Google Inc. is still the player to beat in mobile search, according to new figures from Nielsen Mobile.
The Internet giant accounted for a dominating 61% of all mobile Internet searches during the first quarter of 2008, according to the firm, while Yahoo finished a distant second with 18%. MSN was last among the top three mobile search providers with 5%.
Nielsen Mobile didn’t mention results for lesser players such as AOL, go2 or Ask.com.
Interestingly, users don’t seem particularly smitten with either Google or Yahoo, however. Only 44% of Google users rated their satisfaction with mobile Internet search at eight or higher on a 10-point scale; 40% of Yahoo searchers were similarly impressed.
Google, Yahoo and a host of others have jockeyed for position with carriers and other partners as mobile search begins to gain mass-market traction. Google earlier this year inked a deal to provide search for Opera Software’s mobile browsers, while Yahoo has replaced Google as the exclusive search provider for T-Mobile International’s web’n’walk service in 11 European markets.
Google top result in mobile search field
ABOUT AUTHOR