The Next Tech Battle: Internet Searches on Cellphones

THE NEXT TECH BATTLE: INTERNET SEARCHES ON CELLPHONES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Cassell Bryan-Low cassell.bryan-low@wsj.com and Kevin J. Delaney]
The push by the world's biggest Internet search firms to dominate what customers see when they turn on their cellphones has accelerated in recent months with Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Corp. all striking deals with service providers and others in the cellphone industry. The tech giants want their search engines and logos to pop up on cellphone screens, enabling people to also use their phones for other services the companies provide, such as downloading maps, or sending email and instant messaging, just as they do on their computers. The companies contend that even though only a small number of people currently use their phones to search for information online, there is a huge potential market with twice as many cellphones in use globally as PCs. And, as search engines become better at tailoring results to a user's location, mobile searching will become more attractive, they say. "The leading edge battleground between us and Google in local search really will come on the phone," predicts Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer. Internet searching in general is a huge market, with U.S. search-related advertising spending totaling $5.1 billion last year, according to research firm eMarketer Inc. But advertising on cellphones is still in its infancy, generating just about $100 million last year, analysts say. And, mobile searching generates little if any revenue.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114704408802546163.html?mod=todays_us_marketplace
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