RIM has tied up with Microsoft to offer Bing Maps and Search on their upcoming BlackBerry smartphones; a deal that was announced at the BlackBerry World event yesterday. It certainly seems as if Microsoft is looking to tie up with major non-Google-aligned parties in order to take on the current domination of the Android platform, a fact mirrored in the Nokia-Windows Phone partnership, where Nokia’s Ovi Maps and Microsoft’s Bing search were once again a major part of the collaboration.
It’s interesting to see three major players tying up to battle what is, at least by name, an open source platform that innumerable manufacturers are flocking to. That RIM will benefit from the partnership is obvious, with Bing and other Microsoft services evolving in collaboration with Nokia. We’re likely to see a lot of exchange of IP soon, with RIM sharing some of its expertise.