Yahoo issued a slew of
press releases today, at CES, all about their mobile Internet services. The main news is
the launch of Yahoo! Go for Mobile 2.0 (now available
for java-based handsets) and Yahoo!
oneSearch. This comes on the back of recent initiatives by Google, which appears to
be leading the Mobile Internet and search space right now – over half of US users go to
Google for mobile search, according to M:Metrics, with
Yahoo in second place. So, not to be outdone, Yahoo has ramped up its Go brand for mobile
and introduced the new oneSearch product – which essentially creates an on-the-fly portal
page for each search query.
Yahoo also made several joint announcements with key operator and device manufacturer
partners, related to the two product launches: with Nokia,
Opera,
Blackberry
(RIM), Samsung and 3
Group. In addition, Yahoo says it is working with Sony on a release for “BRAVIA
Internet Video Link”, one of Sony’s new digital home initiatives.
Go 2.0 beta
The launch of the beta version of Yahoo! Go for Mobile 2.0 introduces a new
mobile-optimized search UI and product design. The main design feature is the iPod-like
“carousel”, which allows you to navigate around the various Yahoo! Go widgets.
The Yahoo! Go 2.0 beta is being promoted via a partnership
with Motorola’s new MOTORAZR maxx V6 and MOTORAZR V3xx devices. Beginning in the first
half of 2007, Yahoo! Go 2.0 will be pre-loaded on select new mobile devices from
Motorola. Yahoo! Go 2.0 is also available
to download onto “more than 70 other mobile devices from major manufacturers
worldwide and use it on most wireless networks.”
oneSearch
As of now, Yahoo! oneSearch is available only on the Yahoo! Go for Mobile 2.0 beta.
However according to the
press release, by the end of January 2007 Yahoo! plans to have oneSearch available
across all their Mobile Web and SMS services. As well, Yahoo! oneSearch will roll out in
additional country and language versions in the coming months. More details at the Y!
Search Blog.
Mobile Internet Search Hots Up
As mentioned at the top of this post, Google is currently leading the charge in the
Mobile Internet search space, with various international mobile deals inked (particularly
inn Asia, where mobile is very big) and an apparent lead in the behind-the-times US
mobile market. So these announcements by Yahoo are in a sense a game of catch-up, at
least in public perception. Expect there to be many more announcements and improvements
in mobile search before the year is out though, from Yahoo, Google and MSN.
