Google and Yahoo! are taking the battle for search engine supremacy to mobile phones with two separate US initiatives aimed at transferring their existing web services to mobile users.
Driving the mobile charge is the swift rate at which the devices are penetrating many regions of the world combined with the increasing technological sophistication of networks and handsets.
Yahoo is introducing a cell phone with SBC Communications Inc. that will link cell phone services to Yahoo users’ accounts, address books and preferences, The Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition.
Google is tailoring some of its services for use on wireless devices, users of more than 100 types of cell phones can access Google’s map database, The Journal said. Last year, Google began letting U.S. consumers get search results by sending text messages from cell phones, and in June it allowed users to get search results from an index of Web sites optimized for cell phones.
Basic Internet services have been available on wireless devices for more than five years, although often with some limitations based on the difference in speeds between wireless and dial-up connections.
The beta release of Google Local for Mobile; a free download that combines interactive maps, driving directions and satellite imagery to find addresses or businesses in the US.
The service is based on its web-based Local service and can be used on Java-enabled phones. While the download is supported by a number of US mobile operators, it is not available on Blackberry or Palm devices. However Google plans to extend its availability over time.
Deep Nishar, Director of Google’s mobile products, said Google had been exploring ways to pinpoint the location of its users in order to better target ads from nearby merchants, but said that goal was not driving the mobile upgrade.
Meanwhile Yahoo! has taken a very different route into the mobile market with plans to release a Yahoo! Mobile phone as early as the first half of next year, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Through its partnership with US telecommunications operator, SBC, the Yahoo! mobile phone is expected to blend mobile phone services with consumers’ existing Yahoo! online accounts, address books and preferences, the paper said.
Wireless providers have begun to stress Internet services, which generally cost an extra fee, as revenue growth from the standard cell phone business has leveled off, The Journal said.
As the U.S. market becomes more saturated, wireless operators such as Verizon, Sprint Nextel Corp. and Cingular Wireless want to boost revenue by encouraging customers to use their phones as a way to access the Internet. Deals with Google and Yahoo could help achieve that goal.
Sprint Nextel Corp. last week joined four of the countries largest cable operators in announcing a new wireless service, available in the first half of next year, which will offer more TV features than currently available on any carrier.
SBC and Yahoo partners since 2001 have merged video, wireless and phone services. SBC executives said the SBC-Yahoo phone, which will be manufactured by Nokia Corp., is expected to be available early next year and will cost $200 to $300, The Journal said. Operating on the Cingular Wireless network, which is co-owned by SBC and BellSouth Corp. the phones will also be an MP3 player, a 1.3 megapixel camera and will have a removable memory card, The Journal said.
The moves mark a further step in the evolution of cellphones from communications devices to minicomputers that can be used for email, Web browsing, music downloading and even watching TV, in addition to calls.
Handset manufacturers have already started to produce single devices that combine cellphones, Web surfing, wireless email and MP3 players.
For now, consumers whose phones support Java software will be able to download the Google Local application. From there, they can conduct searches for businesses or services in a specific geographical location and view the search results plotted on a map.