Unwired Portfolio JumpTap Goes Up Against Google
Nikhil Hutheesing, Forbes Wireless Stock Watch 10.11.07, 5:49 PM ET
While many of us search the Web for just about everything using a PC, searches using a cellphone are usually much more targeted towards things like stock quotes, sports scores and finding phone numbers. Part of the reason is the cellphone itself--it has a small screen, which limits the space to display results, so search providers have to be as precise as possible in determining what a user wants.
Companies like Google and Yahoo! have been making newspaper headlines recently for their efforts to make mobile search easier. Google already offers cellphone users a wireless version of its search engine, but the company is now taking it a step further. Instead of merely being a way to look up content on the Web, Google is turning itself into a gateway for finding and paying for mobile media content. If you want to download a song, for example, you could search for it on your handheld device and Google would serve back to you a list of Web sites that sell that song. With a few clicks you could buy the song and download it.
But here's the problem: The carriers fear diminishing the value of their own networks by transferring some of their brand power to others. Also, working with major search engines makes it difficult for carriers to get a particularly lucrative revenue share deal. In addition, mobile operators are often reluctant to share valuable subscriber data with others.
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