The Motorola Backflip will feature Yahoo search out of the box, though users will be able to manually change the provider to Google if they so choose, according to BusinessWeek. Because the Backflip is not a Google-branded product, like the Nexus One smartphone, the search company declined to comment.

Yahoo spokesman David Katz cited AT&T and Yahoo’s “long-standing relationship” for search partnerships. AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the U.S., announced in January that it would release a number of Android devices — the company’s first in its line of smartphones — this year.

The Backflip will mark the first time U.S. customers under contract with AT&T will have the option to choose between Android and the iPhone. It was the introduction of Android as a multi-device iPhone competitor that helped to push Google CEO Eric Schmidt from the Apple Board of Directors last August.

The Android operating system indirectly came under fire this week when Apple filed a patent infringement suit against handset maker HTC, which has partnered with Google to create the Nexus One, along with a number of other Android-powered devices. HTC is accused of violating 20 patents related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware capabilities, including multi-touch.

Some have speculated that Apple chose to sue HTC because an update to the Nexus One recently enabled multi-touch functionality on the smartphone’s native applications, including the Web browser and maps. A year ago, HTC also introduced an Android phone with an iPhone-like virtual keyboard.

Google remains the default search provider on Apple’s iPhone, though in January a rumor surfaced that Apple and Microsoft were in talks to make Bing the standard on Apple’s mobile devices for search and maps. Google has deflected questions about the alleged talks between Apple and Microsoft, stating that it considers Apple to be a “valuable partner,” and has no reason to believe that will change.

When a spoken search query using search by voice is inappropriate, the new Gesture Search for Android phones should come in handy. Just open the application and draw a letter with your finger on the screen. Results for the respective query will then be brought up on the display.

If the letter you drew on the screen is too similar to another letter of the alphabet, the app will bring up results for both potential queries. You can erase a query by swiping left to right, or right to left to remove the last letter of the query. The experimental app also learns from your search history, so it will bring to the top of the list search results you used previously.

Gesture Search for Android can search through most files on your phone, including contacts, applications, Internet bookmarks, music tracks, or video files. However, the app is only available to U.S. customers running Android 2.0 or above, further segmenting the Android market.

Only phones such as the Motorola Droid and Google Nexus One will support Gesture Search for now. Devices running Android 1.5 or 1.6, such as the T-Mobile G1, T-Mobile MyTouch 3G or the Sprint Hero cannot run Gesture Search. Also, availability is limited to U.S. customers only. If you are the happy user of an Android 2.0+ device in the U.S., you can download Gesture Search now from the Android Market.

App is great, strategy not so great

There is a general consensus on Google’s official blog over the usefulness of Gesture Search for Android, especially if integrated in the contacts app. But many Android users are feeling left out of Google’s strategy to keep most of new software releases away from pre 2.0 devices.

Most of the Google Android user base is still using devices that haven’t been updated to 2.0+. Actually, there are still new devices set to come out this year from Sony Ericsson running on Android 1.6. Android software updates are dependant on manufacturers and wireless carriers, which severely extend the time updates reach users.