Yahoo launches SMS Search and expands mobile search

Posted on Thursday, July 07 2005 @ 20:39 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Yahoo today launched Yahoo SMS Search and enhanced its Yahoo Search on Mobile across a number of additional mobile devices. The new services are immediately available with major wireless carriers across the US.


Both Yahoo! SMS Search and Yahoo! Search on Mobile use shortcuts to help consumers find the information they need quickly while on the go. Search shortcuts are a quick way for consumers to get a direct response with specific information they want including local information, weather reports, stock quotes and more. For example, a consumer looking for a post office could simply type in "post office" and either the city and state or zip code for where they are looking. Consumers will receive a text message with the search results directly highlighting the closest post offices.

Yahoo! SMS Search
The launch of Yahoo! SMS Search gives consumers a new way to quickly use their phone to do a search for needed information. Shortcuts available at launch include local information, WiFi hotspot finder, weather, stock quotes, daily horoscopes, dictionary definitions, and zip and area code lookup.

Yahoo! is also making SMS interactive in a new way by integrating the ability to get updated or additional information, without opening a new message. Select Yahoo! SMS Search results will include a URL link to Yahoo!'s Mobile Internet service to get more information on the specific search. Additionally, other search results will include the ability to reply to a previous text message for additional or updated information, without re-typing the original query.

To use this new service, consumers simply need to open a new text message on their phone and send a 'shortcut' search term and their request to shortcode 92466 (which spells YAHOO) to get their desired information. A text message response will quickly be sent to the consumer's phone with the search results.

Yahoo! also offers an SMS-based version of Yahoo! Messenger across several major carriers utilizing the same 92466 shortcode.

Expanding Full Web Search
Today's extension of the reach of full Web search, called Yahoo! Search on Mobile, gives more consumers access to the relevant and comprehensive search results powered by Yahoo! Search Technology. Previously, full Web search was available only on HTML-capable mobile devices; today's launch expands the reach across a number of additional WAP 2.0 (xhtml) enabled handsets by translating full Web pages to fit on consumers phones.

Yahoo! Search on Mobile also features many popular search shortcuts, including local information, WiFi hotspot finder, weather, stock quotes, movie listings, sports scores, dictionary definitions and calculator.

To try the newly expanded Web search on a mobile device, consumers can go to Yahoo!'s Mobile Web portal or simply type in mobile.yahoo.com on the Web browser on their phone.

To see a full list of shortcuts available for both services, get more information on how to use Yahoo! Search on a mobile phone and details on carrier and device compatibility consumers can go to http://mobile.yahoo.com/search. Yahoo! is not charging consumers for either service. However, data fees may apply; consumers will need to check their plan with their wireless carrier.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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