News · 31 Mar 2011 · MTW Editorial Team
Microsoft has just filed an anti-trust complain against Google in Europe today and part of it is related to a supposed blocking of YouTube Metadata access preventing Microsoft to release a proper YouTube application for Windows Phone 7. Here’s the official word on this:
First, in 2006 Google acquired YouTube—and since then it has put in place a growing number of technical measures to restrict competing search engines from properly accessing it for their search results. Without proper access to YouTube, Bing and other search engines cannot stand with Google on an equal footing in returning search results with links to YouTube videos and that, of course, drives more users away from competitors and to Google.
Second, in 2010 and again more recently, Google blocked Microsoft’s new Windows Phones from operating properly with YouTube. Google has enabled its own Android phones to access YouTube so that users can search for video categories, find favorites, see ratings, and so forth in the rich user interfaces offered by those phones. It’s done the same thing for the iPhones offered by Apple, which doesn’t offer a competing search service.
Unfortunately, Google has refused to allow Microsoft’s new Windows Phones to access this YouTube metadata in the same way that Android phones and iPhones do. As a result, Microsoft’s YouTube “app” on Windows Phones is basically just a browser displaying YouTube’s mobile Web site, without the rich functionality offered on competing phones. Microsoft is ready to release a high quality YouTube app for Windows Phone. We just need permission to access YouTube in the way that other phones already do, permission Google has refused to provide.
My question is: What is this special permission that Microsoft is talking about? Because there are already several third-party YouTube applications (and HTC’s) on Windows Phone 7 essentially offering most of the common features (Favorites, comments, rating, tags etc..) that Microsoft is talking about. Something doesn’t sound right at all in Microsoft’s complain and needs more explanation. Why can HTC and other third-parties do it on Windows Phone 7 and not Microsoft?
source: Microsoft
Buyer action
Where to buy or check next
Use this as the final check before ordering a phone, changing network or trusting a headline monthly price.
