Yahoo! has entered the mobile Web search field. It is called Yahoo! Go 2.0, a mobile service that available for users to download on more than 70 mobile device models from top cell phone makers. According to Reuters, this announcement was made from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This article also talked about a feature called “oneSearch” of this new mobile service that would enabled the users to get the information they need from a cell phone search, an enhanced directory of local businesses and maps as well as an easy system for sharing photos.

A great news is, according to the Yahoo! press release, Yahoo! Go 2.0 beta is available for consumers to download today on Motorola’s new MOTORAZR maxx V6 and MOTORAZR V3xx devices as part of the two companies’ ongoing alliance to deliver an optimized Yahoo! experience on the world’s coolest devices. In addition, beginning in the first half of 2007, Yahoo! Go 2.0 will be pre-loaded on selected new mobile devices from Motorola.

I believed this product strategy may help Yahoo! to acquire a large user base other than from the Web platform. Not only this, I think Yahoo! Go 2.0 will going to integrate with the Mobile Shopping Search beta, another product in beta version launched by Yahoo! As this Mobile Shopping is a search engine that restricted to shopping, this Go 2.0 seems to be an advance built-in technology on the mobile system. While this Go 2.0 still in beta version, I wonder why Yahoo! did not listed it in the Yahoo! Next directory. In fact, the creation of Yahoo! Next is to release the newest and coolest projects that Yahoo! developed to the public. Maybe this is not the right timing or Yahoo! has another plan in their mind. One thing that intrigued me is that Flickr™ photos and search is a built-in tool on this mobile Web search, I also wonder the photos found in the mobile Web search may well be used on the mobile as a good wallpaper. If Yahoo! allowed users to use whatever we search as personal use, what if Yahoo! launched MP3, video search on this Go 2.0, that’s an issue of copyright violation. Besides the Yahoo! Answers, I think Yahoo! can claimed them as a winner again because this innovation will bring them to outperform Google again in term of the user base that they going to acquire. I’m not talking about market penetration here, what I mean is Yahoo! has achieved a first-mover advantage for this product. First-mover advantage may not always determine a winner, but the user experience or touch will always make the big differences there. An interesting question to ask here, will this product integrate with the blog search feature in the future?

Simply put, Yahoo! Go 2.0 is a cool innovation. I strongly believed it is going to be the next generation of the service that launched for Symbian and Windows Mobile phones in this year.

Tags: mobile phone, Yahoo!, Yahoo! Go

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