Samsung's Fascinate has been in the news quite a bit since the device's release, but not all of the talk has been about its Super AMOLED display or 1 GHz Hummingbird processor. Instead, some people have been focusing on the fact that the Fascinate not only comes preloaded with Bing search rather than Google, but seems to block any attempt from switching search duty to Google on the handset. A recent rumor suggested that Verizon will use Bing search on all of its future Android phones, but both Verizon and Microsoft have chimed in to say that this is simply not the case. Verizon said that “…that is not true. We have a relationship with Microsoft and Bing is the search engine on our multi-media phones but we have never said it would be exclusive on all of our devices.” Microsoft echoed Verizon's statement, saying that "the deal for Verizon Android devices is not exclusive." Finally, Verizon explained that Google's new search box, which includes Voice Actions, will be available for download on the Fascinate once it is updated to Android 2.2.
It's not a huge deal that Verizon decided to set Bing as the default search bar on the Fascinate since other carriers have done something similar in the past. What is a big deal, though, is the fact that Verizon has basically blocked people from installing the Google search bar onto their Fascinate. Sure, users will be able to install Google's new box when Android 2.2 comes to the Fascinate, but who knows how long that'll take. All the more reason to hope that Samsung hurries along with Froyo for its Galaxy S phones, huh?
Via AndroidSpin, Engadget
