Despite being built on Google's Android operating system, the Motorola Backflip will use Yahoo to search the Web.
In Engadget's review of the new phone, on sale March 7 exclusively through AT&T, they discovered that all Google search functions are nowhere to be found on the phone. Both the home screen widget and the Web browser default to Yahoo search, and there isn't a way to switch to a different search engine, short of navigating to that engine's Web site.
It's not known why Google search went missing from the backflip, but there are a few possibilities:
Engadget hints in its video review that this could be a sign of trouble between Google and Motorola, which released the Droid last fall only to be one-upped by the HTC-designed Nexus One Android phone in January. However, Motorola has pledged to release 20 Android phones this year, including one sold directly through Google, so this theory is a bit sketchy.
AT&T could also be behind the decision. As Gizmodo points out, AT&T needs to stay in Apple's good graces given the popularity of the iPhone and the pending release of the iPad. With Google and Apple increasingly at odds, AT&T's might still want to take a dig at Google in its first Android phone.
It's also possible that Yahoo made an offer that was too good to pass up. Google has pretty much dominated the search front on smartphones, so targeting a new phone could be a way for Yahoo to fight back, even if the Backflip isn't a high-powered smartphone.
Whatever the case, it's too bad Backflip users won't get a choice in which search engine they use. Even the iPhone, with its notoriously rigid interface, allows that much.
Update: An AT&T spokesman tells eWeek that Yahoo search is the result of a "long-standing relationship" with Yahoo, and that users can opt for a different search engine if they wish. However, it's not clear if the spokesman means you can change the search bar and widgets, or if you're simply able to go to another engine's Web site. Engadget wasn't able to find a way to switch.
