SAN FRANCISCO -- Mobile search specialist Medio Systems Inc. has partnered with AdMob Inc., one of the leading mobile ad networks.

The agreement calls for AdMob to deliver targeted mobile search ads to consumers using Medio's analytics-based mobile search service.

"At this stage in mobile search, we want to encourage a good experience," said Barry Chu, general manager of Medio, Seattle. "So in order to do that, we want to partner with as many people as possible to deliver the best possible results for users."

As a search advertising provider, Medio will now deliver ads on-deck with its wireless carrier partners and off-deck with mobile publishers such as ABC and CBS.

The deal comes soon after AdMob entered into a similar collaborative relationship with mobile site developer and manager Crisp Wireless (see story).

"We are always focused on expanding the reach of our mobile advertising network to help advertisers reach their target customers," said Jason Spero, vice president of marketing at AdMob, San Mateo, CA.

"We're looking to work with publishers that have quality audiences.

"This partnership brings Medio's strength as the leading mobile search provider and relationships with major mobile operators together with AdMob's diverse ad traffic to deliver highly targeted and relevant ads to consumers on the mobile phone," he said.

AdMob: iPhone traffic nearly doubles nationwide
The Apple iPhone was the fastest-growing mobile device worldwide last month, ending August with more than 2.9 million requests per day, according to the AdMob Mobile Metrics Report for August.

Worldwide, Smartphones accounted for 25.8 percent of traffic in August, up 3.4 percent from May 2008, the mobile ad network said.

The five leading smartphones nationwide -- the BlackBerry Pearl, Palm Centro, BlackBerry Curve, iPhone and Samsung Instinct -- generated 12.9 percent of all U.S. traffic in August. This was a 2.4 percent increase over July.

In other highlights based on activity observed within the AdMob network:

â?¢ Nokia had 62.4 percent of worldwide smartphone traffic in August, with more than 50 percent in all regions bar North America. In the United States, Nokia does not have a top 20-ranked smartphone.
â?¢ Research In Motion is in second place worldwide with 10.8 percent of smartphone traffic, most of that from North America. The BlackBerry maker leads nationwide with 31.2 percent of smartphone traffic and makes three of the top 10 devices.
â?¢ Motorola and SonyEricsson have a large share of overall mobile traffic. But neither has a smartphone ranked in the top 20 worldwide.
â?¢ Smartphones continue to increase market share nationwide, accounting for 23.7 percent of traffic in August, up 3.5 percent from May 2008.

Purina takes mobile content to PC Web
Rare as it is, Nestle Purina PetCare is using content from mobile partner go2 to beef up its offerings on its own Purina.com Web site.

Purina sponsors the go2 Pets channel and also has a mobile Web site at Purina.mobi. The increased popularity of the go2 Pets site at go2pets.com has led to a reverse shift in content to the regular Web.

"First it was an informational, directory-driven site," said Tim Solt, Charlotte, NC-based senior vice president of sales and business development at go2. "Now it's become a more experiential site."

There are an estimated 80 million pet owners nationwide. And more than 54 million U.S. consumers last year accessed the Web from a mobile phone. Go2 is betting that a fair chunk of these mobile Web users are also pet owners.

The Purina Web site currently includes video downloads, free ringtones, free text alerts and other information. Go2 is now supporting with mobile-generated data such as pet-friendly hotels and dog parks.

"We're piping this back to them," Mr. Solt said.

"That's the next phase -- this closer integration between online and mobile," he said.

Verizon Wireless: hoarder of press releases
There weren't too many journalists yesterday at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2008 pre-seminar show in the Moscone Center. But that didn't stop Verizon Wireless from claiming the flack gong: five press releases.

Here are the headlines:

 Find, preview and share your favorite mobile videos with m.vcast.com from Verizon Wireless
 Verizon Wireless introduces City ID, providing customers with city and state information for incoming calls
 Ringback Buddies lets Verizon Wireless customers buy, recommend and rate tones on Facebook platform
 Social life from Verizon Wireless offers direct mobile access to popular social networking sites
 As the race for the White House heats up, news and opinion from nytimes.com now available on Verizon Wireless phones