Yahoo revamps oneSeach
February 10, 2009
Yahoo oneSearch
Yahoo has launched several new features for the Yahoo! oneSearch shortcut, as part of a continued effort to make mobile search faster, easier and more relevant for users worldwide.
The company announced a new Windows Mobile client with integrated voice search so users can speak or type their query directly from the home screen of their Windows Mobile Device.
"We're making mobile search a reality for users by providing a state of the art mobile search experience. Our strategy is to become the starting point for mobile consumers, and mobile search is a vital part of how consumers start their Internet experience," said Cory Pforzheimer, Yahoo spokesman.
Yahoo has also introduced a new auto-locate feature, which uses cell tower triangulation and Wi-Fi to detect a user's location. This means that users will no longer need to type in their address or ZIP to access local listings.
Yahoo has introduced search history integrated with Search Assist. This new feature delivers contextual recommendations and predictive text completion alongside previously searched terms.
Search Assist is meant to enable faster and easier input, delivering contextual recommendations and predictive text completion alongside the user's previously searched terms.
Users just need to type in a query and any of their recent searches or similar queries will display on the screen as a prompt.
For example, while typing "Sus" in San Francisco, a user may be offered Sushi Groove if you previously searched for it or the user may see "sushi recipe" as an assisted suggestion.
In this launch, Yahoo has also made Yahoo oneSearch Shortcut available on more platforms, extending it to Windows Mobile devices in the U.S.
The Yahoo oneSearch clients now support some of the latest Nokia, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices. It is also now available on select devices in Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
"Consumers are frequently looking for local information and we're helping them discover the businesses, places, and other things that are nearby," Mr. Pforzheimer said.