Alltel JumpTap mobile search button pre-installed on LG8600 devices

Rating: It’s getting hot in here….

GoMo News predicted that there would be a white label mobile search come back and soon white label or operator branded search would win first place on the deck of mobile phones before branded labels such as Google or Yahoo!

This is the first deployment and a step in the right direction. But let us not get too excited. This is just one magnifying glass button on one mobile device. The LG8600 is a ringtone music device targeted at the youth market. It does not necessarily reflect the ideal target market for WAP users and in the short term a button directly to the JumpTap’s white label search will have little significant impact.

But it is a small step for white label mobile search and a giant leap for JumpTap!

From the press release:

“At Alltel, we are constantly striving to make the mobile experience simpler and more enjoyable,” Wade McGill, senior vice president of product management for Alltel Wireless, said. “We have successfully used dedicated keys in the past to provide content we wanted to make readily available, including games and ringtones. It’s been proven that the easier it is for subscribers to find applications, the more likely it is that they will be adopted.”

McGill added, “We believe search is really at the heart of the mobile experience and by putting JumpTap’s search solution right on the handset, our subscribers will use it even more often to find what they are searching for.”

“Search helps subscribers find content and information quickly and easily. The easier it is for subscribers to find the search application, the better the user experience,” said Dan Olschwang, President and CEO of JumpTap. “From our past experience we know that simply placing the search box above the fold on a WAP page doubles its usage. Putting it on the handset will multiply that further because it is even more accessible. Alltel has made a great commitment to the future of the mobile Internet by making search an integrated part of its offering.”

Related News:

1. U.S. Cellular Jumps on JumpTap for Mobile Search and Advertising
2. JumpTap wins group wide TeliaSonera search and advertising deal
3. CTIA: Dan Olschwang CEO Mobile Search and Advertising provider JumpTap
4. Ingenio and JumpTap unite search and pay per call
5. 3GSM: Jumptap and Surfkitchen showcase mobile search on on-device portals