Mountain View, California — While Microsoft and Google continue to be fierce tech rivals, on Monday search engine heavyweight Google extended its signature mobile search application to Microsoft’s fledgling Windows Phone 7 operating system, in a release that promises faster and more relevant search results, giving users an alternative to Microsoft’s own Bing search solution. That much can be seen with this introduction of a Google Search application for Windows Phone 7.
“The Google Search app for Windows Phone 7 provides quick and convenient access to a rich set of search results, allowing you to search the Web, images, local, news, and more,” Google wrote in a blog post.
Google’s search on Windows Phone 7. (Credit: Google) Click to enlarge…
The new Google Search application for Windows Phone 7 promises efficient and convenient access to the web, images, local information, news and related content, Google Search for Windows Phone 7 also includes features like automatic typing suggestions and location-specific results to enhance relevancy. The free download is available now via Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketplace storefront.
“The introductory version of the Google Search app includes several features that help you to search faster — suggestions pop-up automatically as you type, you can choose to repeat a query from your search history, and your current location is used to provide more relevant results,” Google wrote in a blog.
Microsoft introduced the first three Windows Phone 7 devices on Monday. The Samsung Focus and HTC Surround are available on AT&T and the HTC HD7 is supported on T-Mobile. All three phones are $199 with a two-year contract. More devices on the Windows Phone 7 platform will be released soon, including the Dell Venue Pro for T-Mobile and the LG Quantum for AT&T. The HTC 7 Pro will be available on Sprint next year.
In its 1.0 state, Google Search for Windows Phone 7 is incomplete and missing key features. Surely Google will update this application quickly. But for now, Bing is better and Windows Phone 7 users should stick with Microsoft’s option.
Windows Phone 7 hits stores in North America today, after a three week head start in Europe and Australia.
Although Google may have brought the fight to Microsoft’s doorstep, but Microsoft kicked it back to the curb pretty handily.