mobile search

Verizon, Microsoft closer to search deal

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:56:28 -0500

Verizon Wireless and Microsoft are close to a deal that will make Microsoft the default search engine for most Verizon phones, edging out Microsoft's rival Google, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Those familiar with the discussions said the two companies are close to reaching a deal, and as part of the agreement, Microsoft would share with Verizon revenue generated from ads shown alongside web searches. Microsoft is prepared to make guaranteed payments of between $500 million and $650 million to Verizon over the course of five years, which is about double what Google offered.

Verizon has said it will make a decision soon. Separately, Microsoft is also considering a deal to put Windows Mobile on more Verizon handsets, which could bring the total of the two deals to more than $1 billion.

For more:
- see this article (sub. req.)

Related Articles:
Microsoft courts Verizon in search deal
Report: Verizon close to mobile search deal with Google

Microsoft courts Verizon in search deal

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:09:54 -0500

Microsoft is trying to pry Verizon Wireless away from its rival Google in a deal revolving around which company's search engine is the standard on most of Verizon's phones, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Though Google and Verizon have been in talks for months about a deal, Microsoft is trying to poach Verizon from Google by offering a better deal with more incentives. According to people familiar with the matter, Microsoft is offering more revenue sharing and substantially higher payments to Verizon.

Verizon is still considering both companies' offers and has not made a decision. Microsoft is trying to leverage its position against Google, and saw an opening as Google's advertising partnership with Yahoo fell apart this week.

For more:
- see this article (sub. req.)

Related Articles:
Report: Verizon close to mobile search deal with Google
Google continues to dominate mobile search

Nokia gets green light for Navteq deal

Sue Marek — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:31:00 -0400

The European Commission approved Nokia's acquisition of digital map data firm Navteq. The deal is supposed to close within the next five business days.

Nokia first announced its $8.1 billion acquisition of Navteq last October. Through the deal, Nokia will get access to Navteq's digital map services, which span 69 countries across six continents. The two firms had teamed prior to this deal. In 2005, they joined forces to create mobile search solutions for the handset giant's smartphones. In addition to Nokia, Navteq's corporate partners include automakers such as Chrysler, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.

For more:
- see this article

Related stories:
Nokia to buy Navteq for $8.1B
Navteq invests in Acuity Mobile

Nielson study says Google dominates mobile search

Lynnette Luna — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:34:23 -0400

A new study from Nielson Mobile revealed that Google significantly outpaced its mobile search competitors during the first quarter. The study says Google held a 61-percent share of the mobile search market, followed by Yahoo with 18 percent and MSN with 5 percent. Mobile customers used Google an average of nine times per month, while Yahoo was used 6.7 times per month. The majority of mobile searches had to do with general information, while 29 percent of Google searches and 34 percent of Yahoo searches sought local information.

One aspect boosting Google's success is the fact that it is the default search on the Apple iPhone, which boasts the highest browsing rates in the industry. Google has said that 50 times more searches come from the iPhone than any other mobile device. Still, both Google and Yahoo have room for improvement regarding the user experience. Nielson's study said that only 44 percent of mobile Google searchers and 40 percent of mobile Yahoo searches rated their experience high.

For more:
- check out InformationWeek
- read this release

Related stories:
Google CEO: Mobile advertising to generate more revenue than today's web. Google story
Google debuts AdSense for mobile. Google ad story

Google CEO: Mobile advertising to generate more revenue than today's web

Lynnette Luna — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:16:55 -0400

In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that the next major growth wave for Google in terms of search engine marketing is the mobile Internet. He cited the iPhone as the first mobile device with a good web browser and that more devices will come to market, enabling advertising to become personal. He predicted that within a few years, mobile advertising would generate more revenue than advertising on today's web.

Schmidt said he was less enthusiastic about the advertising possibilities of video portals like YouTube and DoubleClick, and said he generally wasn't happy with the advertising prospects of Web 2.0 in general. Google has invested some $900 million in a deal with MySpace that saw the search engine as the exclusive advertising and search engine. It reached many users but was proving difficult to establish the ad network. "Some things work, and others just don't--but the mobile Internet always works," he said.

For more on Schmidt's feelings about the mobile Internet:
- read this piece from Heise.de

Related articles:
In open access environment, Internet giants like Google still need operator friends. See this Google open access editorial
Expect major mobile innovations: Google. See this Google mobile web editorial

ALSO NOTED: AdMob, IronMan, and the Fierce15

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> AdMob debuts mobile analytics solutionÃ‚Â

>Ã‚Â Hands-On Mobile, Marvel launch Iron Man

> Rhythm NewMedia partners with AccuWeather.com

> Forecast: 1.3B subs use local mobile search by 2013

> Did you miss our Fierce 15 winners yesterday? Click here to see them now!

And Finally... Blogger boards airplane by using iPhone displaying PDF file of electronic ticket. Article

ChaCha - Top Wireless Company 2008: FierceWireless, Fierce 15

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:08:32 -0400

ChaCha

Where it's based: Indianapolis, Ind.
When it was founded: 2006
Website: www.chacha.com

Why it's Fierce: ChaCha is more than just a search firm with a catchy name. The company, founded by serial entrepreneur Scott Jones, was named because the word cha means search in Chinese and Jones thought it was a name that people would remember.

ChaCha is a human-powered search engine because company founders believe that traditional desktop search functionality doesn't translate well to mobile. Instead the company built a platform that uses human guides--many of which are internet-savvy college students or stay-at-home parents--that can answer questions quickly and accurately. The premise is simple: users can either call an 800 number with their question or send a text to the short code 242 242. Within two or three minutes, they receive their answer. The answers are not only provided quickly and accurately but also with a human personality. According to Jay Highley, chief business development officer at ChaCha, the human factor is important because many of the questions ChaCha guides get asked are "opinion" questions such as "Should I break up with my boyfriend?"

The service is advertising-funded but Highley says that the company only sends promotional messages that are related to questions that the user has asked.

ChaCha has an impressive management team and board of directors. Before starting ChaCha, Jones started Internet music firm Gracenote. Highley is a veteran of Sprint and the former CEO of Integrated Mobile. Other familiar names include Tom Kelly, former chief strategy officer at Sprint, who is a ChaCha board member.

The firm is funded by Bezos Expeditions, the personal investment firm of Jeff Bezos; Morton Meyerson, former president and vice chairman of EDS as well as chairman and CEO of Perot Systems; Rod Canion, founding CEO of Compaq Computer; and Jack Gill, well-known Silicon Valley venture capitalist.

ChaCha is quickly gaining recognition in the wireless industry. At CTIA Wireless 2008 the company won AT&T's FastPitch Platinum award for best consumer application.

What to look for: One of ChaCha's biggest challenges is to develop brand awareness so consumers know to use the service. Look for ChaCha to do some innovative marketing campaigns, possibly in conjunction with a major operator such as AT&T.

SPOTLIGHT: Yahoo adds to oneSearch

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:59:52 -0400

Yahoo leads $20M Vlingo funding round

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:38:22 -0400

Voice-powered mobile user interface developer Vlingo announced the completion of a $20 million Series B financing round led by web services giant Yahoo, which today also named Vlingo its software partner on the new oneSearch 2.0 text- and voice-enabled mobile search service. According to Vlingo, proceeds from the funding round--which also included existing investors Charles River Ventures and Sigma Partners--will be earmarked to fuel international expansion and continue its R&D efforts.

Yahoo to launch voice-enabled oneSearch 2.0

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:06:03 -0400

Yahoo continued its aggressive mobile push as the web services giant announced the summer 2008 launch of oneSearch 2.0, an expansion of its mobile search service enabling users to initiate queries via text or voice. Marco Boerries, executive vice president of Yahoo's Connected Life division, announced the oneSearch upgrades during a keynote appearance Wednesday at CTIA Wireless 2008, and said the company will open the search platform to publishers to stimulate content integration, simplify search input and make search instantly accessible on device idle screens. "We want to create indispensable mobile services for everyday people--the kinds of services people use many times a day," Boerries said. "We believe the mobile opportunity is too big and too complex to do it alone."

According to Yahoo, improved content integration will yield oneSearch results based more on actual content, not just web links, and provide multi-dimension information--for example, a search for "Italian restaurants" would include traditional results like addresses and phone numbers as well as user recommendations and available reservations. While oneSearch 2.0's Search Assist feature promises faster and easier input, predictive text completion and contextual recommendations, Yahoo will also partner with speech-recognition developer vlingo to enable voice search allowing for users to seek out any and all information without following prompts or adhering to specific search terms. While Yahoo will officially launch the oneSearch 2.0 service later this year, a technology preview is now available for download on BlackBerry devices.

ALSO NOTED: Motricity restructures; Vodafone's MMS-based search; and much more...

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Cricket Wireless plans to add 100 jobs. Article

> China Mobile CEO still interested in iPhone. Article

> OpenMoko releases service that lets users design the body of a phone, too. Article

> Motricity restructures and returns to its carrier-focus. Article

> Yahoo debuts mobile content management system. Article

> Microsoft inks Silverlight deal with Nokia. Article

> Vodafone demos an image-based mobile search application. Article

And Finally... Ofcom vows to take action after a couple is charged thousands for downloading four episodes of Friends onto their mobile. Article

ALSO NOTED: Alltel's celebrity vmail; SMS delivery mess; and much more...

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Alltel offers voicemail MAX with celebrity greetings. Article

> Sorting out the SMS delivery mess. Editorial

> Opera taps Google over Yahoo for mobile search. Article

> Mobile Marketing Association adds 33 new members. Article

And Finally... Playboy looks for Miss Playboy Mobile 2008. Article

ALSO NOTED: Meraki funding; Human-powered mobile search; and much more...

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Mountain View-based free WiFi service start-up Meraki raised $20 million in a second round of VC funding. Article

> Trend: Human guides coming to mobile search services, like ChaCha. Article

> Gartner: Asian users most prolific texters. APAC region sent 1.5 trillion SMS last year. Article

And Finally... Time to revisit the possibility of an Echostar-AT&T merger? Article (WSJ sub. req.)

Nokia to buy Navteq for $8.1B

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Nokia announced its acquisition of navigation software developer Navteq for $8.1 billion. Nokia will pay $78 in cash for each Navteq share, including outstanding options--the acquisition has been approved by the board of directors of each firm. Navteq's digital map services span 69 countries across six continents--in 2005, the firm teamed with Nokia to create mobile search solutions for the handset giant's smartphone range. In addition to Nokia, Navteq's corporate partners include automakers like Chrysler, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.

The Navteq negotiations represent Nokia's latest move into the mobile services market--in early September, the company Nokia introduced Ovi, a new Internet services brand developed to expand its focus beyond mobile devices and platforms to embrace a range of web services. Ovi--"door" in Nokia's native Finnish--promises to enable consumer access to social networks, communities and content as well as provide a gateway to Nokia services. Its Nokia Maps navigation service also falls under the Ovi aegis.

"Location-based services are one of the cornerstones of Nokia's Internet services strategy. The acquisition of Navteq is another step toward Nokia becoming a leading player in this space," said Nokia president and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo in a prepared statement. "By joining forces with Navteq, we will be able to bring context and geographical information to a number of our Internet services with accelerated time to market. We also look forward to maintaining and enhancing the services and support provided to Navteq's existing and future customers."

For more on the Nokia/Navteq deal:
- read this release

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Google launches AdSense for Mobile

Mike Dolan — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:41:14 -0400

Google has officially launched their Google AdSense for Mobile (pic) allowing AdSense partners with mobile sites to add contextual advertising to their sites. Just like its web version, the system crawls mobile website content and places ads based on the content on the site. Website owners will earn money with each visitor click.

Google has rolled the service out in the U.S., England, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Russia, Netherlands, Australia, India and China. Japan's AdSense will be ready in a few more weeks.

This is just the latest in Google's string of mobile moves. Last week, Google launched Adwords on their mobile search while spending the weeks previous hinting at the launch of the much anticipated gPhone.

Find out more:
- check out Google's release

- check out this mock-up image of the system in actionÃ‚Â

- read this article on the launch of Adwords

Google officially launches AdSense for Mobile

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:59:57 -0400

Google has officially launched their Google AdSense for Mobile allowing AdSense partners with mobile sites to add contextual advertising to their pages. Just like its web version, the system crawls mobile website content and places ads based on the content on the site. Website owners will earn money with each visitor click.

Google has rolled the service out in the U.S., England, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Russia, Netherlands, Australia, India and China. Japan's AdSense will be ready in a few more weeks.

Find out more:
- check out Google's release
- read this article on the launch of Adwords
- read more about Google's latest wireless industry moves

Google's latest moves show preparation for the gPhone launch

Mike Dolan — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:10:56 -0400

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google has invested "hundreds of millions of dollars in the cell phone project." T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless have both reviewed prototypes of handsets from Google--the company hopes multiple manufacturers will make the phones and multiple carriers will offer them. (Article)

Back in January, the WSJ claimed the Google phone wouldn't be available until next year--at the earliest. However, in August media outlets began claiming that Google would be launching its handset in September. (Article)

As the end of September draws closer, and the gPhone is still nowhere to be found, Google is not sitting around idly. Google has been busily working on mobile search (article), mobile payment systems (article, article), speaking with carriers (article) and even stirring up the pot in the 700 MHz auction (article).

Acting on past patents for mobile ad systems (article, article), Google just yesterday launched their mobile adwords program--giving it out free until November 18. (Article, Article)

With all this activity, the Google Phone release must be right around the corner.

- Read more in our Google and gPhone tags.

Google now running Adwords on mobile

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:59:54 -0400

After about a year of trials, Google announced it will begin including AdWords advertisements within Google Mobile Search results. "We are happy to announce a new feature that will allow you to easily reach additional qualified customers who are searching Google from their mobile phones," the search giant writes in an email distributed Tuesday to advertising partners. "In the next few days, your search ads will be eligible to run on Google Mobile Search pages (like they currently do on Google.com). We are offering this feature--and any resulting clicks--for free through Nov. 18, so you can experiment with the rapidly growing mobile platform while still reaching qualified customers."

Google indicates it will only show ads for sites with landing pages that may be adapted for viewing on a mobile phone screen--according to the Google Mobile Search FAQ, "Ad displays with more than 70 characters are adapted so that only the Headline and URL is displayed when the ad appears on a mobile browser."

For more on the mobile AdWords launch:
- read this Search Engine Land article

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SPOTLIGHT: A gPhone drilldown

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 06:59:52 -0400

BusinessWeek has an interesting feature covering the various forms a Google-branded handset or mobile offering could take. Will it just be a mobile platform like a Symbian or Windows Mobile OS? And what's really behind the mobile push, a fear that Yahoo and Microsoft are beating Google at mobile search? Article

Google gets serious about mobile search

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 06:59:56 -0400

Search giant Google is developing a new mobile search service to aid consumers seeking to purchase ringtones, games and related premium content. The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the project, reports Google will offer consumers lists of providers selling the content they seek--in time, the company will begin charging content firms for placement in its search results, an approach mirroring the sponsored links Google currently offers on traditional Web searches.Ã‚Â Ã‚Â

According to the WSJ, Google has been working for months with providers to index their content holdings for mobile search optimization. Insiders say the initiative has suffered a series of technological setbacks, with an official commercial launch date currently uncertain. Google also is said to be mulling a social networking service enabling its Gmail users to exchange content.

The content search engine heralds Google's latest move into the mobile arena. The company recently launched trials of a pay-per-click mobile advertising platform similar to its AdSense web service, while last month, its YouTube video-sharing unit announced an agreement to wirelessly stream clips to Apple's new iPhone device. Google has also hinted at additional mobile applications as well as a mobile software development platform.

For more on Google's mobile content search push:
-Ã‚Â read this Wall Street Journal article

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