Google, Yahoo score customer wins: Google snares Nokia, Yahoo steals T-Mobile

Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. each announced impressive wins in the mobile search space at Mobile World Congress 2008.
Nokia Corp. said it will begin to include Google’s technology with its own mobile search application “in select markets,” integrating the search on the Nokia N96 and N78 – which were announced this week at the MWC – as well as the 6220 and 6210 Navigator.
The deal builds on an existing relationship that has integrated Google’s search engine with Nokia Internet tablets. While the collaboration initially is limited in scope – including a fraction of the three dozen-plus devices that feature Nokia Search – the Finnish firm said it plans to make Google search available to customers in more than 100 countries and in 40 languages.
“Providing choices for our consumers is an important driver in Nokia’s Internet service strategy,” said Ilkka Raiskinen, Nokia’s VP of software and services. “This integration allows our consumers the ability to use the innovative search technologies (that) have made Google almost synonymous with Internet search.”
But Google was forced to put a mark in the loss column, too, as T-Mobile International announced plans to make Yahoo its exclusive mobile search service in Europe at the end of March. T-Mobile said it will offer oneSearch to customers in its 11 European markets as part of its web’n’walk offering; the companies also announced plans to offer Yahoo services such as e-mail, instant messaging, weather information and the photo-sharing application Flickr.
Google had powered web’n’walk since the offering came to market in 2005, but Yahoo has gained momentum in Europe and other markets thanks largely to its oneSearch and Go offerings. The new pact gives Yahoo access to nearly 90 million wireless users.
“As a pioneer for the open mobile Internet with web’n’walk, we give our customers instant and direct access to all available Internet services, such as information, content and communities,” said Christopher Shlaffer, T-Mobile’s group products and innovation officer.