Mobile phones may be silenced in theatres

Theatregoers will no longer have to put up with noisy phones as Microsoft is developing a device that will jam the mobile signal inside buildings. The Telegraph reports.

"The company is developing a "device manners" system, which could force all mobiles on to silent mode and end the need for polite warnings before performances.

The system would use wireless technology to connect with mobiles in theatres and cinemas, forcing them to be silenced, barred from calls or switched off altogether.

In documents submitted to the US patent office, Microsoft also states that libraries and galleries could block visitors' digital cameras from photographing copyrighted work.

... So-called "phone jammers", which block reception in a small area, have been available on the black market for some time, but their use is illegal in Britain and punishable by hefty fines.

Manufacturers have been lobbying for a relaxation of the ban but have faced resistance from Ofcom, the telecoms regulator. "

Related: - Cell Phone Jammers Authorized in French Theaters

Google On The iPhone Spreads To 30+ Countries

Google's interface for the iPhone has been available in America for a while, but in what is sure to be a welcome development, the search giant is now making it available in over 30 different markets and 15 new languages. A special iPhone-appropriate edition of Google News is spreading as well.

[via Web Pro News]

Yahoo unveils a smarter mobile search

Yahoo announced a new mobile search strategy Wednesday at CTIA centered on the latest iteration of its Yahoo OneSearch product. NewsBlog reports.

"In a keynote address by Marco Boerries, the company's executive vice president of "connected life," Yahoo OneSearch 2.0 was released, promising "instant answers to any query, not just web links."

This means that search results will expand from traditional hyperlinks into other media--a search for "New York" could yield subway schedules, for example, or a search for local sushi restaurants could bring up available reservations.

Also central to OneSearch is voice-enabled technology. "Consumers can search for anything, including flight numbers, locations, Web site names, local restaurants, and more, by simply speaking," a release from Yahoo detailed.

The voice-activation software is now available for download on a number of RIM's BlackBerry devices, and Yahoo has said that over the next few months it will be compatible with more handsets."

ChaCha lets you, literally, ask a question

ChaCha, the human-powered Web search service, is launching a new service on Tuesday that will allow you to ask your question over the phone instead of having to text it. News.com reports.

"To use the new service you can call 800-224-2242 (which spells "chacha") and specify the information you want. ChaCha then sends you a text message with the answer. You can access your questions and answers on the Web as well."

Google; AT&T shocked by iPhone usage

Apple Insider reports that Google on Wednesday said it has seen 50 times more search requests coming from Apple iPhones than any other mobile handset -- a revelation so astonishing that the company originally suspected it had made an error culling its own data.

According to the Financial Times Vic Gundotra, head of Google’s mobile operations, said that if other handset manufacturers follow in Apple’s footsteps and make Web access easier on their handsets the number of mobile searches could outpace fixed internet search “within the next several years.”

[via ZDNet blogs]

Nokia to offer Google search on phones

Nokia will integrate the Web company's search engine into its phones.

The agreement initially covers models in Nokia's high-end N-series phones for select markets but the companies said it will be extended to additional Nokia handset models in the future.

Nokia said it will eventually make Google search available to its customers in over 100 countries.

[via Reuters]

46.1 Million People Use Mobile Search In US: Report

Nielsen Mobile has released the results of a survey of 5,700 mobile search users which found that 46.1 million people in the US used mobile search in the third quarter of 2007.

Of those people 18.1 million used 411 and 14.1 million used SMS-based searching.

The most popular searches included local listings followed by information such as sports scores, news or weather and mobile content.

A third of SMS searchers were under 25.

Moco News

ChaCha Debuts Human-Powered Mobile Search

ChaCha on Thursday announced a new human powered search service that allows users to text questions of any kind to 242242, which spells ChaCha on most mobile phones, and receive answers back by text. NewsFactor Network reports.

"While the service might not look unique at first glance, it is actually a real human being that sends the answers back. The service is currently available as a free trial, although the company said it plans to offer subscriptions in the future."

Mobile Phone comparison engine

TRG Online Ltd has announced the beta release v1 of their mobile phone comparison and review search engine right mobilephone for the UK.

The site will provide consumers the ability to instantly compare mobile phone offers from all the major networks and dealers in the UK, in addition it also offers reviews and ratings of mobile handsets provided by the site's users.

[via Press release]

Google Launches Mobile Phone SMS Search In China

Google has formally released a new localized product: mobile phone short message search in China.

This is the 25th localization product that Google has launched in China this year.

[via China Tech News]

Yahoo in 15-Nation Deal for Search on Cellphones

Under the deal, Yahoo will feature its search engine on mobile portals run by Telefónica of Spain in 15 countries in Europe and Latin America. The New York Times reports.

"Under the agreement, Yahoo will operate searches and sell advertising linked to them for Telefónica mobile services in 15 countries in Europe and Latin America.

... Google, meanwhile, has a search agreement with Vodafone, among others."

AOL Unveils New Mobile Search Services with transcodes

SearchEngineWatch reports that AOL is online with a mobile web search beta.

"AOL has offered some mobile services for years - December 2005 - (AOL Instant Messenger, mail, news, etc.) and has been testing new features since April.

The new mobile web search tool automatically "transcodes" or rewrites non-mobile pages into ones that are friendly mobile phones and devices. Google and Yahoo also offer this feature. "

Google Pushes Tailored Phones To Win Lucrative Ad Market

Google Inc. is searching for growth in cellphones. The WSJ reports.

"The company, which has made billions of dollars in Web advertising on computers, is courting wireless operators to carry handsets customized to Google products, including its search engine, email and a new mobile Web browser, say people familiar with the plans. It wants to capture a big chunk of the fast-growing market for ads on cellphones.

Google has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the cellphone project, say people who have been briefed on it. It has developed prototype handsets, made overtures to operators such as T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, and talked over technical specifications with phone manufacturers. It hopes multiple manufacturers will make devices based on its specs and multiple carriers will offer them.

For wireless operators, the plans are a double-edged sword. Google's powerful brand and its popular Web services could help operators sign up more subscribers to data packages, on which they increasingly rely as voice revenue declines. However, operators have been wary about losing control over the mobile-ad market.

The long-rumored Google phones are still in the planning stages, and wouldn't be available to consumers until next year at the earliest, say people familiar with the idea. Some details are likely to shift as the plans develop."

Google creates iPhone-specific search page

According to TUAW, Google has created a brand new just-for-iPhone demo page for their search engine.

"It's all Javascript, as well, so it's fast and simple. The one drawback is that you can't actually go back after you've done a search (since it all loads in the same window), but it's Google, so odds are you'll find what you're looking for right away."

Google Plans Search Service for Mobile Content

According to The Wall Street Journal, Google is developing a new search service for cellphones that will help consumers find and buy ringtones, games and other mobile content.

"Google already offers cellphone users a version of its popular engine for searching the Web. Now the company wants to go beyond just looking up Web pages, effectively becoming a gateway for finding and paying for mobile media content."

Google releated fun spotted on Neotorama, "Google Eau de Toilette" for men. To help you "find" the girl that you are "searching for."

Yowgo: A image search engine for cell phones

Yowgo is an image search engine that allows you to send pictures to your cell phone for free.

mopocket tried it out:

Say, for example, I wanted to put Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney as the wallpaper on my phone. But the campaign does not provide this service. Well as simple search for Romney on YOWGO provided me with a plethora of material to use… now how do I get it on my phone. Underneath its picture is a little link that says ‘Send To Phone.’ This opens up a Mixxer site that allows you to enter your phone model and number and send away (it even lets you edit the picture). In no time you receive a WAP Push SMS with a link to a mobile website where your phone will then prompt you to download the picture. Thats it, your done.

Yahoo extends mobile phone search

Yahoo Inc. launched a new Internet search system for mobile phone users in Europe and Canada on Thursday, designed to provide locally relevant answers. Reuters reports.

"The service, which went live in the United States in March, now covers Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Canada.

With this service, if a user wants to look for pizza restaurants nearby, he or she can type "pizza" into the search box on a handset and obtain a list of local restaurants as well as phone numbers with a click-to-call feature, the distances to locations and ratings, Yahoo said.

The service, dubbed oneSearch, also provides news, images, local weather and financial updates.

Wikipedia appears on cellphones in Japan

A Japanese Web portal operator has repackaged the content of Wikipedia so it can be searched and viewed on cell phones. InfoWorld

"NTT Resonant, which operates the Goo Internet portal, launched the http://wpedia.mobile.goo.ne.jp/ of "Goo Wikipedia" this week. The service includes only documents from the Japanese-language version of Wikipedia. The top page shows the current five most searched for terms."

South Korean mobile users hooked up to encyclopedia

Millions of South Koreans can get access to the Encyclopedia Britannica through their mobile phones from Tuesday, reports the AFP.

"SK Telecom said its 20 million-odd subscribers were now able to consult the prestigious encyclopedia on their cellphones. The new service is part of the company's efforts to tap the promising cellphone-based search market.

SK Telecom last September tied up with Google to develop a next-generation search engine specifically for cellphones."

UpSNAP launches Mobile Metasearch for Cell Phones

UpSNAP's' newly launched Mobile Metasearch is a search engine that sends a user request for mobile content to several other mobile content sites and returns the best results from each one in one page.

“In essence what Dogpile and MetaCrawler are doing for the World Wide Web, UpSNAP is doing for mobile phones,” said Tony Philipp, CEO of UpSNAP.

Press release

Google Launches free 411 service

Google announced a free 411 service yesterday, reports GigaOM.

In their own words: Google Voice Local Search is an experiment on Google Labs that offers free 411-like service. Google Voice Local Search is an experiment on Google Labs that offers free 411-like service.

With Google Voice Local Search, you get fully-automated, fast access to same local-business information you would find on Google.com. But you can access it from any phone, anywhere, at anytime.

The local-business information used by Google Voice Local Search is the same as that on Google Maps.

Nokia building Semantic Visual Search Engine

According to a patent filing published today, Nokia may be building a Semantic Visual Search Engine to organise the multimedia content on future mobile phones. mad4Mobile Phones reports.

"The patent covers a method "enabling a system to learn, categorize and search items such as images and video clips according to their semantic meanings."

Essentially the phone would contain software capable of learning about the photos and video clips on your phone and categorising them according to the elements they contain. "

Read more.

LG to install Google on millions of phones

LG Electronics said Wednesday it has reached a deal with the world's leading search engine Google to pre-install its services on millions of mobile phones. The AFP reports.

"Mobile users worldwide will be able easily to search for information, find locations, update blogs and manage e-mail while on the move, LG said in a statement.

Selected LG handsets, pre-installed with Google products and services, will be shipped globally in the second quarter. They will offer one-click access to Google's search engine as well as Google maps, Gmail and Blogger Mobile.

Samsung Electronics in January signed a similar pact with Google."

Yahoo jumps ahead of Google on mobile phone search

Yahoo introduced on Monday a new Internet search system for mobile phone users that delivers locally relevant answers, a move that vaults it ahead of what rival Google Inc. now offers, reports Reuters.

"Starting in the United States, with international markets to follow later this year, Yahoo said it planned to take advantage of the inherently local nature of many Web searches performed on phones.

"We are now putting search on every mobile phone that has a browser," said Marco Boerries, senior vice president of Yahoo's Connected Life business unit. "We are delivering the results consumers want with just one search, not a list of Web links."

Yahoo! Go on OneSearch, differs from how computer Web search delivers raw sets of links. Instead Yahoo serves up a list of actual information, such as news headlines, images from Yahoo's Flickr photos site, business listings, local weather and links to other Web sites.

Rather than showing popular movies or critical reviews, for example, Yahoo search lists local theaters playing a particular movie, user ratings of the film and news headlines related to the movie. Users only need to enter a zip code or city name for Yahoo oneSearch to begin delivering local search results.

Google takes a user several more steps to reach the same information as Yahoo oneSearch."

A Richer Trip to the Mall, Guided by Text Messages

The New York Times reports on technology companies like NearByNow and GPShopper which have introduced mobile Internet applications that allow shoppers to use their cellphones and PDAs to search the inventory and prices at the local mall, save them wasted steps and, sometimes, turn up last-minute bargains and promotions.

... "Mobile shopping applications may sound like a novelty appealing only to shopping-crazed teenagers, but they are at the cutting edge of an increasingly competitive local online shopping services."

AskMeNow and Merriam-Webster Launch Mobile Dictionary

Merrian Webster announced the launch of a mobile dictionary in partnership with AskMeNow, offering easy access to Merriam-Webster's comprehensive dictionaries and thesauruses. [Press release]

Nokia Mobile Search Adds Ability to Search for Content Stored on Your Device

Nokia today announced that its Mobile Search application is now able to search for content stored on your device, ranging from emails, text messages and calendar entries to videos and music files.

Just like with desktop search applications on a PC, Nokia Mobile Search indexes the information stored on your compatible Nokia device and then lets you search to find what you want, when you want it.

[Press release]

Google Enters Strategic Search Engine Partnership With China Mobile

China Mobile, one of the largest mobile operators in the world, has inked a partnership with Google for providing mobile service and Internet based search services in China. [via ChinaTechNews]

European Mobile giants plot secret rival to Google

Europe's biggest telecoms groups are aiming to create a mobile phone search engine that could challenge Yahoo! and Google, the US giants, according to The Telegraph.

"Vodafone, France Telecom, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Hutchison Whampoa, Telecom Italia and one American network, Cingular, are among the companies that will come together for secret, high-level talks at the mobile industry's biggest annual trade show in Barcelona next week.

The initiative will come as a surprise to Google and Yahoo!, which have lost no time in striking deals with mobile operators and handset makers. But the mobile industry believes it can retain a greater share of advertising revenues by developing its own service.

... It is not clear what the implications are for existing deals between networks and the big US search companies."

Samsung signs a deal with Google

According to Wireless Design Asia, Samsung and Google have reached an agreement to equip Samsung mobile phones with Google applications, enabling consumers to search information, find locations and manage their email on the move.

"Beginning in early 2007, selected Samsung phones will be provided with a range of Google products and services—including Google Search, Google Maps for mobile and Gmail for mobile devices. "