Microsoft announced that its search engine, Bing, can now be downloaded by all Verizon customers who own a Google Android mobile phone.

The Bing for Mobile Android app will allow users to access maps, driving directions, traffic information and “instant answers,” which provide responses to inquiries about movies, stock quotes, weather and other relevant information, according to a blog post from Andy Chu, an official with Bing’s mobile group. The free application also includes a voice search option, which can be accessed by clicking the microphone button on Bing’s visual homepage or by speaking directly into the phone.

"Our investment in voice search continues in our Android App and works great for searches like map locations as well as Web search," wrote Chu. “The app homepage features the Bing image of the day, complete with clickable hotspots that you can explore and discover related trivia.”

Microsoft’s roll-out of Bing in the Android market surprised many industry experts considering the fact that Google gives priority to its own search and mapping features on the platform. Apparently, Google and Microsoft will be forced to coexist – at least on select Android mobile phones. It is still unclear whether the Bing app will be offered to customers who do not have Verizon plans.

The announcement comes several months after Microsoft launched an application for the iPhone, and only a week after Bing made its official debut as Yahoo’s search engine.

Beecher Tuttle is a Web Editor for TechZone360. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. He received his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Colorado.

Edited by Erin Harrison