Ask Launches Mobile Search
Ask.com launched their mobile search product at Digital Life yesterday, and I had the priviledge of running into Gary Price a few hours ago and getting a demo out of him at the Ask booth. Ask is quickly getting a reputation as a company that takes established products and finds ways to innovate their features beyond what the competition is offering, and Ask Mobile is no exception.
You can see Ask Mobile exactly as it would look on a mobile phone by going to m.ask.com from any web browser. To get to it on your phone, you can go to the URL, or just head to ask.com and be automatically redirected. The home page has seven options:
- Web Search
- Directions
- Images
- Business Listings
- Maps
- Weather
- Bloglines
There’s also a next link that pulls up area code search (enormously useful on any mobile device, obviously), currency conversion, horoscopes, and a feature that shows you the current time for any place you search. Any external link you click is sent through Skweezer, which reformats the pages for smaller screens.
Do a web search, and in many cases you’ll see a picture relevant to your search (especially if you search for a person or place), as well as an excerpt from Wikipedia. Rather than just reformatting search results for a phone, Ask Mobile brings with it one of Ask’s best features, the Zoom feature that expands or narrows your focus. This feature is actually more discoverable and useful on a phone than it is on the web, saving you lots of typing. They also keep track of your recent searches via a cookie, displaying the last few on the search page if you need to get something back.
The directions search does a good job reformatting your searches to fit the proper maps syntax, really helpful when I deliberately omitted portions of an address. Most maps ask you for a correction, but Ask’s understands that time and bandwidth is a factor, and tries to eliminate extra work. It shows you either driving or walking directions, and features a brilliant turn-by-turn feature.
In that feature, once you have your directions, you select “By Turn” and it gives you each step of your journey as a seperate screen, letting you page deliberately through your trip. The turn-by-turn alone makes me want to give them a big smooch. Oh, and they feature the satellite maps in their directions, something very difficult to do with certain other mobile search engines without a Java application. Ask uses straight up normal HTML, so there isn’t a mobile browser out there that can’t handle this. You can also select to send the directions to your phone as a text message, great for saving them for later (and not having to keep the browser open the whole time).
I like that the Maps application shares search history with Directions. It’s just easier that way. The Bloglines link goes to Bloglines Mobile, already a great mobile RSS reader. The horoscopes say:
Mother yourself right now. Just because you’re normally a go-go-go type doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some slow-slow-slow. Put on a fluffy bathrobe, grab a good book and unplug the phone. You’re in do-not-disturb mode!
Sounds good to me!
While Ask didn’t invent mobile, it shows some real smarts with its implementation, adding features no one has and keeping in mind at every step how to make life easier for the user. I hope users are taking notice, because there are some exciting things afoot at Ask. I know that Google’s mobile offerings have never worked well for me, so I’m going to give Ask a shot at displacing my usual Microsoft mobile services, and it wouldn’t be crazy for everyone else to try the same.
Sigh… Another system developed by people who don’t realize there is anything outside of the U.S. borders…
I go to “Maps”, and search for “Amsterdam”. It finds, well, Amsterdam, NY, obviously.
Luckily, there’s a link to “see all matches” and, surprise, surprise, on the fourth and last spot: “Amsterdam, Noord-Holland NLD”. I click on it, and: “Address not found.”
Sigh…
- Michael
Comment by Michael Schaap | October 13, 2006
[…] Ask.com has just entered the world of mobile search. Yes folks, it looks as if Ask is really reaching for it this time. Ask.com launched their mobile search product at Digital Life yesterday, and I had the priviledge of running into Gary Price a few hours ago and getting a demo out of him. Ask is quickly getting a reputation as a company that takes established products and finds ways to innovate their features beyond what the competition is offering, and Ask Mobile is no exception. You can see Ask Mobile exactly as it would look on a mobile phone by going to m.ask.com from any web browser. To get to it on your phone, you can go to the URL, or just head to ask.com and be automatically redirected. The home page has seven options… Source: Ask Launches Mobile Search Related Posts // //]]> Mobease Launches Mobile Search EngineNokia intros Mobile SearchYahoo Takes Search MobileYahoo! Mobile Search UpdatePromptu Brings True Voice Powered Search To Mobile PhonesRok Launches Mobile TV Service In USGoogle bolsters mobile searchYahoo links local search with mobile phonesFeeling a Little Lost?MobileCrunch Previews Mobease’s MobiFindIt; mobile search and a lot more… […]
Pingback by Ask Launches Mobile Search ~ Mobile Lifestyle | October 14, 2006
[…] Ask.com has just entered the world of mobile search. Yes folks, it looks as if Ask is really reaching for it this time. Ask.com launched their mobile search product at Digital Life yesterday, and I had the priviledge of running into Gary Price a few hours ago and getting a demo out of him. Ask is quickly getting a reputation as a company that takes established products and finds ways to innovate their features beyond what the competition is offering, and Ask Mobile is no exception. You can see Ask Mobile exactly as it would look on a mobile phone by going to m.ask.com from any web browser. To get to it on your phone, you can go to the URL, or just head to ask.com and be automatically redirected. The home page has seven options… Source: Ask Launches Mobile Search Related Posts // //]]> Mobease Launches Mobile Search EngineNokia intros Mobile SearchYahoo Takes Search MobileYahoo! Mobile Search UpdatePromptu Brings True Voice Powered Search To Mobile PhonesRok Launches Mobile TV Service In USGoogle bolsters mobile searchYahoo links local search with mobile phonesFeeling a Little Lost?MobileCrunch Previews Mobease’s MobiFindIt; mobile search and a lot more… […]
Pingback by Ask Launches Mobile Search ~ Mobile Lifestyle | October 14, 2006
Wait a few months or years. And just be lucky you get to be in Amsterdam. Lucky bastard.
Comment by Jason Schramm | October 14, 2006
[…] Ask fires up mobile search. […]
Pingback by Starked SF, Unforgiving News from the Bay » Blog Archive » Talk of the Town: Monday, October 16 | October 16, 2006
[…] When you type ask.com in your mobile phone, what do you get? Read my very positive review, or just understand that it automatically redirects you to a portal with web search, directions, images, business listings, maps, weather, bloglines, area code search, currency conversions, horoscopes and the current time. It uses straight-up normal HTML, so it works on every phone. […]
Pingback by » Gmail Mobile Application Released » InsideGoogle » part of the Blog News Channel | November 5, 2006