Los Angeles — Global search leader has a new mobile partner — Leading electronics retailer Best Buy is cozying up to Google in a new partnership that will have the company offering to help customers install Google Mobile App on all new smartphones they sell.
Under the new initiative, Google considers the partnership plan with the electronics retail giant will help convince customers Google Mobile App is something they want, Best Buy will be offering live demonstrations, and Best Buy staffers will assist in getting the software up and running on all compatible smartphones, including BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and S60 devices. Both the application and the installation service will be free.
“We know that consumers want smartphones and, moreover, they want to use applications,” said Best Buy Mobile marketing VP Scott Moore, in a statement. “This partnership between Best Buy and Google serves that role and will go a long way in bringing applications to more consumers regardless of what device, carrier, or platform they use.”
Best Buy has an internal program called “Walk Out Working”. The basic philosophy of Walk Out Working is to make sure that customers who purchase smartphones leave the store with a fuller — or at least better — understanding of how the device works.
The new concept goes a step further. For owners of BlackBerry, Windows Mobile or S60 devices, Best Buy employees will help users download and install the Google Mobile App. Google Mobile App offers one-click access to products like Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube, as well as a search-by-voice feature that enables users to execute searches by speaking their queries in simple English. The software also supports searching for local businesses using location-aware technologies so users do not have to figure out and enter their current location.
Whatever the case may be, the deal is an emergence of Best Buy Mobile’s Walk Out Working program providing free in-store smartphone setup. Of course, the benefits to Google are clear: More people will use Google on their phones.
Furthermore, the teaming of the two titans cannot be welcome news for Google’s competitors in mobile search, like Yahoo and Microsoft. But what is Best Buy getting out of this association? Is it monetary compensation, or just the feeling that Best Buy’s retail stores are not irrelevant in the digital age?
Google is also scheduled to launch a new Web site November 9 to promote the Best Buy partnership and offer mapped directions to the nearest Best Buy.