Yahoo Inc is close to clinching a deal to bring its online search service to customers of the mobile phone operator Orange.
The deal would be a significant victory for the US search engine and online portal as it battles for space on the mobile Web against its bitter rival, Google Inc.
Yahoo already has a deal with the mobile phone operator 3, but has been working to get its service adopted by other networks.
New battleground
As networks get faster, and the screens on mobile phones become sharper -- allowing pared-down Web pages to be viewed -- major Internet players are realizing that the next battleground for customers will be on mobile handsets.
There are already more than twice as many mobile phones in the world as there are computers, and the rate of mobile adoption, especially in the developing world, far outstrips the pace of PC sales. Many of the leading dotcom players already have standalone mobile-accessible portals and services.
Yahoo, for instance, already has a mobile version of its portal up and running in the UK. But the networks themselves can play a key role in driving traffic. The key is the power they have as the first point of contact when mobile users go online on their phone. In the lucrative world of paid-for search advertising, dominated by Google and Yahoo, this traffic can easily be monetized.
Working directly with a mobile operator also opens up the possibility of tailoring searches to a person's location, something that has long been seen as the holy grail of the mobile Web.
Google ahead
Google has already snapped up T-Mobile as a customer, and users of its popular Web 'n' Walk service -- which allows customers to browse the Internet and gives easy access to personal e-mail via mobiles -- are directed straight to Google's home page when they click on the service's icon on their phone. Google has also signed up with Vodafone but the two partners have yet to announce a product.
Some in the online industry had feared that Google would dominate the sector. But in June, 3 -- owned by the Hong Kong-based conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa -- signed up with Yahoo to offer a range of services over mobile devices including searches, Yahoo Messenger and e-mail.
Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has died of pneumonia at the age of 48 while on a trip to Japan, where she contracted influenza during the Lunar New Year holiday, her sister confirmed today through an agent. "Our whole family came to Japan for a trip, and my dearest and most kindhearted sister Barbie Hsu died of influenza-induced pneumonia and unfortunately left us," Hsu's sister and talk show hostess Dee Hsu (徐熙娣) said. "I was grateful to be her sister in this life and that we got to care for and spend time with each other. I will always be grateful to
REMINDER: Of the 6.78 million doses of flu vaccine Taiwan purchased for this flu season, about 200,000 are still available, an official said, following Big S’ death As news broke of the death of Taiwanese actress and singer Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), also known as Big S (大S), from severe flu complications, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and doctors yesterday urged people at high risk to get vaccinated and be alert to signs of severe illness. Hsu’s family yesterday confirmed that the actress died on a family holiday in Japan due to pneumonia during the Lunar New Year holiday. CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) told an impromptu news conference that hospital visits for flu-like illnesses from Jan. 19 to Jan. 25 reached 162,352 — the highest
COMBINING FORCES: The 66th Marine Brigade would support the 202nd Military Police Command in its defense of Taipei against ‘decapitation strikes,’ a source said The Marine Corps has deployed more than 100 soldiers and officers of the 66th Marine Brigade to Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) as part of an effort to bolster defenses around the capital, a source with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. Two weeks ago, a military source said that the Ministry of National Defense ordered the Marine Corps to increase soldier deployments in the Taipei area. The 66th Marine Brigade has been tasked with protecting key areas in Taipei, with the 202nd Military Police Command also continuing to defend the capital. That came after a 2017 decision by the ministry to station
PETITIONS: A Democratic Progressive Party official quoted President William Lai as saying that civil society groups are organizing the recall drives at the grassroots level Some civil society groups yesterday announced that they have collected enough signatures to pass the first-stage threshold to initiate a recall vote against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators in 18 constituencies nationwide, saying that they would submit the signatures to the Central Election Commission (CEC) today. They also said that they expected to pass the threshold in eight more constituencies in the coming days, meaning the number of KMT legislators facing a recall vote could reach 26. The groups set up stations to collect signatures at local marketplaces and busy commercial districts. The legislators their petition drives target include Fu