A Successful Windows Phone 7 Would Help Bing

Windows Phone 7, seems to be a dramatic upgrade of Microsoft's mobile operating system. In addition to a stylish UI Windows Phone 7 is tightly integrated with Bing search engine.

Tap the Search button on a Windows 7 device, for instance, and a Bing window appears. Microsoft says the Windows Phone interface is locked, that its hardware partners won't be allowed to replace the UI. Might those rules extend to the default search engine too? It's a given that Bing, not Google, will be the default search engine for every Windows 7 phone that ships. Users will likely have the option of digging into the settings to select another search tool (e.g., Google or Yahoo), but most won't bother.

If Windows Phone 7 is a big success, Bing's market share would rise. As Mobile devices are the latest battleground in the search wars, and a revitalized Windows Phone 7 would make for a more bruising fight. Google, of course, is gaining mobile market share too. Its Android OS is slated to debut on dozens of mobile devices this year, all of which will have tight hooks into Google Search.

In this way strained relationships between Google and Apple might be perfect situation for Bing. Some rumors already claims that Bing may soon become iPhones's default search engine.