Mereja

Category: Mobile

  • Google Launches Custom Search For Smartphones

    Google has launched Custom Search for smartphones. This means that if you own a site and add a Google Custom Search box to it, it will format search results to fit the screens of supported mobile devices.

    The following devices are supported:

    – Android-powered phones
    – iPhone
    – iPod Touch
    – Palm Pre

    When users search on a site with Google’s Custom Search box, they are redirected to a Google-hosted Custom Search results page created specifically for the siteowner’s custom engine. If webmasters would rather serve the results from their own site, however, Google does give that option. They can host their own version of the mobile Custom Search home page.

    Googel Custom Search for mobile

    "You can test this out on your phone right now. Here are a few samples: search for user-generated content (e.g., search for "zakumi") from sites like Wikipedia or Knol, or look for more information on Custom Search (e.g., search for "promotion")," says Google Search Group Product Manager Rajat Mukherjee. "As you can see, Custom Mobile Search results can match the look and feel of your own website, and we’ve enabled interactive features, such as label tabs for navigation, as well as promotions."

    More information about setting up custom search for mobile can be found here in this post from the Custom Search blog.

    The addition of custom search for smartphones should make a lot of people happy. The company says one of its most requested features in a Product Ideas survey was about enabling a mobile version of custom search. Google says that more features will be coming soon.

  • Apple Is More Valuable Than Google

    googleapple Did you notice that today Apple became more valuable to the stock market than Google? The iPhone maker now has a market capitalization of $183 billion vs. $174.5 billion for Google. What does that mean to me?

    For starters, people believe that Apple can continue to defy gravity. Secondly, when it comes to growth, people believe focus is the right approach. What do you guys think?

  • Will the Pre Bask in a Verizon Ad Blitz?

    palmprePalm’s App Catalog took another step toward maturity as the company opened an online version of the store, allowing consumers (and, just as importantly, potential users) to browse through webOS offerings on PCs in addition to their handsets. While the move was entirely expected, it is sure to raise awareness of the platform among both consumers and developers. But the real test for webOS — and for Palm as a company — will come early next year when Verizon Wireless launches the Pre.

    The Pre’s momentum has dissipated since its June launch on Sprint’s network, and Palm last month had to raise roughly $313 million for working capital and general corporate purposes with a public offering of 20 million common shares of its stock. But while the company could get a boost from the Pixi — an affordable webOS handset aimed at younger users and scheduled to hit the market in time for the holidays — Verizon could play the role of Palm’s redeemer. The nation’s largest carrier operates arguably the best network around, and Verizon has consistently demonstrated its acumen at marketing smartphones.

    But it’s that latest factor — marketing — that’s a concern. Verizon is already promoting the Droid with an impressive ad blitz, and it’s likely to back the upcoming Storm 2 with some serious marketing muscle as well. It’s possible the Pre could get lost in Verizon’s suddenly impressive smartphone portfolio. If Verizon chooses to invest heavily to promote the Pre, the handset could be a huge hit. If not, Palm’s days may be numbered.

  • Google Phone and Music Service Both on the Way?

    Update: Peter Kafka at All Things Digital says Google is partnering with iLike and Lala on the music service, which is being called "OneBox." He writes:

    The search giant is working on a new service that will provide searchers with streaming music, which sounds a whole lot like a content play at first blush. But Google will only be offering limited bits of music, and it will be using other companies to actually provide the tunes.

    Sources describe the service, which will be called “One Box,” as a refined set of answers for music queries. The idea: Punch in, say, “Madonna,” and you’ll be presented with one or more songs, which may be partial clips or full-length versions, then guided to other sites where you can purchase the music.

    Original Article: Google is reportedly working with an unknown smartphone manufacturer to launch a Google-branded phone that would be available through retailers rather than telcos. This information comes from an analyst who claims to have spoken with Google’s design partners.

    "The move would fulfill Google’s pledge to bring a new generation of open-standard mobile Internet devices to consumers," reports Scott Moritz with TheStreet.com. "By bypassing the carriers, who keep tight controls over the features and applications that are allowed on phones, Google will presumably offer a device that lets users determine the functions."

    The company also allegedly has a new music service on the way. Mike Arrington at TechCrunch (which has been known to miss the mark a time or two in the past), claims that he has has "heard from multiple sources" that Google has been securing content from major labels for a service called Google Audio. According to Arrington, the service would be available for at least U.S. users.

    Arrington Says Google Music Service Imminent

    If the phone and music service both come to fruition, Google is set to have a huge year for new products. The world is still anticipating the release of the Chrome OS, which the company announced back in July. And Google Wave is "making waves" throughout the tech industry. Some have deemed it "the next big thing" in online communication, while others remain skeptical of this notion.

    Either way, it’s safe to say that Google has a lot going on (as usual), and if even one of these products lives up to what it could be, those impressive numbers Google released last week are bound to be indicative of an ongoing trend with the company. Ok, even if none of these products work, the trend may still continue.