Microsoft and Sprint Team for Mobile Searches

Wireless News
11-18-2006
Microsoft and Sprint Team for Mobile Searches

WIRELESS NEWS-November 18, 2006-Microsoft and Sprint Team for Mobile Searches (C)2006 10Meters - http://www.10meters.com

Microsoft and Sprint have announced a strategic alliance through which the companies will develop and deliver a range of new service offerings for Sprint's business and consumer customers.
The first consumer offering in the collaboration enables Sprint customers to use Windows Live Search for mobile on their wireless phones to search location-based content from the Internet, such as nearby stores and restaurants, as well as Sprint's catalog of ring tones, games, screen savers and related services. The service also provides new opportunities for targeted local advertising.

"Microsoft and Sprint share a vision that mobility is about helping customers access the information they need while on the go. The new alliance will deliver on that vision for consumers and businesses," said Mark Schweitzer, chief marketing officer at Sprint. "By adding Windows Live Search for mobile to Sprint devices, customers now carry with them a depth of relevant local search information, in addition to quick and easy access to their favorite Sprint content. Microsoft's innovation in search and advertising makes them a logical choice for us to work with to realize this vision."

The new Sprint mobile search service powered by Windows Live aims to provide one-stop access to relevant online content associated with a given keyword or phrase. The service is immediately available at no additional cost to Sprint PCS Vision and Sprint Power Vision subscribers on all currently available data-capable phones, along with many popular older models, the company noted.

"In recent years the search box has fundamentally changed the way people interact with the Internet, but we have only just begun to scratch the surface for what search and live Internet services can do in the mobile space," said Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of the Online Services Group at Microsoft. "Today's announcement is a positive step forward in enhancing the mobile search experience for consumers and advertisers alike, by putting locally relevant information in the hands of consumers. And with Sprint's strong history of enabling Internet services on phones and Microsoft's expertise in delivering software plus services, we are excited about the opportunities this alliance can bring to further promote live services across devices that help people get the information they want, when they want it, where they are."

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(Copyright M2 Communications Ltd. 18, 2006)