Online products and services major Yahoo! India has launched an SMS search facility that enables users to search the Internet by sending in a simple text message. This follows a similar move by search engine services provider, Google.
Yahoo! India's SMS-based search service, oneSearch, is a vehicle specifically designed for the Web. The product will enable users to search for city-based content, weather, local business listings and cinema among others over the net, Yahoo! India senior director (mobile products) Manish Dalal said.
The service is available through major operators including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Vodafone Essar, Idea Cellular and Aircel among others.
Users have to SMS their queries to Yahoo's shortcode – 58242 – to get information from the web.
According to Dalal, this service will improve mobile search and increase mobile usage in the country.
The country has around 200 million mobile users, and on an average they send 10 SMSes per day. This is the opportunity that mobile SMS provides, he added.
Earlier Yahoo!'s competitor Google had announced the launch of a similar service. The service was aimed at using search capabilities to help find restaurants, movie halls and other local help.
The shortcode for Google is 54664 and the service is currently available on Bharti Airtel, Aircel, BPL, BSNL and Reliance networks.
Newsgaze adds:- The SMS charge varies from operator to operator and could be anywhere between Rs 3-5. Check with your operator for the exact tariff. |
