Bing Maps to get Nokia Brand Name

In an interview with Pocket-lint, Nokia's CEO, Stephen Elop has unveiled that Microsoft's maps services i.e Bing Maps will be getting Nokia brand name soon. So even though if you use any other device,the 'Nokia' word will be seen there.

"You'll starting seeing the word 'Nokia' on a map that you get from Microsoft properties over a period of time," Elop explained to Pocket-lint in an interview behind closed doors at CES in Las Vegas. "Even if you are on a BlackBerry device, who recently said they were going to start using Bing Maps." 

The news will probably come as a shock to companies involved with Bing, such as Research In Motion who makes the popular BlackBerry smartphones. 

"Part of the relationship we established with Microsoft is that we are clearly placing a bet on the Windows Phone platform. [In return] they are placing a bet on our location-based platform: mapping, navigation and so forth," said Elop. 

"In the time ahead, what you will see is, across all the Microsoft properties including Bing maps, more and more work will be done by Nokia."

He also shares Nokia's intentions for improving Microsoft's navigation services in order to protect themselves and tells that the pact signed between them wasn't one sided.

"We did that for important reasons as we had the better mapping assets so it made sense. But it also creates some balance in the relationship with Microsoft," he said.

[Source]