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.”
Verison disrespects customers by forcing Microsoft stiffy into customers.
Verison says that customers are just sheep and must be controlled
So THAT is why they jacked up their ETF! They knew they were about to piss off a significant base of their customers, and needed something to hold over their heads to keep them penned in. Devious bastards.
ironic the BING app is #4 in the Apple App Store.
Not too smart on Verizon’s part. Why cause smartphone users to suffer with a 3rd rate search engine delivering MS biased search results?!
..”Funny my friend but please post how to delete these worthless apps:
weather
youtube
compass
maps”
If you found them worthless, then why on earth did you buy the iPhone? Apple did not put these apps on your iPhone after you bought it (like Verizon did with Bing). Neither Apple (nor AT&T) did remove the option in Safari to choose your search engine and locked it to Bing. The features you bought are still available. Apple actually did one thing, though; it provided software updates with additional features for your phone. So, while Verizon pulls features and forces some choices on you, Apple adds more features and improves the software.
And once again, for all those who chimed in about the purported lack of choice in Safari:
You have a choice of search engines in Safari!. Default is Google, but you can also choose Yahoo! You may wish to read MDN’s article above before posting (a novel concept, reading before posting, eh?)
Even if you did not, you knew exactly what you bought when you bought it, and neither AT&T, nor Apple have yanked features away from your iPhone after you paid for it (and all the features in it).
@Predrag
You are such a blowhard on here, the constant cheerleader who doesn’t even know the fact of the matter.
You are not LOCKED to anything, VZW pushed the BING app to it’s smartphones. You are free to delete it and are free to use any search app you wish.
If something is of value or not is up to the individual and the fact is Apple is guilty of imposing their will far more often.
Let me just say:
I run my successful business without Micros**t.
I use no M$ product of any kind and advertise the fact on my company website.
I wish there were some kind of formal “Certified 100% Micros**t Free” endorsement program.
Hmmm…..
This just ms buying market share for bing just like everything else they just throw some money at it
> A hundred million?
—Don’t be silly, I said, “Show me the money!”
> What if I say… TWO-hundred million?
—It’s not worth the amount of subscribers we could end up losing.
> Oh, c’mon, three hundred million then!
—Don’t even bother with four hundred, I tell you.
> JeezuzKriist, you’re asking for the world! You mean half a billion dollars!?
—Bing-o!
> I’ll pay it! But if you go back on this deal I’ll break your neck!
Is it really wise for Microsoft to find ways of forcing its products upon people who haven’t chosen them and don’t necessarily want to use them?
So far the only result of this particular situation is to piss off a lot of people. It makes it look like Microsoft can’t win on its own merits, so it has to cheat by making backroom deals to reduce user choices. And now a lot of people, who previously had no ill will towards Bing, will view it with annoyance and anger.
Microsoft needs to stop throwing money at their tired old “force people to use our products” business plan… and actually make products that people will *choose* to use of their own free will. (Of course, this would probably require a leadership change at Microsoft, so don’t hold your breaths.)
“It makes it look like Microsoft can’t win on its own merits, so it has to cheat by making backroom deals to reduce user choices.”
Well, hmm, that’s been their business model from Day One.
“Verizon forces…”
I believe the correct terminology is:
Microsoft PAYS Verizon to force Microsoft’s Boink on ‘fartphone’ users.
Let’s be very clear here. The ONLY success Boing has had is the direct result of paying MASSIVE MARKETING MONEY to buy its way into the marketplace. Without the bucks, we’d all be scratching our heads right now wondering whatever happened to the latest blundering search engine from Microsoft.
Kill the marketing money, watch Bong sink like a cadaver. I predict.