NEW YORK—Internet search company Ask.com upgraded its mobile search offering, rolling out a free service featuring Internet sites, driving directions, maps and weather.
The subsidiary of InterActive Corp. launched Ask Mobile, an ad-free, Internet-based service designed to minimize the number of keystrokes needed to find information. Instead of offering a single, general search tool, the mobile home page includes links to search categories including business listings, Web search, maps, images and currency conversion.
The company plans to add services including sports scores and movie listings.
“Ask Mobile is designed specifically for search on mobile devices, instead of shoehorning a PC interface into a mobile product,” said Doug Leeds, vice president of product management for Ask.com. “Extensive testing showed that, by eliminating the search box from the home page and instead providing links to key search services, users were more successful in getting to what they were looking for, significantly increasing their satisfaction.”
Users accessing www.ask.com from wireless devices will automatically be redirected to the mobile site. Like Google Inc.’s mobile search offering, Ask Mobile uses transcoding technology to format Internet content specifically for wireless phones.
Google, Ask, Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and others are hoping to lure users off-deck with mobile search offerings, while other players including JumpTap Inc. and InfoSpace are partnering with operators to offer on-deck search solutions. JumpTap recently scored a deal to provide search services for Alltel Corp. subscribers, while InfoSpace powers the MediaNet service from Cingular Wireless L.L.C.
Nokia Corp. also expanded its mobile search service, adding local directory information for users in Canada, Denmark and Germany. The phone manufacturer said it has already seen “a tremendous increase” in usage of the application—which is embedded on eight Nokia handsets—in seven initial launch markets in Europe.
“We’re thrilled to be adding so many new local search providers to our Mobile Search offering,” said Ralph Eric Kunz, vice president of multimedia experiences for Nokia. “It certainly reinforces our dedication to provide local Internet services directly to your pocket.”
