Suzan DelBene, vice president for Microsoft’s Mobile and Embedded Devices Division, declared on Monday that mobile search technology was the key to many markets, including some in Asia, because more users access the Internet via mobile devices than with PCs.
Picking up on what DelBene calls “huge opportunities,” Microsoft has already begun testing new mobile search technology.
Windows Live Mobile Search, which the company is testing in the U.S. and U.K., allows users to search for local listings, everything from maps, to shops to restaurant listings. A single click feature allows users to call any of the listings returned in the search results.
Although local searches will be the focus on Windows Live Mobile Search, the browser gives users access to webpages as well.
While Microsoft sees a big opportunity in the mobile market, it also sees big competition. Whether mobile blossoms or busts, one thing will be certain: Microsoft will face the likes of Google and China’s Baidu.com in yet another Internet arena.
According to DelBene, it’s a fight the company is gearing up for. In 2003, the company had dealings with only one mobile device maker and one operator. In the past three years, those numbers have increased to 47 and 100, respectively.
