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All posts tagged "search"


Monday, October 5, 2009

Google Delivers a String of Mobile Updates

Posted by Darius Wey in "Pocket PC Sites & Resources" @ 05:00 AM

My, oh my. Where to start? Google has delivered numerous updates to its mobile apps and search services. To kick things off, if you're a user of the Google Mobile App, visit m.google.com on your Windows phone to download the latest version. It supports location services, Google Suggest, and map search. Next on the list is Local Search for Mobile. It's been redesigned to integrate with Google Maps and adds supports for categories. Finally, you can now keep your mobile and desktop search histories in sync. The only catch is that it doesn't yet support Windows Mobile, though we can't imagine that being a permanent omission. We'll let you know as soon as Windows Mobile support gets two thumbs up.


Sunday, July 26, 2009

Google Maps 3.2 Adds Layers, Improves Search

Posted by Darius Wey in "Pocket PC Software" @ 10:35 AM

http://m.google.com/maps

"Just as the world itself can be viewed through many lenses, the latest version of Google Maps for mobile allows you to view many layers of information on your map at the same time. Layers make it easier and more useful to find and interact with geographic content, like public transit, traffic (with incidents!), local search results, Latitude friend locations, Wikipedia and more. You can also see your own My Maps content as a layer on Google Maps for mobile. And finally, multiple layers can be combined at the same time to give you a content-rich view of what's around you."

Layers and improved search are nifty additions to Google Maps for mobile. The updated version is available for Windows Mobile, so what are you waiting for? Go get it!

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  • Source: Official Google Mobile Blog


Saturday, September 13, 2008

Google Introduces Its Mobile Search for Windows Mobile

Posted by Ed Hansberry in "Pocket PC Wireless and GPS" @ 06:00 AM

http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/20...ch-with-my.html

"Previously, when you went to google.com from your phone’s browser and performed a local search, the results were tailored to the last location you entered. Now, using the Gears Geolocation API, Search with My Location approximates your actual location using the same Cell ID technology used by Google maps for mobile. So if you want to find sushi nearby, just type "sushi" and Google will return local business listings around you. If you want to know the forecast, type "weather". If you want to search somewhere else, specify a location in the query like "pizza Kansas City."

  • On your mobile device, go to www.google.com/m
  • Click the Location link
  • Tell it to install Gears. A Windows CE CAB will be downloaded that you need to install.
  • Soft reset your device when the install is done.
  • Launch PIE and allow Google Gears access to your browser

It isn't perfect. It thinks I am 13 miles northwest of my present location, which is odd. The tower locator system that the Google Maps tool uses can always get me to within half a mile of my real location, and usually under 1,000 yards. It also isn't on the iGoogle page yet on your device, so you either have to pick the iGoogle personalized page to search from, or the generic Google Mobile page, but not both.

Right now it is limited to the US and UK, and there are a list of unsupported devices, so check the blog post before installing.


Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Google Makes Search Plug-In Available to Windows Mobile

Posted by Rocco Augusto in "Smartphone Software" @ 11:57 AM

http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/20...-than-slow.html

"If you're a Windows Mobile user, browse to mobile.google.com on your device to download the plug-in and start searching faster than ever. Once you do, we think you'll find it so much faster and easier that you'll start conducting more mobile web searches than you ever had before. How do we know this? Well, when we look at the combined usage numbers for BlackBerry and Symbian versions of this plug-in, we see that users are able to get Google search results up to 40 percent faster. And, BlackBerry and Symbian users with the plug-in installed search 20 percent more than those without it."



It pleases me to see that more and more companies are showing our Windows Mobile handsets some love as of late. First we get MSN Direct, then Google Gears and now a dedicated Google Search homescreen/today screen plugin. Installing this application couldn't be easier. Just point your mobile browser to mobile.google.com and select the "Search (Download)" link to start a download of the plugin. After it is installed the program should send up a message to inform you of whether or not the plugin can work with your existing homescreen. If you are using an incompatible theme, Google Search will offer to automatically switch your theme to one that does work. Like I said, this plugin couldn't be simpler to use. Hats off to Google!

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  • Source: Phone Scoop


Friday, July 13, 2007

Microsoft Releases Live Search for Windows Mobile 2.0

Posted by Jason Dunn in "SOFTWARE" @ 04:15 PM

http://www.betanews.com/article/Windows_Live_Mobile_Search_20_Out/1184339738

"In the Windows Live Search 2.0 desktop version, new features include movie showtimes and the addition of more local data and user reviews. The Virtual Earth maps functionality has been improved and users would have the option of increasing the cache by using a storage card. The directions functionality has been bolstered as well, with better support for in-phone GPS and improved turn-by-turn navigation. The application would even prompt to reroute if it detects you have veered away from the given directions."

Windows Live Search for Windows Mobile (I think that's the proper name, it's all rather confusing) has reached the 2.0 level, and it looks like mostly polishing - the movies feature is cool if you live in a supported area, but unfortunately I do not so the product continues to be of limited use. And, sadly, since I lost my flat rate GPRS data plan (I haven't shared my secret horror with everyone yet, have I?) programs like this are dramatically less useful. That said, if you have flat-rate data and a fast connection, this program truly rocks. Version 1.x had the storage card cache feature, but now you can use up to 128 MB of storage. You can navigate to WLS.LIVE.COM to download the CAB file directly to your device. And hey, it's free!


Saturday, April 21, 2007

Mobile Phones Represent Next Frontier for Search

Posted by Pete Paxton in "ARTICLE" @ 07:00 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070420/tc_nm/mobile_search_dc_1

"Mobile, mobile, mobile" were the words of Google Inc. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt this week when asked what technologies are most intriguing to the computer Web search leader. Google, which generates billions of dollars from online advertising, is racing to bring consumer services like search to the phone. Its rivals in this field include Yahoo Inc., which has made strides in the fast-emerging mobile Web market, and Microsoft Corp., which bought voice-recognition technology company Tellme Networks Inc. last month. "The biggest growth areas are clearly within the mobile space," Schmidt said during a question-and-answer session at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco.

User submitted image

It will be interesting to see where Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft are heading in the mobile search market. I already use Google for my internet searches, Yahoo for movie look ups and reviews, and Microsoft for directions using Live Search. The article states that the pace of innovations on the mobile phone was five to 10 times faster than the computer, and that these companies are in the earliest stages of upcoming search techniques. So what search tools do you use for your mobile phone and what do you think the future of "search" holds?


Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Live Search for Windows Mobile Reviewed at the Two Inch View

Posted by Mike Temporale in "ARTICLE" @ 10:15 AM

http://www.twoinchview.com/134-live-search

"Microsoft has been growing their Live services lately, pouring effort into creating a suite of online services that will entice Internet users to take advantage of their offerings for search, email, location-based services, and many others. And they�re not just focusing on the desktop world: there are a rich assortment of Windows Mobile-based solutions for smartphones such as the Treo 750 and T-Mobile Dash. One such solution is Windows Live Search, software that recently came out of beta and is a free tool for finding things quickly and easily from your Windows Mobile smartphone"


Jason takes an indepth view of Live Search (the cool mapping one) over at The Two Inch View. I'm a big fan of this software and I use it all the time. While in Seattle last week, it helped me pin-point a Cingular Wireless store that was just down the street from where I was standing. I might have walked off looking in the wrong direction if it wasn't for this app. I know we've talked about this app before, but if you're not familiar with this software give Jason's review a read and let us know your thoughts. For those of you that already use this great app, share some stories about how it saved your life, or not. :LOL:


Friday, March 9, 2007

Boopsie - The Fastest Mobile Search Tool

Posted by Kris Kumar in "SOFTWARE" @ 08:45 AM

http://live.boopsie.com/home/index.html

"Boopsie is a mobile search provider. The Boopsie client is a thin, yet powerful, layer between you and what you are trying to find. Boopsie does not 'contain' the data; it creates and uses special indexes to find the data on other content providers' sites. ... In short - you can type less using Boopsie. Boopsie uses a multi-term prefix incremental search. As you type letters, Boopsie is dynamically searching to find what you are typing - and showing your results in real-time. So, you get immediate feedback and minimize spelling errors. Once you see what you are looking for, you click on it and Boopsie links you to the appropriate web page. Google, Yahoo and others use a traditional form based search. You have to type the whole set of words you are looking for and then hit a Go or Submit button. Then, you have to look thru a bunch of results to find what you're after."

User submitted image

I haven't tried this application on my Smartphone yet, but I tried out the demo site and Boopsie definitely makes search easy and fast. 8) I would love to have something like this for my desktop. On my Smartphone I am concerned that the EDGE data speed will slow this application down. For folks with 3G connectivity this is a great way to search. And for folks with numeric keypads this application will save valuable keystrokes. Another good reason to try it - it's FREE! Put the Google search and Microsoft Live Search aside, and give Boopsie a try. Let us know what you think about this new way to search.


Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Live Search vs Live Search - What's in a Name?

Posted by Mike Temporale in "THOUGHT" @ 08:30 AM

Microsoft is heavily into the "Live" world right now. There's Live Mail, Live Messenger, Live Alerts, Live Search, and that's just scratching the surface. There are plenty more Live ideas in the works. If that wasn't enough to make your head spin, Microsoft has managed to release 2 different Live Search applications for Windows Mobile and both applications do different things.

User submitted image

The first Live Search (pictured in the lower right of the image above) will provide you with Map, Directions, and Traffic information for a location you select. I used this before my vacation a couple weeks ago to check out the pool at the hotel I was planning on staying at in Las Vegas. A lot of people here have played with this in it's beta form over the last number of months. It was recently released to production and if you haven't tried it out, I suggest you do. It's really a great tool.

The other Live Search (pictured in the upper left corner of the image above) was announced as a part of the new Windows Live for Windows Mobile at 3GSM and will ship with Windows Mobile 6 devices. Windows Live for Windows Mobile offers a number of Live services for your Windows Mobile device like: Live Mail, Live Messenger, and Live Search. However, this Live Search is nothing like the other Live Search. Live Search that comes in Windows Live for Windows Mobile is nothing more than a shortcut to Live.com and a mobile proxy to help speed up and format your searches for display on your smaller than normal screen. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but it's not as cool as the other Live Search and now we have 2 Live Search products for Windows Mobile devices. How many times did I just use the words Windows, Mobile, Live, and Search? Confused yet?

So whether it's Live Search you're looking for or just Live Search, Microsoft has the tool for you and your device. I think Microsoft needs to spend a little more time coming up with better names that describe the product and sound cool at the same time. Is that too much to ask for?

Tags: search, name, live, whats

Friday, September 22, 2006

Microsoft Hooks Up Nokia Phones with Live Search

Posted by Jerry Raia in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 10:00 AM

http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2006/09/21/microsoft-hooks-up-nokia-phones-with-live-search/

"We, of course, can't speak for Yahoo -- but if we had to guess, we'd imagine they're at least a little bit perturbed at Nokia right about now. Just under two weeks after announcing a partnership with the search company to include Yahoo! Search in its Mobile Search application, Nokia's now announced a similar deal with Microsoft, which'll see Windows Live Search find a home alongside Yahoo in the mobile search platform."

User submitted image

They are talking here about a built in application as opposed to a web browser search. This is supposedly faster than using a web browser search. I have said this a few times, Windows Live is going to show up everywhere. I could swear I saw it in my cereal this morning. :)


Saturday, September 9, 2006

Spybot - Search and Destroy for Windows Mobile Smartphones!

Posted by Rocco Augusto in "SOFTWARE" @ 02:09 PM

http://mobile.spybot.info/

"While viruses for Symbian and Windows Mobile currently seem more like proof-of-concept studies, the Windows Mobile platform offers malware writers who already know Windows a very similar environment. Some may call it a hype, but that's what people said about spyware 5 years ago as well, and our opinion is that it's better to protect yourself before something happens than to do it afterwards. Spybot-S&D for Windows Mobile uses a lightweight version of the detection engine of Spybot-S&D for Windows to detect threats for Windows Mobile and Symbian both, the later because Bluetooth worms could spread over OS borders, and while they would not perform on an incompatible OS, they would still waste precious space on the device."

User submitted image

While I'm happy the protection is there in case spyware does start showing its ugly head on our Windows Mobile Smartphones, there really isn't any spyware out there at this moment in time. It baffles me as much as certain Smartphones coming equipped with Anti-Virus software. Then again, with my luck, watch a million pieces of Smartphone spyware start popping up the moment I post this. ;)

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  • Source: GrYph0n


Monday, February 13, 2006

Microsoft Acquires MotionBridge - Mobile Search Technology Provider

Posted by Mike Temporale in "NEWS" @ 11:00 AM

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/feb06/02-13MotionBridgePR.mspx

"Today, at the 3GSM World Congress 2006, Microsoft Corp. announced the acquisition of MotionBridge, a leading provider of search technology designed specifically for mobile operators and the mobile Internet. MotionBridge, based in Paris, is a worldwide leader in mobile search technology that is currently available to customers through contacts with major mobile communications companies in Europe and North America. ...The MotionBridge technology brings superior simplicity for users, delivering clustered results and deep links to downloadable content from multiple providers with device filtering. Mobile operators are able to achieve precise control through flexible resolution rules, and manage their service with Web-based back-office tools and detailed usage statistics."

MotionBridge provides mobile search technology that offers contextual search and accelerates mobile content navigation by up to 95%. They will also filter the results based on your device. So if you are searching for ringtones and your phone supports polymorphic ringtones, then you will find them in the search results. If your phone doesn't support it, you won't see it. Currently it looks like you can only get MotionBridges search technology pre-loaded on your device by your carrier. Hopefully we'll see that change in the coming months. :)


Tuesday, October 11, 2005

A Different Way to Search, gada.be

Posted by Jerry Raia in "SITES & RESOURCES" @ 10:00 AM

http://chris.pirillo.com/blog/_archives/2005/10/10/1291817.html

"Largely, I've found it easier to tag or link to an aggregated location of results than it is to tag to a specific vendor all the time. Share the love, man! Announcing the public beta of http://gada.be/ (yes, that's .be). This is a metasearch service with a few unique features, no matter where or how you view it. gada.be is for anybody with access to the Web and in need of immediate, impartial results. You're going to save time and bandwidth immediately; imagine how long it would take to traverse all those sites just to find the one thing you were looking for!? If you tend to view only the top results for a cursory search, why not just feed you the top results in one easy spot (where you can subsequently subscribe to them)?"

Clever idea here. The search terms are part of the url you are typing in. The idea being to minimize the amount of typing on a small keyboard or phone dial pad. I tried a few searches and it was a bit slow but the results were interesting. It is worth a look.

Tags: search, , different, gadabe

Monday, August 15, 2005

MSN Search and MSN Spaces on Windows Mobile Devices

Posted by Jerry Raia in "SITES & RESOURCES" @ 04:15 PM

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?ContentId=5023

"I am not sure how many of you actually visit the Pocket PC version of Mobile MSN on your Windows Mobile Pocket PC or Smartphone. I am one that does not often use the site - except for Hotmail access it offers mainly US-based content. However I found out today about some cool new features on this site. Visit the site and click on Beta Services to find them."

User submitted image

I thought this was canceled due to lack of interest. Ok I'm kidding but I haven't been to the MSN Mobile site in quite a while. It looks like they have added some new features. I think I'll go have a look. :D


Saturday, July 30, 2005

AOL Tests Cell-Phone Search Site

Posted by Jerry Raia in "NEWS" @ 02:00 PM

http://today.reuters.com/sponsoredby/VerizonNewsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyid=2005-07-27T045856Z_01_N26193985_RTRIDST_0_NET-MEDIA-AOL-DC.XML

"America Online plans to begin testing a new service that lets wireless phone users search the Internet and link to regular Web pages that it will reformat for tiny cell-phone screens. The test of AOL Mobile Search Services is an attempt to move away from the computer, where its position as the dominant Internet provider is being undermined as users defect to cable operators and telephone companies offering high-speed Internet access."

It is nice to see a giant like AOL appreciate the need for more services on our tiny screens. As mentioned above though we see they are under some pressure to branch out a bit. It will be interesting to see what they come up with other than another way to try and funnel people to their bloated overpriced service.


Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Google Launches Mobile Local Search

Posted by Jerry Raia in "SITES & RESOURCES" @ 02:00 PM

http://www.mobiletracker.net/archives/2005/04/12/google-mobile-local

"Google today launched a mobile version of its local search service. This move is seen as an effort to compete with Yahoo, which already offers a similar service."

User submitted image

This looks pretty useful. I haven't had a chance to try it yet but those who do let us know how it works for you. :)


Monday, April 4, 2005

Web To Mobile Search

Posted by Mike Temporale in "THOUGHT" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.russellbeattie.com/notebook/1008389.html

"...if I've got a 1GB memory card in my mobile phone and most of that filled with messages and media, well there's no reason why that stuff can't be found by a web search, no? Either via a traditional public web search using Yahoo or even a more futuristic "social search", where I only look at the stuff that my friends make available for me. The point is that right now there's a cumbersome uploading and permissions process that most people don't get around to doing. A use case is pretty easy to come up with: "Hey - that was a great ski trip this past weekend, I'd love to get any pictures of me that Joe took. Let me search his camera phone to see what he took that's labelled with my name."

Russel has a really interesting suggestion about indexing and making your mobile devices searchable. It would be really cool to label a batch of pictures and allow them to be downloaded from my phone to a friends device or even their computer. Give the article a read and let us know your thoughts. Should your device be searchable or even sharable?

Tags: mobile, search

Monday, February 7, 2005

Nuggets Mobile Search Engine Free for Three Months

Posted by Jerry Raia in "SOFTWARE" @ 12:30 PM

http://www.mynuggets.net

"The Nuggets mobile search engine allows you to search the Internet from your mobile phone, including natural language search via SMS. As part of a new promotion, it is now available for free for a three-month trial period. The developer, Linguit GmbH, has made the service available for free for a three-month trial period extending from February to the end of April 2005 to encourage new users to try the service. No fees are changed beyond what phone operators may charge users for sending a text message to the service, while the service itself will be free."

This might be of interest to some of you. I don't know why one would want to pay for such a service as it is free from other sources. It is only available for O2, Orange, T-Mobile, and Vodafone providers at the present time according to the web site.

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  • Source: Geekzone


Friday, October 29, 2004

Yahoo Search Goes Mobile

Posted by Kris Kumar in "NEWS" @ 05:30 AM

http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,96971,00.html

"Yahoo Inc. for the first time is letting mobile phone users query its search engine, giving them access to conventional Web results, local business listings and related information, as well as images, such as pictures and maps, the company said Wednesday.

"The service will launch Wednesday on several U.S. carriers. Users can access the services from a data-enabled phone by going to mobile.yahoo.com."


User submitted image

First Google, then Smarter.com and now Yahoo!. Everyone wants our SMS search request message. :-) I wonder how long we will have to wait before MSN jumps into the fray. This just goes to prove that the battle for the best search engine throne has now spread to the mobile world.

Tags: yahoo, mobile, search, goes

Sunday, October 3, 2004

MSN Search Champs Program

Posted by Jason Dunn in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 11:00 AM

http://office.weblogsinc.com/entry/0276273415216838/

"Well, the cat is out of the bag. Scoble blogged about it yesterday. Liz Lawley has announced she�s going. eWeek just released a story about it. So I guess it�s safe to chime in and announce that I too have been invited to join the MSN Search Champs program. I will be travelling to Redmond on Sunday to spend two days working with the MSN Search team. This event will begin an ongoing engagement to assist in evaluating their forthcoming search technologies and it�s both an honor and an exciting opportunity to help influence an important aspect of the computing experience."

The above quote is by Marc Orchant from The Office Weblog, and it sums up what I'm going to be doing for the next couple of days. I've been asked to be an MSN Search Champ, and as Marc explains, it will involve giving feedback to the MSN Search team on their products. I don't know much more than that, but I'll be spending Monday and Tuesday in meetings and discussions with the MSN Search team and Microsoft Research. Basically, a bunch of people way smarter than I am. 8O

There's an eWeek article about the event, but the actual guest list is still mostly shrouded in mystery. So far all the names I've seen are A-List bloggers...then there's me, Mr. Gadget Geek. :mrgreen: I'm not entirely sure what I can contribute beyond drilling the importance of having a great mobile-compatible search tool, but I've never been short on opinions, so I'm sure I'll come up with something. :lol: I'll be back in action on Wednesday morning, and largely offline until then.


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