Yahoo! delivers on mobile search
March 20th, 2007 by Lloyd Gofton
What’s this? Yahoo! beats Google with the launch of a new service? It’s true I tell you, and if there was ever a significant sector for Yahoo! to make its stand, mobile is certainly it.
And no, I’m not referring to Google Phone.
Yahoo! oneSearch is a search platform delivering local results. This differs from traditional search as it focuses on local information, such as news headlines, images from Flickr, business listings, local weather and links to other websites.
It’s not new, it has been available on a select number of devices for a while and was highlighted at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at the start of the year as part of the Yahoo! Go 2.0 mobile platform. Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and LG have all adopted the platform and it continues to build in popularity.
The important part is that the service is now available to more than 85% of all web-enabled mobile phones…in the US, with other international markets due to follow this year.
It appears Yahoo! has made a concerted effort to get ahead in the mobile market, deemed by many to be one of the most important, not just for search, but for the web as a whole.
What’s more, early reports suggest oneSearch not only works, but advertising is subtle and does not interrupt usability. Let’s hope this trend continues through to launch in the UK.
