Mobile search, despite the presence of giants such as Google (GOOG), Yahoo (YHOO), Microsoft (MSFT) and AOL (TWX), is wide open. Any startup has as good a chance as any of the the big boys, just as long as they have cutting-edge technology and enough business acumen to capitalize on it. One such startup that is getting a lot of buzz is Boopsie -– yes, you read that right — Boopsie.
The company quietly launched at the recent Mobile 2.0 conference, but went largely unnoticed. And that’s a shame, for I ended up downloading Boopsie’s mobile search application to my Nokia N95, and I was impressed. The app supports all platforms, including the iPhone. After talking to the company — I am typing this while sitting in the airport in Las Vegas, waiting to get home — I like their approach. (It is not clear where the company is based, and their website offers no information.) They’ve basically created channels of content that might be useful.
The search query on Boopsie gets rolling with a “smart prefix” — which means that instead of typing out the whole word, you only need to type the word’s first few letters. Start typing “Caltrain,” for example, and you get a list of options to choose from, including the Caltrain schedule. I will get more details about Boopsie when I get back, but I am told that their technology has impressed many — Yahoo wanted to buy them, apparently — but right now the company is looking to raise Series A funding.
If the team is smart, they should try and position it as a solution for the wireless carriers, who I am sure aren’t too thrilled about Google’s mobile plans.
Folks if you try it out, please let me know what you think about this little mobile app.
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3 trackbacks so far
12:26 AM PT
[...] wrote an interesting post today on Comment on Boopsie Gives Mobile Search a Speed Boost by najeebHere’s a quick [...]
7:17 AM PT
Boopsie Gives Mobile Search a Speed Boost
Mobile search, despite the presence of giants such as Google (GOOG), Yahoo (YHOO), Microsoft (MSFT) and AOL (TWX), is wide open.
11:35 PM PT
[...] other than Om Malik of GigaOm wrote something good about Boopsie earlier this year. But since its launch Boopsie never really [...]
12 comments so far
1:25 PM PT
We have google mobile search. You cant beat them boy! Boopsie, you gona have tough time competing with google.
4:34 PM PT
I use BOOPSIE every day, and I must say that it’s the BEST and EASIEST search program I have ever used on my phone - including Google and Microsoft. It’s amazing how fast it finds stuff by my typing so few letters. It’s so different, I love it.
7:32 PM PT
Jeff Nolan tipped me off to this cool app. I installed it and have been really enjoying the experience. On the Edge network it kicks butt. Curious how it works on slower connections as it appears to round trip on every key press when doing the “smart prefix” stuff.
12:32 PM PT
Just installed and gave it a little test run. Holy fast. Im very impressed thanks for the tips
12:41 PM PT
Another good thing is it is GPS location aware
(link)
9:47 PM PT
i always thought you need a think application to do this right. long timers might remember palm pqa/ avant go, etc who tried to do this. now that web services are omni-present for most web sites, this is an easier task than scraping html. they are on the right track.
9:47 PM PT
think->thick, i meant.
10:12 PM PT
I’ve been happily using Boopsie for a few months, but when I read the first comment, above, I decided to give Google Search another chance. No comparison. Boopsie is amazingly fast. I search Wikipedia, Amazon, CitySearch, song lyrics, and more. Sports scores are fast to find and auto updated. Sometimes it seems Boopsie knows what I want to find before I do.
Googlers - you owe it to yourself to give Boopsie a try.
2:53 PM PT
Just tried it out…And it works great. Wish there was a way to integrate it with a mobile web browser. That would be real cool.
6:52 PM PT
i was skeptical at first, downloading something to my phone, but i did it out of the urging of my boss who insisted the product was amazing, and i do like it. the citysearch link enough is well worth it.
2:46 PM PT
I recently got put onto boopsie by a friend. I don’t particularly like downloading apps to my phone, but seeing how fast it was on my friends phone I took the chance. Now I use it all the time. From seeing if my flight is on time with flightview to finding info on wikipedia.
2:26 PM PT
Boopsie makes my life so much easier. Being a new Blackberry owner, I love how simple it makes my searches. Definitely download this great application!
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