Yahoo! oneSearch 2.0 unveils user voice interaction

by Stevie Smith - Apr 3 2008, 12:57

Internet giant Yahoo! Inc. has this week unveiled oneSearch 2.0, the latest version of its award-winning search service, which is set to deliver several key enhancements that will allow users to perform much quicker searches via text and voice-based activation.

And, in a move to enrich the oneSearch experience and position itself as the chosen starting point for mobile customers, Yahoo! has also announced that it is to open the service to third-party publishers and developers for the improved integration of enhanced search result content along with the simplification of search input with Search Assist and voice-enabled search.

“With the launch of Yahoo! oneSearch in 2007, we revolutionized mobile search by re-creating search specifically for the mobile phone, focusing on answers, not just Web links.” said Marco Boerries, executive vice president of Connected Life at Yahoo! “With Yahoo! oneSearch 2.0, we are fundamentally changing the way consumers use the Internet on their mobile phones.”

The Search Assist component of oneSearch 2.0 looks to reduce type time when inputting mobile search queries by utilising predictive text to convey the most common search queries in real time to the user.

Yahoo! offers that a user looking to fetch search results on US democratic candidate Hillary Clinton will only have to type in “hil” for Search Assist to instantly suggest Hillary Clinton as a possible match, along with possible matches such as Hollywood blogger Perez Hilton, perpetual party girl Paris Hilton, and American singer and actress Hillary Duff.

Search Assist may make typed queries easier, but Yahoo’s voice recognition feature is likely to make input as easy as it gets. Specifically, Yahoo! has partnered with speech-recognition specialist vlingo to enable oneSearch 2.0 users to search for anything whatsoever by simply speaking their desired query.

The voice recognition feature includes aspects like wide-open mobile searching, which provides a host of relevant result matches, along with voice personalisation based on prolonged usage, and also multi-modal input allowing users to switch between speaking and typing at any time.

Yahoo! oneSearch 2.0 is available now for RIM’s BlackBerry smartphone devices (including the 8800 series) Curve and Pearl in the United States. Other mobile devices and international regions are expected to embrace the new version of oneSearch in the coming months.

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