Big Growth Expected for Mobile Search
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Written By Reprise Media | February 8, 2006 | Share This
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SearchEngineWatch recently posted an interesting “Introduction to Mobile Search” document prepared by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA); the 7-page PDF file covers mobile search and the current state of mobile internet, including its potential to eclipse current internet economies. The MMA believes mobile search engines can address all the search needs of subscribers, carriers, content providers, and marketers. However, in order for mobile search to reach a critical mass, mobile operators, marketers and handset manufacturers will have to agree to a standard in hardware, commit to a user education campaign and work up an appropriate business model. That said, opportunities to capitalize on the mobile user market are rife; the article points out that there are nearly 2 billion global mobile device users with their gadgets “always on,” allowing an immediate connection for marketers.
The article seems to have come at the perfect time, as the US cell phone providers have recently rolled out some impressive third-generation (3G) data networks (for instance UMTS and EV-DO) which allow cell phones to clock blistering download speeds of up to 500kb per second. Coupled with the launch of a fleet of smart phones (Treo 700w, Samsung i830, Blackberry 8700c, Moto Q, SDA and MDA just to name a few), I think the environment for internet on-the-go is going to be pretty interesting in the months ahead.
As a user of mobile devices, I’d like to expand on this topic by sharing my personal experiences with each mobile search engine offered by the “big three” search companies:
Google Google mobile offers the company’s major products, including web, image and local search. In addition, there is a mobile web option that allows Google to extract and display only the bare bones of a website, making for faster downloads to phones with slow data connections. One feature I can’t live without is Local for Mobile. In short, the program downloads a core map of North America to your java-enabled phone and features the same dynamic map movement and satellite imagery as you’d see on the full PC or Mac version of Google Local - you can even get directions. For email on the go, GMAIL can be accessed in a mobile format as well.
Yahoo If Google’s not your cup of tea, then Yahoo’s mobile portal may be a good alternative. The site has a suite of Yahoo products which include messenger, maps, mail, finance, weather, and more. Designed for WAP-enabled phones, the site is robust - which is perfect for phones running pre-3G data plans. However, on a phone equipped with 3G connection, the site feels outdated and the services are too puny for the powerful smartphones available today. Nevertheless, it’s a reliable mobile site allowing you to get all the pertinent Yahoo products on-the-go. Unfortunately, there’s a big drawback to this portal: it doesn’t actually have a full search feature like Google does.
MSN Microsoft also offers a mobile portal that includes a suite of well-known products (including Hotmail, Money and News). They blow away Yahoo’s portal with new services such as the Windows LIVE Search beta and Windows LIVE Mail beta - I find these beta programs to be hardy and easy to use. In addition, MSN’s portal uses image icons for better visual appeal than Yahoo’s outdated look, and Microsoft offers a pocket MSN software package for smart phones or PDAs running Windows Mobile OS. At $20, it includes a suite of communications software that contains IM, MSN Sites, and MSN Hotmail, but I don’t think it’s worth the money. Instead, I’d recommend a free third party IM software such as imov.
Clearly, mobile search has come a long way. Today, I depend heavily on my mobile phone for show times, directions, store hours, price comparisons, restaurant reviews, you name it. Search results (and everything else) retrieved on the small screen are the same as on my full-size computer, minus a few bells and whistles. And with the 3G data networks and powerful smart phones now in place, the mobile search industry will be seeing some serious growth; my guess is that the big three search companies will attempt to win new users over in the years to come and slowly introduce an advertising model to fit the handheld market (but let’s just hope that won’t mean a 3 word limit per creative in Google Adwords).
Finally, here’s a bonus for anyone interested in using their mobile phone to browse the web: a handy set of PDA-friendly site bookmarks I formatted for the small screen. Enjoy!
Topics: Wireless & Mobile |