Again I’m looking apologetically at my AT&T Tilt, but Android has boiled down searching the internet or a handset into one button push. On the HTC Hero there is a dedicated Search button on the front of the handset that brings up the Google Search field on the home screen or any panel. After a search term is entered, the number of hits auto-populate in a pull-down menu. Then, the browser goes straight to the full web browser Google search results. The search button also searches trending topics through  HTC’s Twitter app, Peep, the Android Market, and anything else on the handset depending on what application is open.

Now I wonder why Microsoft wants to introduce an upgrade to Bing Mobile, an app that for all intents and purposes searches the internet like Google Maps.  Whatever happened to polishing Pocket Internet Explorer to the point where it’s used for more than just downloading another browser like Skyfire, Fennec, or NetFront? Bing is a quick and easy search provider to use on a desktop, and the Internet Explorer Bing search add-on is handy for a quick spell or grammar check, but if Bing continues on it’s current mobile path as an app it’s doomed redundancy. I’m hoping those other “exciting announcements” regarding Bing will aim higher than Google Maps at least. Until then, I’ll continue to search through Google Maps or a mobile browser.

Source: Windows Mobile Training

Marilyn Torres (39 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

Marilyn Torres is a contributing blogger for Mobility Site. She also blogs about movies, books, comics, and recipes at her personal blog, marit.vox.com. Marilyn has a Bachelor of Arts in English and currently lives with her other half, Cavalier-Poodle, and tabby cat in Central Florida.