Search (with) your mobile

6 June 2006 by Rod McLaren

Russell Buckley at MobHappy notes Nokia’s release on mobile search, and outlines three types of mobile search vendor.

1. Traditional online search engines, such as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!
2. Handset players like Nokia – expect others to follow soon.
3. Operator services, provided via third party players, such as Jump Tap.

He believes that the third category will be strong because operators prefer partnering with smaller players. Yesterday Paul Golding at Wireless Wonders reminded us of his notion that

the primary UI for the handset should be a search box. This would combine on-device with off-device results and allow the search strings to be interpreted as both potential content searches or commands (e.g. lower volume). Also, I suggested that the results would populate in real-time, just like Google Suggest.

Now, this app is an installable app on the handset, which it needs to be to access certain on-device functions. However, in the not too-distant future, it will be a web app, courtesy of the richer UI possibilities on the horizon. Moreover, those off-device results could be driven by a registry of services in the network, allowing a seamless introduction of new services without changing handset firmware etc…

Golding points at Zi Corp’s Qix, which improved revenue when trialled at Virgin Mobile UK for the simple reason that if they reduce key presses then you’ll see more use, and users who are familiar with the internet understand search interfaces fairly well.

Obviously this is where Google could come back in with a Google Desktop-like service on the handset, but such ideas would require approval from at least one of the handset manufacturer/operator/OS provider triumvirate, which is Russell Buckley’s point.

A simple search interface that auto-suggested could be useful for other mobile data applications, particularly where (a) the device has a decent keyboard and (b) the application has some edge (but important) use-cases that don’t fit the application’s primary workflow.

Update, 13 June 2006:
MobEase’s MobiFindIt describes itself as “mashup of Google Desktop, predictive text input and web search and shakes it together to deliver an intuitive way of getting things done on a handset” (via MobileCrunch)

SOA (Sandwich oriented architecture) Two conditions for successful mobile enterprise services