LOS ANGELES—Verizon Wireless and Alltel Wireless each announced that new search tools are available to their subscribers for free.
Verizon Wireless said its Get It Now Search application, developed by Medio Systems Inc., lets subscribers search by voice or by typing. The service searches across downloadable content available from VZW Games, VZW Tones and VZW Pix. Searches can be launched using artist names, song titles, games or application names.
When searches are complete, customers will be presented with search results including cost and description of the item available for purchase, followed by additional relevant information, such as a customer review.
Verizon Wireless said customers can purchase the content they’ve sought out directly from their cell phones and noted that Get It Now Search is initially available on the LG VX4500, VX6100, VX8300, Chocolate (VX8500), The V (VX9800) and Motorola E815, RAZR V3c and RAZR V3m.
Separately, Alltel Wireless said its new search functionality comes from JumpTap Inc. The companies have teamed to offer a mobile search system that’s slated to be free to Alltel’s subscribers. With the push of a button, the companies said users will be able to activate searches for Alltel’s catalog of mobile content such as ringtones and wallpapers, as well as Internet content such as maps and directions, news and sports, flight updates, weather, white pages, stock quotes, chat services and any mobile website included in JumpTap’s mobile search index.
The companies said they intend to allow mobile and local merchants to bid for targeted sponsored links and to purchase mobile advertisements in appropriate places within the search and browsing tool.
“Users want the search that they conduct on their cell phones to be easier, faster and more fun than the searches they conduct on the Internet,” said Wade McGill, senior vice president of wireless product management for Alltel Wireless. “Our partnership with JumpTap will help our customers find a wider variety of content and information from a broader set of providers than they have ever been able to access before.”
