iPhone users are frustrated with the mobile portals of popular news sites, according to a study done by Keynote Systems.

The study compares the experience and satisfaction of consumers performing tasks on the Fox and Yahoo News mobile sites using the iPhone. User frustrations included site errors, cluttered pages, site speed, excessive scrolling, lack of visual appeal and difficulties around the search feature.

"With this study we were basically trying to get a sense of what is working and what isn't," said Dan Richards, senior product manager at Keynote Systems, San Mateo, CA. "We are really evolving in the mobile world in terms of where we were a couple of years ago.

"A few years ago there were WAPs and they obviously lacked in terms of user experience," he said. "Things like bigger screens and more bandwidth have helped us grow since then.

"However, the screen is still too small and that causes excessive scrolling and even with 3G there are still bandwidth limitations. Folks on their mobile devices are not patient and need instant gratification."

In the Keynote WebEffective study, more than 75 participants were tasked with finding an entertainment news story, reading a news article and searching for a story on a specific topic then sending it to a friend.

Satisfaction rates were low for both Yahoo (51 percent) and Fox News (64 percent) mobile Web sites.

In fact, less than half of users found the sites to be appealing.

With the iPhone people expect the same level of graphics and usability as they do when they are actually on their desktop," Mr. Richards said.

Of the 75 users, only three tapped into advertising.

Almost a quarter noticed advertising but did not click through.

Significantly more Yahoo users (60 percent) reported frustration with the site than Fox News users (33 percent).

"My recommendation to marketers and content providers would be engage the consumer," Mr. Richards said. "You have to find a balance and include images and things, without ruining the experience.

"You do have to optimize for the iPhone," he said. "Not just because it is in the news and it is selling, but because the vast majority of Web pages that are being viewed are viewed by iPhone users."