Motorola Backs Away From Google, Offers Baidu in China
By Chris Weiss
While Google has vowed to take a stand against China’s Internet interference, other companies are slowly distancing themselves from the search giant in an attempt to protect their bottom lines. Motorola plans to switch over to Baidu, China’s number one search engine, and other mobile search options as default search engines for its Chinese handsets. The switch will help protect its investors and Motorola’s business turnaround effort. The change will even extend to Android phones.
Officially, Motorola isn’t citing the Google debacle as motivation, stating instead that it is attempting to offer consumers more selection. Yeah. Right.
Motorola will also be opening an app store for Chinese Android handsets. The Google app store is not available in China, and the move will introduce Android apps to the Chinese market. Launch is scheduled in time for the Chinese New Year next month.
As the Google/China situation continues to develop, it’s likely that third-party companies will distance themselves from Google in order to protect their investments in the huge Chinese market. [via Reuters]
