Fast Search and Transfer buy recommendation company AgentArts
Rating: happy families
by Bena Roberts
It slowly all comes together. In January 2006 Agent Arts teamed up with Infospace to help personalise mobile storefronts. In February 2007 AgentArts launched a new SocialCircles service. In March 2007 InfoSpace and Fast Search announced a partnership to work together in the mobile space. In June 2007 InfoSpace announced deals with Virgin Mobile and Verizon.
On top of all of this Fast Search has had a terrible year with losses such as Vodafone and Amp’d and we aren’t too sure about Optus anymore either. The biggest success of the year was with MTS in Russia.
So now Fast Search has purchased AgentArts.
What do we think?
Good move. Fast Search is shifting role from a software solutions provider and developer to also a facilitator. This means that its strengths currently lie in offering, sharing and partnering with services and companies such as MobilePeople and InfoSpace. Fast Search needs companies such as InfoSpace and Mobile People and it must now continue to broaden its horizons and services so that it remains effective and on its toes.
But we predict that this won’t be the last acquisition from FAST. I remember a couple of years ago I interviewed FAST’s charming and insightful CTO Bjorn Olstad after Fast Search had been eyeing up but lost out on acquiring Motion Bridge by Microsoft. I wonder now if Fast Search would be in a stronger position in mobile if it had purchased Motion Bridge – because Microsoft, I believe has failed to capitalise on the company.
We will be covering this in greater detail in the Mobile Search Analyst and Annie Turner recently interviewed Fast Search’s Mike Brady and asked the question, “Is Vodafone still talking to you”. To read his reaction to that question and the rest of the interview see The Mobile Search Analyst.
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