Tablet News Reader Space Heats Up , Paula J Hane, Newsbreaks (Dec 1 )
Those lucky ipad owners - or any other tablet - have lots to choose from to read the news.
"All the big players and a number of upstarts are diving into the aggregated news reader space. The Apple Newsstand launched in mid-October, Yahoo! announced its Livestand earlier this year that it just launched in early November, and Google is reportedly ready to unveil an HTML5-based news reader app, code named either Propeller or Current."
Evernote Releases Two New iOS Apps: Evernote Food and Evernote Hello, By David Daw, PCWorld (Dec 7)
I love Evernote for saving web content on a research project, adding my notes, and having synchronized storage between online and my computer. It has introduced two more potentially useful apps -- "Evernote Food is a meal tracker that promises to help you keep track of everything you eat, and Evernote Hello is a contact manager that looks to make it easier to remember new people you meet."
Of course these are best used on your mobile phone.
Learn about more amazing products at the Noteworthy Blog.
About.com Offers Lifestyle Content on Flipboard, EContent (Nov 30)
About.com is with the times - it will be sending content from its Twitter feed, home page, and some categories to Flipboard, a "social magazine app" for the iPad.
Google Search gets slight, but extremely useful tweaks for iPad, Drew Olanoff, The Next Web (Nov 18)
If you're the proud owner of a new iPad, you'll want to go directly to Google Search.
"When you perform a Google search on your iPad, you’re now shown slicker and bigger buttons to change your search preference. Images, Videos, and News are placed prominently, but a tap of the “More” button uncovers similar buttons for Maps, Shopping, Books, Places, Blogs, Flights, Discussions, Recipes, and Patents."
Siri as Google Challenger: Sorting Fact from Fiction, Ian Paul, PcWorld (Nov 7)
Eric Schmidt, CEO fo Google, says that Siri could challenge Google in search. Sir is "Apple's voice-enabled digital personal assistant on the iPhone 4S,"
So - is it true? Not at present.
+ Google owns about 65 percent of the U.S. search market
+ conducting about 97 percent of all searches made from mobile devices,
+ Apple's iOS platform makes up the majority of online activity from mobile devices.
Note: "Apple's gadgets could become a threat to Google's dominance in mobile search. But only if Apple decides to end its relationship with Google as the default search provider on iOS devices."
Introducing Wolfram Personal Assistant Apps for iOS, Wolfram Alpha (Jul 12)
Looks very interesting - "Explore the world of your ancestors with the Wolfram Genealogy & History Research Assistant, the only tool that lets you discover what was going on while they lived. Map family relations and expand on what you already know about any of your ancestors with a simple, easy-to-use interface."
Do that on an iPhone or iPad.
Whoa Doggies! Bing Lassoes Search On The iPad, Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land (Jul 5)
Bing search on the iPad will have a new feature called “Lasso” - circle a word or words with your finger and Bing will do the search.
Google announces host of search improvements, Don Reisinger, Digital Home (Jun 14)
Mobile search at Google is going strong.
"To keep that going, the search giant unveiled several mobile search improvements, including a new set of icons on the company's mobile search page, allowing users to find local establishments, including restaurants, coffee shops, attractions, and even gas stations. Upon clicking one of those items, users can scroll through different locales and see their placement on a map. After clicking an establishment, users will find relevant information, including its address and phone number."
Plizy offers a Pandora-like service for videos, Webware (May 24)
More for ipad owners - can find videos to watch through Plizy.
"Plizy is a new video recommendation app and service that uses a social algorithm to find videos you'll like. It mines what you and your friends do on social networks and yields, CEO Jonathan Benassaya says, near-perfect personalized playlists delivered directly to users on the Plizy iPad app. The app launched last week"
The race to build the ‘Daily Me’, David Ebner, Globe and Mail (May 24)
iPad owners may be interested in constructing their own newspaper through Zite, a new “personalized magazine” that will learn what you like by the choices you make. (People have started to call this - "personal curation".) Zite pulls the content from the web - it was getting the content by scrapping web sites - something that the publishers stopped, and it now links directly to the stories. Zite is a Vancouver-based company.
Flipboard, in the US, is the competitor - it sells itself as a "social magazine".
"Flipboard’s app – an attractively designed “social magazine” – was a fast winner when it launched in 2010. Apple Inc. named it the iPad app of the year. It has focused on quality of presentation and doesn’t rely on algorithms, instead delivering a person content connected to their Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as from mainstream publishers that pay to be featured. "
Also about Zite and Flipboard --
A Digital 'Magazine' With One Subscriber , Wall Street Journal (Mar 9)
"It also tracks and learns from user behavior as people open stories (or don't), so if users just read a story on Zite, its personalization still works. With each story a user reads, he or she can opt to indicate they like a story, want to see more of one or all of the individual topics covered in that story, or want to see more from the source of that story. Zite then makes suggestions according to that knowledge. So your Zite magazine will never be exactly like mine."
Introducing Zite, the iPad’s Smartest Magazine Yet, Chris Taylor, Mashable (Mar 9)
Ask, by any name, is still a search engine, Rafe's Radar, Rafe Needleman (May 19)
Ask.com, which is now Q&A, has a mobile version that Needleman says is on a par with the mobile versions for Google and Bing as a search app - meaning general search of the Web. But it is poor as a "query engine" for finding quality answers to questions. Building up the social circle online to net good answers sounds like a lot of work to me.
"As query engine, though, I find Ask unimpressive, both on the Web and on a mobile device. The quality of answers is not high. To improve answers, users can join networks of people and "follow" friends to see more answers from people they trust. Users can connect their accounts to Facebook or LinkedIn logins to join up with other Askers they know on those networks. But there's not nearly the same sense of conversation or journalism as you get on a the new hot Q&A site Quora."
If you have gadgets that work with apps this search engine is for you. Chomp is all about finding apps.
"Chomp for iPhone was launched January 2010. Chomp is a free download in the iTunes app store. Chomp for Android was launched in February 2011 and is a free download on the Android Market. "
Marissa Mayer: 40% Of Google Maps Usage Is Mobile (And There Are 150 Million Mobile Users), TechCrunch (Mar 11)
Makes sense that 40% of Google Maps usage is mobile. Next up, Google Navigation for mobile phones has a f"eature that automatically routes people around traffic — which is saving users a total of 2 years per day in time that would have been spent in traffic" - feature and figures in the US.
We're very close to living with a computer intelligence that could only be imagined 20 years ago - "Mayer also discussed how Maps could get smarter, using context to help you become more efficient. For example, if you had a flight to catch, Maps could look at your schedule to see when your flight was, then analyze traffic information and weather to help you figure out exactly when you should leave."
Yahoo Is Said to Move Toward Personalized Content By EVELYN M. RUSLI, New York TImes (Feb 6)
Yahoo is changing gears to focus on delivering personalized content to mobile devices.
"The Yahoo platform aims to draw from a user’s declared preferences, search items, social media and other sources to find and highlight the most relevant content, according to the people familiar with the matter. It will be available on Yahoo’s Web site, but is optimized to work as an app on tablets and smartphones, and especially on Google Android and Apple devices, they said. The project, initially named “Deadeye,” has been the focus of a team of more than 50 engineers for the last several months. The company is also planning to work with outside publishers, like Hearst, to create third-party apps powered by the same software engine, they said. "
6 Of The Best Free RSS Readers For The iPad, Nancy Messieh, Make Use Of (Dec 18)
iPAD users have many options for receiving RSS feeds - "With a variety of features, from native Google Reader features, to sharing your stories on your social profiles, each app brings something different to the table."
StumbleUpon Becomes Android App Discovery Tool, Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land (Nov 4)
I suppose you could stumble upon an app for your Android as easily as a page on the web. Call it "integrated app discovery".
The Rise of Apps Culture , Kristen Purcell, PEW Internet (Sep 14)
How many apps do you have on your mobile device, and how many do you use? Pew Internet checked in with US users.
"Some 35% of U.S. adults have software applications or “apps” on their phones, yet only 24% of adults use those apps. Many adults who have apps on their phones, particularly older adults, do not use them, and 11% of cell owners are not sure if their phone is equipped with apps. "
My bet is its like add-ons for browsers - doing well if you use 1 for every 10 you install.
Google’s Schmidt: ‘Next Great Stage’ Of Search Is Autonomous, Personal, Matt McGee, Search Engine Land (Sept 7)
Is this optimistic or frightening? "Speaking today at the IFA consumer electronics event in Berlin, Google CEO Eric Schmidt painted a vision of the future in which search is fast, personal, and all-knowing — even to the degree of providing search results when searches haven’t been conducted."
Set up your smartphone to know all your interests so that it can continuously feed you information as you walk down the street. I hope not. But "the mobile web is growing 8x faster than the equivalent desktop web from 10 years ago. "
Much of the time must be spent looking at videos - "YouTube has more than two billion views per day, 160 million mobile views per day, 24 hours of video is uploaded every minute, and more than two billion monetized views per week (that’s up 50% in the last year). " Why?
Google mobile gets a Web search history tool by Josh Lowensohn, Web Crawler (Aug 3)
Do on the iPhone Google search history what you can with on Google's Android - but it's only for US users.
"Google has more deeply integrated its Web search history product into the mobile version of its search home page. Users in the U.S. who are accessing Google from a compatible mobile phone will see a new history option on the bottom of the page that takes them to a mobile-friendly version of their last 10 searches, along with what time they were queried and from what device. Additional results can then be loaded in 15 at a time. "
New Bing Map Apps: Gas Prices, Distance Calculator and Parking Finder, Bing (May 19)
Bing Maps has apps - and it is quite cool. Of course, most only work in the United States. Three new ones are:
+ Distance Calculator Map - put in the start and end points - get the distance. Drag the flags around on the map to see the changes - will work in Canada. However, for the US, distance calculator shows the total distance by air and by bus/car
+ Parking - in some US cities and airports
+ Gas Prices - find the nearby gas station and prices - US only
See all the apps at http://www.bing.com/maps/explore/?org=aj
It's likely that you'll need Silverlight installed to enjoy these apps.
IMDB app comes north, finally , Brodie Beta, Globe and Mail (Mar 28)
If you have a mobile device, you might want instant access to the Internet Movie Database to answer trivia questions or check a movie on the run. And it that run is to the wine store, you could do with a wine guide too. This article has two apps for you.
The Top 10 Free Travel Apps, PC Magazine (March 10)
First you need a "modern phone" and then you can add these travel apps. Course, if you are good at planning, you could use most of these before you left home.
"A modern phone is pretty close to the ultimate travel gadget, letting you tap into all sorts of useful information on the road. Here are 10 travel apps that I use regularly when I'm out of town. "
+ Google Maps
+ Trip it- "keep track of things like flight confirmation numbers, hotel confirmation numbers and such. "
+ Tripcase
+ Kayak - travel booking
+ Yelp
+ Weatherbug - of course
+ JiWire Wi-Fi Finder
+ Priceline Hotel Negotiator
+ Google SMS - get Google search results at text messages
+ Kayak - travel booking
Google, thy days are numbered., Charles Knight, The Next Web (Feb 13)
The idea of having agents doing your search work has been around for a long time - and search agents do exist. This is something a bit different - a virtual personal assistant (VPA) to be used on mobile devices, starting with the iPhone. Siri will get to know you and do what you need (which I take to mean day-to-day living - arrangements etc). Robert Scoble called it the future of the web.
Charles Knight thinks that Siri will become the main tool - and Google secondary if at all.
Here's the scenario: "Last night a friend of mine tried Siri out. He asked Siri to do something that it could not – yet. So Siri went to a web search engine (like Google) and showed him that. Now why would he log off Siri and go to Google if Siri had just done it for him? That’s why you will eventually stop searching and just let your VPA do it."
Year In Review: Search Goes Mobile by Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land (Dec 30)
iPhone has been in the United States since mid-2007 (and reached Canada in 2009).
"The big mobile story of 2009, however, is the rise of smartphone adoption and in particular the iPhone 3GS, which became the top-selling handset in the US this year. However Android also came into its own in 2009, with a massive ad campaign from Verizon on behalf of the Motorola Droid that boosted public awareness of the operating system, as well as the arrival of a dozen (or more) devices in 26 countries from more than 30 carriers."
Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft are all active in the mobile market with new services with Google leading in the search area.
Much more to come:
"We will see search evolve rapidly on mobile devices in new and interesting ways that employ voice and the camera, as well as location awareness, to deliver content and information other than through text links on a SERP. In many cases today apps take the place of a search query by delivering specialized information to the user, often combined with location (e.g., using Yelp’s app to find a nearby restaurant) — all without entering a query per se."
Also - looking forward, the next decade could be the mobile decade.
Making way for the mobile decade by Matt Hartley, Globe and Mail (May 2009)
"Web-enabled smart phones are allowing users to skip the PC experience and get access to content whenever, wherever, they want"
Has a multimedia timeline showing the evolution of the hand-held devices since the Palm Pilot in March 1996.
This was Part 5 of a series on the Download Decade that reviewed Napster, the iPod, piracy, new media, and copyright.
At a loss for words? Google offers search by sight, Stephen Shankland, Webware (Dec 7)
Google Goggles - a way to find out what something is based on a picture. Shoot a picture, upload the file, and let Google match to its database of billions of images and respond. At present, can use this for landmarks, book covers, artwork, wine labels, logos.
But there is more for the mobile user - Google Mobile Gets “What’s Nearby,” Voice Search Expands & “Goggles” Search By Snapping Pictures, Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land (Dec 7)
+ voice search
+ instant translation
+ what's nearby - will appear both on the Google mobile homepage and Google Maps on Android devices.
+ Goggles - taking a picture with the picture phone to get information on the place or thing.
Google Goggles: Bad for Business?, Ian Lamont, PC WOrld (Dec 10)
Points out that the Goggle's visual search could shake up some businesses - especially retail shopping.
"While Google Goggles promises to bring convenience and coolness to owners of Android phones, I am convinced there will be a disruptive impact on certain types of businesses and organizations, especially as Google improves the recognition algorithms and ports the technology to other mobile platforms. This futuristic technology has really arrived, and IT and business managers will need to evaluate it as their customers, employees and competitors start to use it."
Google Adds More Mobile Search Options, by Brennon Slattery, PCWorld (Oct 8)
Google is said to continuously improv options for mobile search. This review describes the latest filtering option as an advancement that "takes the desktop experience into the palm of your hand, even if you have a basic cell phone."
The Mobile Difference by John Horrigan, PEW Internet (Mar 25)
Mobile connectivity is becoming more prevalent and more of a differentiator among tech users.
"Some 39% of Americans have positive and improving attitudes about their mobile communication devices, which in turn draws them further into engagement with digital resources – on both wireless and wireline platforms.
Mobile connectivity is now a powerful differentiator among technology users. Those who plug into the information and communications world while on-the-go are notably more active in many facets of digital life than those who use wires to jack into the internet and the 14% of Americans who are off the grid entirely."
But it's not all that easy yet.
"61% are anchored to stationary media; though many have broadband and cell phones, coping with access is often too much for them "
Yahoo's Inquisitor search comes to iPhone by Josh Lowensohn, Webware (Mar 6)
"Despite Yahoo's latest efforts to defragment its mobile offerings, on Thursday the company released a mobile version of its Inquisitor search tool for the iPhone. Unlike its desktop version, which plugs into the search box built into Apple's Safari browser, this version exists as a standalone search application."
Google Books Search Goes Mobile, by Barry Schwartz, Search Engine Land (Feb 5)
Never be stuck without a dictionary, an encyclopedia, the works of a business guru, the works of any organization at all, or reading material at any time thanks to Google Books Search on mobile.
"The Google Books Blog announced they have now created a mobile version of Google Books. If you have an iPhone or Android phone just navigate your mobile browser to http://books.google.com/m to start using Google Book search on your mobile device."
Posting has screen shots.
Also Google to put 1.5 million books in your pocket, Matt Hartley, Globe and Mail (Feb 5)
"Still, mobile users will only have access to a fraction of Google's rapidly expanding digital library to start: Google has already digitized more than 7 million books through its Google Book Search service. Most of the titles have passed into the public domain, but some are still under copyright. The collection includes the works of William Shakespeare, John Milton, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens."
OCLC Launches WorldCat Mobile Pilot, Newsbreaks (Jan 26)
This should ease the lineups in libraries at the machines for library holdings - use your mobile device - if your public library subscribes to OCLC.
"OCLC (www.oclc.org) has launched a pilot program to make collections from libraries visible through mobile devices. The WorldCat Mobile pilot allows users to search for and find books and other materials available in their local libraries through a web application they can access from a PDA or a smartphone. The pilot will gather data to inform and help shape future mobile access to WorldCat.org. The pilot is now available in the U.S. and Canada and is expected to last 6 months."
Mobile Search Guide from the Mobile Search Maven. The blog covers cellphones.
"Mobile Searchers are in a different search cycle then regular searches - they’re looking for something in the here and now. The majority aren’t searching for Credit Cards or news on your latest widget - they need to know where there’s a pizza place nearby, where the nearest bank is, and other useful information. Because of it’s medium, much of Mobile Search is centered around local search."
Yahoo OneSearch 2.0 slowly spreads voice search, by Jessica Dolcourt, Webware ( Oct 10)
Yahoo is among the first to introduce voice-responsive search for mobile phones.
"On Thursday, Yahoo slipped voice recognition into the OneSearch 2.0 home-screen shortcut--available for a smattering of Nokia Series 60 phones--and in the Yahoo! Go 3.0 files for select BlackBerry, Nokia Series 40, and Nokia Series 60 models, such as the BlackBerry Curve and high-end Nokia and Sony Ericsson phones. Those using older versions of either of these apps will have to download them anew to get the chatty update."
Google launches gNews for iPhone, adds international flavors By Josh Lowensohn, Webware (May 2)
Google delivers Google News and Google Apps to iPhone users in 33 countries and 16 languages.
"The updated news viewer allows users to browse by the front page or by section, and features a built-in search tool. "
Hands-on: Yahoo oneSearch 2.0 with voice By Jessica Dolcourt, WebWare (Apr 2)
Almost a reason for getting a Blackberry -- voice search with Yahoo's oneSearch tool for mobile phones - only available on BlackBerry phones at the moment. Has adaptive recognition technology to understand different accents.
"That's not all oneSearch will learn. With a little use, it's also meant to interpret your search patterns, which will help the app return more customized results. The vocal recognition isn't perfect every time, so Yahoo has embedded drop-down boxes to fill in the unclear search terms."
Yahoo Introduces Wide Range Of Mobile Search Improvements by Greg Sterling, SearchEngineLand (Apr 2)
"Yahoo made a range of mobile search-related announcements today at CTIA. At a high level, these include: Open oneSearch (Search Monkey for mobile), Search Assist for mobile, voice-enabled oneSearch, and "idle screen" search."
Mobile Access to Data and Information PEW Internet (Mar 5)
The Pew Internet Project looks at Mobile Access to Data and Information in this new report.
+ "58% of adult Americans have used a cell phone or personal digital
assistant (PDA) to do at least one of ten mobile non-voice data
activities, such as texting, emailing, taking a picture, looking for
maps or directions, or recording video."
+ "41% of adult Americans have logged onto the internet on the go, that is,
away from home or work either with a wireless laptop connection or a
handheld device."
+ "Overall, 62% of adult Americans have either accessed the internet with a
wireless connection away from home or work or used a non-voice data
application using their cell phone or PDA .."
Weather Info Now Available on Canadian Government Wireless Web Portal ResourceShelf (Nov 10)
Go to wap.gc.ca or www.gc.ca
Google launches new mobile search engine By: Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service (Miami Bureau) via ITWorldCanada (28 Mar 2007)
"Launched on Tuesday, http://www.google.com/m?uipref=3 can be accessed from a mobile browser and customized to feature pre-selected weather, news, stocks and movies information, tailored to a specific geographic area."
Yahoo Expands Mobile Search - Now, anyone with a Web-enabled phone can access Yahoo's oneSearch for results by category. - Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service via PCWorld (Mar 21)
Category appears to mean organizing content into City Guide, news, web, products, weather, traffic - very practical.
Screen shots and description at Yahoo's Mobile Web page.
Limited to the U.S. at present -- "With the launch on Tuesday, 85 percent of mobile phones on the market can use the service, Yahoo said. OneSearch is initially available to users in the U.S. and Yahoo plans to roll it out in additional languages and countries in the coming months."
Canadians should watch for announcements at http://ca.mobile.yahoo.com/
Yahoo Releases oneSearch for Mobile and Another Look at Ask.com Mobile, ResourceShelf (Mar 20)
Pew Research: Wireless Internet Grows by Greg Sterling, Searchengineland (Feb 26)
Presents and comments on the top-level findings from Pew Internet Project about wireless Internet access .
From the Pew announcement: "The Pew Internet & American Life Project has just released a report that 34% of internet users have logged onto the internet using a wireless connection either around the house, at their workplace, or some place else. The report profiles these wireless users and describes their
intensive use of the internet, especially in exchanging emails and getting news online."
Yahoo Adds Web Search to Mobile Suite by Marc Ferranti and Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service via PC World (Jan 8)
"Yahoo Go 2.0 beta includes a new search app designed for mobile devices."
Of interest -- "A key feature of Yahoo Go 2.0 is oneSearch, a new search engine designed specifically for mobile devices that, instead of returning a list of Web sites, provides facts related to the query term, according to Boerries. For example, if a user enters the name of a sports team, oneSearch will display relevant game scores, team information, photos, news articles and the like."
The Coming Age of the “Cellcast” or “Mobilcast”, ResourceShelf (Nov 25) - oh no - something else to master - Cellcast or Mobilcast.
"It’s likely only a matter of time that many users will be able remove the step of downloading audio/video content and then playing it on an iPod/MP3 player. Already happening and we think likely to increase in usage will have users simply streaming (and then saving the content it they like) material to their mobile device or laptop/desktop computer."
A Tour of .Mobi, by ResearchBuzz (Oct 2) - Tara Calishain went looking for sites that are using the new domain for mobile - mobi.
"Then I saw several companies I recognized in new .mobi formats — BusinessWeek.mobi, CityGuide.mobi, and several .mobi sites from mobile phone companies (duh.)"
Ask.com Intros Mobile Search Tools, By Laurie Sullivan, TechWeb Technology News (Oct 12)
" Ask.com on Thursday rolled out a new service for searching the Web from mobile devices known as Ask Mobile.
Ask Mobile's interface and search tool are designed to minimize keystrokes, increase navigability on small displays and accelerate page loads to speed searches on the go. "
Is .mobi only half a whale? By Matt Lake, CNet (Jul 24) -- Seems that ICANN authorized the use of .mobi as the top level domain for web sites (presumably) intended for mobile users. The mobile companies liked the idea - Ericsson, Google, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung Electronics, T-Mobile, and Vodafone. In fact it probably confuses the domain naming even more - should that be .com, .biz, .info, .mobi?
As it is, the mobile providers - Verizon, Sprint, Cingular - aren't very open in what they will allow their users. Article also mentions some sites that are geared to mobile users.
Google Wants Your Trust, "Consumer trust could open the door to more location-based services, Google says." Martyn Williams, IDG News Service in PC World (May 19)
"Sharing your current location with a data-hoarder like Google might seem unattractive to some people, but greater trust could open the way to a whole range of location-based services, said Deep Nishar, Google's mobile product management director."
AOL Enhances Mobile Search, Announces Study Results, by Chris Sherman, SearchDay (Apr 3)
"AOL has added a new "Surf the Web" option to its mobile search that makes it easy to both locate and view just about any web page without the aggravating scrolling that's often necessary using many web-enabled mobile devices."
Clever iPod Tricks - "Use your iPod to mix drinks, keep up on e-mail, or record a TV program." James Martin, PC World (Mar 16)
Mobile knowledge, part II -- Commentary: GPS, karaoke and blogging on the go, by Bambi Francisco, Marketwatch (Mar 14)
We're far from the day that Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, envisions where everyone has a "location-based device" that alerts people to restaurants or other services while they pass by the area. (Could we get one that alerts us to historical sites and important museums?) But Francisco says we're getting an early idea of what the mobile world will look like.
Improved navigation may be one area. TeleNav has a "GPS navigational tool that gives you guided voice and visual directions, much like the GPS in cars today" that works when in a car, on a bike, or on foot. (But will it work in a subway?)
MapQuest has a Find-Me service for finding services nearby and friends (if they are on the same network). Rand McNally is introducing a similar service in StreetFinder. Both have monthly fees.
Other things you can do while mobile include blogging from a phone and buying songs - two things you are sure to want to do while stuck in traffic, one presumes.
Google News Goes Mobile -- Search giant has optimized its news page for mobile phone users. Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service (Mar 1) - but only for US users. "Other Google services for mobile users include Gmail Mobile, local for mobile, which includes maps and driving directions, and a home page personalization capability."
Google Launches Local for Mobile By Chris Sherman, SearchDay (Nov 7) "Google's new Local for mobile service is a stripped-down version of the web-based Google Local that puts a heavy emphasis on maps and driving directions."
Browsing from coast to coast By MARK BLANCHARD, Globe and Mail (Oct 21) -- WiFi hotspots are spreading across Canada in restaurants, convention centres, train and bus stations thanks to an intercarrier arrangement among Bell Mobility, Fido, Rogers Wireless and Telus Mobility. A list of a list locations can be found on-line at http://www.canadianhotspot.ca.
Web Search Hits The Streets by Wendy Widman, Forbes (Aug 3)
"Mobile search is poised to become the next big offshoot of the profitable pool of Internet search. The numbers are there: The U.S. has 180 million cell phone users compared to 125 million PCs. The only hitch is that U.S. cell phone users are still relatively uncomfortable with using their phone for anything but making calls, largely because the phone's small screens make searching the Web difficult, at least compared with big handhelds such as the Palm Treo and Research in Motion's (nasdaq: RIMM - news - people )BlackBerry. "
Has tips for SMS - short messaging service.
References an article - Find A Hotspot From Your Cell Phone by Fahmida Y. Rashid (July 21)
Skype and Boingo announce VoIP Wi-Fi partnership IDG News (July 12) - "Skype International and Boingo Wireless announced a partnership Tuesday that will allow users to access Skype's VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) technology from 18,000 Wi-Fi hot spots worldwide." ... "Though the largest percentage of the Boingo hot spots that are used by this product are located in the U.S. many are spread across 35 other countries, according to the company's Web site."
Search vs Services, by Carlo Longino, The Feature (Jun 17)
"Google has announced a new search product for mobile-tailored content. While mobile search is getting better, services from search engine providers could be more compelling."
Compares Google and Yahoo but says search is not enough.
"While search may be the jumping off point, it's going to be key to quickly roll in all the other services users want, to reduce the barriers between the mobile and fixed Internet and deliver the same services, regardless of device or underlying network. The promise of the mobile Internet remains largely unfulfilled, for whatever reason, but users are hungry for it to be an extension of the Net they're used to, rather than a separate subset with its own content and services."
Spotting Hotspots By Jonathan Dube, Poynter Online (Apr 26)
"The rapid proliferation of wireless Internet connection locations around the world is a boon to journalists, who can now easily get online virtually anywhere to file quickly. Here are some sites to help you get connected when you're on the road."
Google Unveils Mobile Local Search, Reuters via Yahoo News (Apr 12)
For the US and Canada - http://mobile.google.com/local - " Google Local for mobile will enable users to see 10 local search results. The service, which integrates the location of the businesses in search results on a map, also provides addresses, phone numbers and driving directions."
Mentions that Yahoo has a mobile search service too in the US - http://mobile.yahoo.com/. Canadians can get Yahoo mobile through Rogers.
Note: Google Mobile works better if you include a street number; eg 501 queen anne seattle wa. Canadian addresses are through Yellowpages.ca - and at the moment there is a parsing error.
Article in SearchDay -- Google Debuts Local Mobile (Apr 12)
"Although the maps look very similar to those presented with Google Maps and Google Local, you can't drag the mobile maps around the screen. You can change the orientation of the maps, however, using links to shift the map to the north, south, east or west, or to zoom in or out."
"To use the new Google local mobile search, your cell phone must have a browser that supports XHTML, and you must be a subscriber to a service plan that provides internet access. "
Yahoo Freshens up Its Services Portfolio By Susan Kuchinskas, Internet News (Mar 11) - users of Yahoo Mobile Internet Service can subscribe to synicated feeds through their My Yahoo on their mobile device.
"Users of WAP (define) phones will see headlines and summaries of stories; those with full HTML mobile browsers will be able to click links to access the full HTML version of a story."
Keep tabs on what's happening with search aids for people using mobile devices through ResourceShelf. This entry - the Mobile Researchers -- lists services from WSJ.com, Random House, California libraries. (Feb 22)
The Yahoo Factor By Maya Dollarhide, MIT Technology Review (Jan 22) - mainly about Yahoo's latest forays that could show up as search aids in mobile devices.
Of interest: "But Yahoo hopes to hone SmartView, and integrate that into its Web and desktop search capabilities. Recently, a "Real Time" traffic report was added, where people can locate traffic jams, construction sites, speed zones, and accident reports. The service also includes Yahoo! Maps enhancements which include faster panning and zooming, larger views, and turn-by-turn maps with driving directions."
I Say, Jeeves, Serve Me Up Some Answers By Carlo Longino, The Feature (Jan 25)
"Ask Jeeves says it will join the growing ranks of Web search firms with plans to launch a mobile service, but there are signs the company's got a good understanding of mobile search." Strength would be in the smart answers it has built up.