Nokia Maps name to spread beyond Windows Phone
updated 07:45 pm EST, Thu January 19, 2012
Nokia brand will show up on competitors' devices
The Nokia brand will begin showing up on non-Nokia devices running Microsoft's Bing Maps app. CEO Stephen Elop revealed in a recent conversation with Pocket-lint that Microsoft had agreed to the cross-promotion as part of its Windows Phone deal. The news means that the Nokia brand will begin appearing on competing products such as BlackBerrys and Android phones.
"You'll starting seeing the word 'Nokia' on a map that you get from Microsoft properties," Elop explained, "even if you are on a BlackBerry device, who recently said they were going to start using Bing Maps."
Microsoft's conceding the Bing name is very unusual and shows the sacrifices it was willing to make to become Nokia's principal mobile OS software provider back in February. In addition to making Windows Phone Nokia's main OS, Nokia also agreed use mobile Office and Xbox Live as well as make Bing the phone maker's primary search engine across all of Nokia's platforms. Microsoft's adCenter will provide mobile ads on the Nokia devices.
At present, the only Windows Phone mapping tool that supports Nokia's name is Nokia Drive, a turn-by-turn GPS app that's exclusive to the Lumia line.
