Texas….
“I don’t seem to have that option on my 3GS with some of the worthless Apps Apple deems I need installed.”
Uh.. sure you do. If you don’t like them, delete them. It’s not hard, I’ve seen my technologically challenged 81 year old mother do it.
Seriously… do you actually even OWN an iphone?
Apple change the mobile space by establishing the rules;
WE design the phone. WE design the mobile OSX. WE design the UI & customer experience. WE design the internet browser. WE design the music player & store. WE design the phone application store & App Dev Kit. Phone companies provide network connection & phone plans…period.
Verizon & TMobile choked on this & passed on the iPhone.
Their loss. Our gain.
i like bing.
An example of the treatment that you might expect if Apple ever produced an iPhone for use on the Verizon network. Also an example of why Apple will not product an iPhone for use on the Verizon network.
Therefore, this discussion is academic, at best, and likely a complete waste of time. Verizon won’t give up control and Apple won’t accept anything less, especially now that the demonstrated popularity and profitability of the iPhone gives Apple monstrous leverage in the marketplace. It’s Apple’s way or the highway. If you don’t like it, then there is a MyPhone contract waiting for your signature.
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Ned: Phil? Hey, Phil? Phil! Phil Connors? Phil Connors, I thought that was you!
Phil: Hi, how you doing? Thanks for watching.
[Starts to walk away]
Ned: Hey, hey! Now, don’t you tell me you don’t remember me because I sure as heckfire remember you.
Phil: Not a chance.
Ned: Ned… Ryerson. “Needlenose Ned”? “Ned the Head”? C’mon, buddy. Case Western High. Ned Ryerson: I did the whistling belly-button trick at the high school talent show? Bing! Ned Ryerson: got the shingles real bad senior year, almost didn’t graduate? Bing, again. Ned Ryerson: I dated your sister Mary Pat a couple times until you told me not to anymore? Well?
Phil: Ned Ryerson?
Ned: Bing!
Phil: Bing.
I tried “pizza” on the IPhone Bing and it came with nothing. I tried the same in Google and it came up with the definition and all the local pizzerias. I know there must be a setting I am missing, but to hell with it, I already delete it. I am not going to put up with Microcrap on my IPhone. I guess they could make an Ad based on Verizons map Ads to make fun of Bing.
If this were Europe, I could see this kind of deal bringing on more legal problems for MS! And I can see this being seen as a illegal deal by some in the US eventually!
Aren’t web searches controlled by apps on the phone?
I don’t quite understand how an ISP can force a search engine upon users.
It all depends on the apps running on the phone, who are free to generate any internet requests to get the job done.
The only non-intrusive way I can see is if Verizon sells phones with preinstalled apps, or with settings on new SIM cards that favor Bing.
Verizon has no business in controlling which apps/network requests are allowable on phones that the public uses on their network
There is another way, obviously, i.e., to redirect google requests, or to block certain requests altoghether, but that could be construed as tampering and breaking into network traffic — bye bye network neutrality.
Isn’t there a FCC to jump in and fine ISPs for such practices?
@ Rot’nApple:
“I think come the next election, I’m gonna ask my US Senator what’s the going rate to buy my vote! ; )”
Wouldn’t it be laugh if the answer came back: “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”
This confirms my previous understanding that Verizon and Apple are two sides of the same coin.
I doubt anyone could describe the world we would live in had those two companies been given free reign. Just appalling.
Pure socialism.
@ JIM TIV
Funny my friend but please post how to delete these worthless apps:
weather
youtube
compass
maps
I’ve owned every iPhone and it is what it is.
Maybe it’s time you left good ole grandma’s house and get out in the real world.
Better name for Microsoft search engine: “Cling”.
I can buy 2 senators for that price on Amazon.
MW Justice! How appropriate!
Tell WHAT, exactly to iMovie ’06 users? I can fill in that blank, I’m running a 2008 MacBook with Snow Leopard, and still using iMovie ’06 Nothing to see here, move along.
iMovie ’06 is alive and works just as well as it did when it was introduced.
If you want even more options and features, step up to final cut express.
BTW, WTF does iMovie of any flavor have to do with the iPhone? Apple didn’t force all iMovie ’06 users to ’08 or ’09 by deleting ’06 off of their computers.