Microsoft Live Search Coming to Verizon Wireless Handsets

Using Live Search may no longer be limited to Windows Mobile smart phones. Today Verizon Wireless and Microsoft announced that Verizon Wireless would use Microsoft’s portal and search technology, as well as its mobile advertising, in its products. If you were hoping Google would be implemented, you’ll have to wait until at least 2014, as this is a 5 year agreement. Verizon Wireless hopes Live Search will help customers access content on both the Internet and on their handset easier using context-relevant search results. What makes the announcement more compelling is that Verizon Wireless claims customers will be able to use voice commands to search, depending on the device, to find directions, traffic info, show times, and more. Similar feats are already possible with technology like Yahoo’s OneSearch with Voice for BlackBerry, but we’d love to see it come to more devices. We’ll likely see the first fruits of this agreement during the first half of 2009 when Microsoft Live Search will be available on the first Verizon Wireless handsets.