Motorola and Microsoft have reached a limited agreement to place Bing on phones that run Google’s Android system; the Bing search and maps systems will replace Google Maps and search.
The first phones to be shipped under the new deal will be bound for China in the next few weeks. This decision follows a prior motion to let Chinese consumers use Baidu Inc., China’s leading search engine, instead of Google on Android phones.
Though motivations for the deal are unknown, it is likely inspired by the Google China dispute over censorship, which has yet to be resolved. Motorola, which relies heavily on revenue from the massive Chinese market, appears to be throwing in with Chinese censors, rather than with the recently-standoffish Google.
Analysts have also said that having a search alternative on Android phones should lessen Motorola’s dependence upon Google.
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