Microsoft and Verizon Sitting in a Tree

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You know the rest. The two are reportedly very close to inking a partnership deal that would make Microsoft's mobile search engine the default search engine on all of Verizon's cell phone accounts. The two would share the ad revenues, with Microsoft guaranteeing $550 to $650 million in revenues for Verizon over the first five years. Apparantly, Google was also courting Verizon for the same deal. However, it would only guarantee about half of that.

Word is, Microsoft is also negotiating a separate deal to bundle in the Windows Mobile operating system on more Verizon phones.

So much for Google Android showing up at the Verizon store.

The battle lines are drawing up. AT&T has the iPhone. T-Mobile, so far, has Google Android. And Verizon may be jumping the broom with Microsoft.

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987. @oricchio