Bing Maps, which is used on many devices including Blackberrys will now sport a Nokia tag the next time you use them, which means you needn’t be surprised when you see Nokia’s name appear while using the Bing Maps, on say, the Samsung Omnia W.
“You’ll starting seeing the word ‘Nokia’ on a map that you get from Microsoft properties over a period of time, Even if you are on a BlackBerry device, who recently said they were going to start using Bing Maps.Part of the relationship we established with Microsoft is that we are clearly placing a bet on the Windows Phone platform. [In return] they are placing a bet on our location-based platform: mapping, navigation and so forth,” Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said in an interview to pocket-lint.
It’s kind of a jolt to many companies, which provide Bing Maps on their devices. It might also be the first crevasse in the Microsoft-Nokia relationship.
The reason behind this is simple. The company that actually makes Bing Maps from the start, Navteq, happens to be a Nokia subsidiary.
While Nokia does have right to Bing Maps, by all means, we have two pertinent facts. Firstly, was Nokia sleeping till now and just woke up? I mean Samsung and HTC have launched their own Windows devices and now they tell us. Secondly, Nokia’s already had success repackaging the Ovi Maps as Nokia Maps. Why target Bing Maps? We think Nokia is just being spiteful and trying to show Microsoft, who has the bigger gun in their relationship.