IAC Readies Mobile Search Service

IAC apparently doesn't really care much for the future of mobile search. It doesn't own any of the wordnumbers for its major brands, including Match (62824.com), Citysearch (2489732724.com), Evite (38483.com), or ASKMobile (275662453.com). The latter hasn't even been reg'd yet...any takers? ASK.com will certainly suffer when we all 'go numeric' - did you know yahoo and google have their wordnumbers set to go at 92466.com and 466453.com. Try them out! What is IAC waiting for?


May 11, 2007
WSJ.com

IAC/InterActiveCorp. plans to Monday launch a new mobile search service, Ask Mobile GPS, on Sprint Nextel Corp. that will combine services like Citysearch, Ticketmaster, Evite and Ask.com with global positioning system technology.

The new subscription service is expected to offer features like the ability to look up a user's location on a map and to send that location to friends, according to a person familiar with the matter. The application, expected to cost around $9 a month, will also allow users to search for local businesses and concert tickets.

It's IAC's most aggressive push into mobile to date and appears to fit with the New York conglomerate's desire to better integrate its wide array of more than 60 Internet brands, which include services ranging from dating site Match.com to Evite, a site designed to helps users plan events.

The service -- which was developed in partnership with WaveMarket Inc. -- helps round out Sprint's suite of location-based services, which include Sprint Family Locator, a downloadable service that lets parents locate their child's phone on a map in real-time, and Sprint Navigation, powered by TeleNav, a mapping service that offers turn-by-turn driving directions and real-time traffic alerts.