Yahoo! Launches Search and 'Sketch-a-Search' Apps for iPhone

MacRumors · Mar 23, 2010

Yahoo! today announced the release of two new applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, offering new tools to assist users with searches while on the go.

Yahoo! Search

The first application, Yahoo! Search, is a standard search application offering voice search, local results, maps, and personalized results.

Maximized for speed, the Yahoo! Search iPhone app revolves around an innovative interface that delivers contextually relevant results quickly and efficiently. A bevy of features -- tightly embedded maps, localized query suggestions that display as you type, intelligent search history, voice search, and rich content and information from Yahoo! and other sources that appear directly in the results -- creates an optimal experience for finding exactly what you need.

Yahoo! Search is currently available in 22 countries, with more on the way.

Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search

The second application, Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search is a simple yet creative map-based application for finding local businesses. Users can simply draw a circle around a geographic area with their finger and see businesses within their specified region.

Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search makes search even easier, without typing keywords or thinking about search terms. You simply draw a boundary on your phone's map to discover local businesses within that location. Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search delivers robust local content without people needing to know the neighborhood.

At launch, Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search is available only in the U.S. and covers only restaurants, but additional business categories and localizations are reportedly coming soon.

Article Link: Yahoo! Launches Search and 'Sketch-a-Search' Apps for iPhone

9822737 · Mar 23, 2010

I'll definitely be trying out the search app!

djpaetkau · Mar 23, 2010

Maybe it's just me, but it's pretty annoying that these apps are different things when they're both search apps. I love the sketch-to-search idea, but does it really need a separate app? Personally, if I want to look for things, I want do it all in one place, not crowd my phone with separate apps for every disparate type of searching. Why not allow me to do a voice search for a restaurant, then allow me to narrow down results (or expand them) by selecting the area i want to search in.

mattwolfmatt · Mar 23, 2010

Sketch to search is a great idea. Much better than what i thought when I read the title: you draw something on your iphone and yahoo searches for the item you drew. This is much better.

nagromme · Mar 23, 2010

Instead of a loop, Id like to be able to just paint a broad stroke with a finger and see businesses under my finger pop up.

pmz · Mar 23, 2010

Apple has really missed the boat with Sketch/Search feature. Would be infinitely useful inside Google Maps.

Guess we need an app for it.

mattwolfmatt · Mar 23, 2010

As far as I can tell, the "search to sketch" app is not for local businesses, it is for local restaurants only. I cannot find a way to search for non-restaurant businesses.

MacFly123 · Mar 23, 2010

pmz said:
Apple has really missed the boat with Sketch/Search feature. Would be infinitely useful inside Google Maps.

Guess we need an app for it.

mattwolfmatt said:
Sketch to search is a great idea. Much better than what i thought when I read the title: you draw something on your iphone and yahoo searches for the item you drew. This is much better.

Ya, I like the sound of that a lot. Good job Yahoo!

flash144 · Mar 23, 2010

mattwolfmatt said:
As far as I can tell, the "search to sketch" app is not for local businesses, it is for local restaurants only. I cannot find a way to search for non-restaurant businesses.

Not to be too mean ;p, but re-read the last few sentences of the story again.

Here 'tis, so you don't have to scroll back up:

At launch, Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search is available only in the U.S. and covers only restaurants, but additional business categories and localizations are reportedly coming soon.

vjl323 · Mar 23, 2010

What's that icon?

On the Avatar and the Slanted Door screenshot - what is that icon on the menubar near the battery icon? Looks like a keyboard and a phone handset. On the Avatar screenshot it is between the alarm clock and bluetooth icon. I don't think I've ever seen it before.

TIA,

/vjl/

wackymacky · Mar 23, 2010

So, in the search-a-sketch App;

When they include other biasness, if you circle a small area in, say NY city, 200+ listing will pop up, which you then need to sift though, or youll restrict the search to begin with.

Seems more like a gimmick than really a useful concept.

severe · Mar 23, 2010

pmz said:
Apple has really missed the boat with Sketch/Search feature. Would be infinitely useful inside Google Maps.

Guess we need an app for it.

I'm not sure what you mean here. Is it Apple or Google that's missed the boat? You're placing blame on the iPhone's manufacturer/OS for what an included 3rd party app is lacking, in your opinion?

Is this not another third party developer thats come to your rescue, on the same device/OS? What boat has Apple missed?

anthonymoody · Mar 23, 2010

LOVE Sketch-a-Search.

Thank you yahoo!

DavidLeblond · Mar 23, 2010

vjl323 said:
On the Avatar and the Slanted Door screenshot - what is that icon on the menubar near the battery icon? Looks like a keyboard and a phone handset. On the Avatar screenshot it is between the alarm clock and bluetooth icon. I don't think I've ever seen it before.

TIA,

/vjl/

Think it is VPN.

bretm · Mar 23, 2010

wackymacky said:
So, in the search-a-sketch App;

When they include other biasness, if you circle a small area in, say NY city, 200+ listing will pop up, which you then need to sift though, or youll restrict the search to begin with.

Seems more like a gimmick than really a useful concept.

Agreed. Google maps does the same thing, but not restricted to restaurants. Just go to your location, then search for something. Food, car repair, whatever. It'll pop up stuff in your area. I guess maybe you want to know about another area then go to that area of the map or enter a zip code with your search, or a city name, etc. NEVER had a need to draw a region. Kind of limiting anyway.

batchtaster · Mar 23, 2010

Oops. This doesn't look good.

Nothing else I search for returns results either.

App deleted.

Perhaps Yahoo should stick to finishing off some of their unfinished things like Messenger first, before they get all ambitious and try something else, when it's clearly out of their league.

EDIT: never mind all the separate apps, what about the duplicate apps? They also have Inquisitor, which looks to be basically the same thing, although it might actually work instead of being a joke app.

wiliamjoan · Mar 24, 2010

bretm said:
Agreed. Google maps does the same thing, but not restricted to restaurants. Just go to your location, then search for something. Food, car repair, whatever. It'll pop up stuff in your area. I guess maybe you want to know about another area then go to that area of the map or enter a zip code with your search, or a city name, etc. NEVER had a need to draw a region. Kind of limiting anyway.

Sketch-a-Search is brilliant, but what would be better is a way to tag why you selected a place or why you didn't go to another.I suspect Yahoo will have to go deeper in value as while there is some value here it can be replicated in minutes by the under-employed programers in Silicon Valley.

cybaster · Mar 24, 2010

The Sketch-a-Search app is very good. smart intuitive UI, someone in Yahoo is finally thinking outside of the (search) box.

but one thing that really stuck out was that it was using maps provided by Google. Really yahoo?

http://maps.yahoo.com

tbrinkma · Mar 29, 2010

cybaster said:
The Sketch-a-Search app is very good. smart intuitive UI, someone in Yahoo is finally thinking outside of the (search) box.

but one thing that really stuck out was that it was using maps provided by Google. Really yahoo?

http://maps.yahoo.com

You noticed that, too?

niuniu · Jul 5, 2010

Nice idea, but needs to have more options - like choosing the sorts of businesses you want to show up etc..

MarximusMG · Jul 27, 2010

The Sketch-a-Search app looks really useful! Might have to try that one out.

Yahoo! Launches Search and 'Sketch-a-Search' Apps for iPhone

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