Yahoo Intros Two New Mobile Apps
Image by William Hook
The first quarter of the year has barely seen its tail end but we’ve already gone through a wave of the biggest annual technology related road shows and conferences. After combing through CES, SMX West and SXSWi among others, we are now at the cusp of this month with the CTIA Wireless 2010 (CTIA 2010), the annual tradeshow for the wireless telecommunication industry set in Las Vegas.
Among the barrage of mobile phone manufacturers and service providers showcasing the latest technology at CTIA 2010, Yahoo has debuted two new Yahoo Search apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch, the Yahoo Sketch-A-Search and the Yahoo Search for the iPhone. These new apps aim to breathe new life into mobile search by offering locally aware and relevant information while making it simple and fun to use. Both are now available at Apple’s iTunes Store
“Yahoo is defining the next era of the Internet, search and mobile, by demonstrating what’s possible when you leverage innovative design and technical prowess to engage people with personally relevant experiences,” says David Ko, senior vice president of Yahoo’s Audience, Mobile and Local businesses. “We’re growing our mobile audience globally by providing people with search experiences that have simple input and discovery methods, and advertisers with a highly engaged mobile audience.”
Yahoo Sketch-A-Search
Designed to help users find and discover local business establishments, the Yahoo Sketch-A-Search allows you to search within specific localities without having to type in search terms. Instead, it utilizes the iPod Touch and the iPhone’s capacitive touchscreens where you can encircle specific areas on the phone’s map and it will show you the establishments located within your set geographic boundaries.
Clicking on any of the results will let your read reviews and ratings, check prices and even view photos of that establishment. However, if you’re after a more detailed search result, that’s when you can type in specific search qualifiers like types of cuisine, ambiance or ratings to help narrow down your search. This is particularly useful for finding a great restaurant without actually knowing your way around the neighborhood
As of writing though, the Yahoo Sketch-A-Search will initially let you find restaurants across the United States though Ariel Siedman, the director of Mobile Search products at Yahoo, said that this app will eventually expand to include additional local categories on an ongoing basis and even extend to international markets in the near future.
Yahoo Search for the iPhone
Instead of being a mere search engine plopped into the iPhone like its name would suggest, the Yahoo Search app for the iPhone is a much more unified search app, full featured and optimized for fast searches in a clean, intuitive user interface. It integrates voice search, embedded maps and information off other Yahoo properties such as Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Movies and Yahoo News as well as other sources that appear directly in the results to deliver contextually relevant results quickly and efficiently.
Aside from typing in search terms, you can also speak your query and this app will churn out results based on your location, complete with embedded maps. This will also pull up other useful, detailed information such as photos, movie showing schedules, ratings and contact details about establishments nearby from sources such Yahoo Local, Yelp and CitySearch and other resources.
“For example, if you’re searching for plumbers here in Sunnyvale, California, the app will detect that you’re likely looking for plumbers in this area and will provide you with results in a combined map-list view.” Seidman explains. “As you scroll down the list of plumbers and their reviews, the app repositions the map with the currently selected item.”
The Yahoo Search iPhone app is available in 22 markets across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, and will continue to roll out to additional locations.
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RSpears @ April 4, 2010
