Yahoo seems to be off to a good start in the new year - in the mobile realm. Yesterday it unveiled oneSearch as part of a revamped version of Yahoo’s Go for Mobile service that also includes applications for e-mail, local directory information and photo-sharing.
Recently mobile Internet space has been in the limelight, given the potential of the market - there’re about 200 million mobile users in the U.S. Wireless operators and media and entertainment companies alike are salivating over the prospect of a windfall. Microsoft signed a comprehensive agreement with Sprint Nextel last November to provide search on its mobile network.
Eclipsed by Google in desktop Web search, Yahoo still has a chance to win the mobile fight as mobile search is still in its infancy. However, the barrier to faster adoption of oneSearch service by users is the hassle of having to download the Yahoo Go software. One solution is for Yahoo to forge deals with carriers “to have its mobile software pre-installed in handsets or featured on carrier decks to gain critical mass”.
The major carriers, however, have generally been reluctant to tie up with the likes of Google and Yahoo for search, opting to partner with white-label services such as Medio and JumpTap. Medio Systems yesterdayl announced a partnership to supply its white-label mobile search to T-Mobile, after completing a similar deal with Verizon last year.