4Info Mobile Search Engine Analysis
Today at CES, SMS Search company 4Info launched a Mobile Search Engine which boasts “Single-Click” answers. We put the search engine to the test. Our attempts to download the search failed. We used a Motorola V1050 Device on the Vodafone Germany GPRS network as we couldn’t get a 3G connection in Rheinland Pfalz. After logging into live! we went to the “search category”. We typed in Google and then followed the “out of live” instructions and terms & conditions. We then typed in the URL and were directed to the download URL page. We clicked download but nothing happened. The second attempt navigated us to a page that said that the 4Info search engine was free – but we would incur operator charges for downloading. But the link to complete the download was missing.
Hence we had to test the portal via the rendered pages on the Internet. This makes it difficult to really analyse but does offer an example of what can be expected.
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Screen Shot |
Analysis |
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Browse 4INFO About Us |
The home page of the new 4Info portal is simple. There is a box with a Get Info button and an example of what to type. The example is essential for navigation. A search of simply “weather” in ineffective and the results asks the user to stipulate a postal code. Clicking on What sort of answers? Leads to a spider’s web of information (see below) that is difficult to read and understand. Using the search service is ideal for regular SMS users or for people that know what they want to find. We get you the information you are looking for in one click. We do not provide you links to pages that *might* contain the information you are looking for. Here are some things you can try to get you started: |
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Browse 4INFO Movies View All Services |
The movies section again is gentle to the eyes. The example Enter movie name and location or (m_nyc) is simple and easy. Finding a movie is easy on 4Info and definitely where the new engines strengths lie. The portal is similar to an SMS information feed. The answers are simple and to the point and usually concisely written. For example; the horoscope is on one line as are the chat up lines. The search engine can be easily manipulated back into SMS messages and it is evident that an SMS search company has designed the search engine. |
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View All Services |
The Shopping section was a bit of a let down. Using the service is messy. Typing a product code into the Internet with is tricky and this is the same on the mobile device. The way in which the search box is structured and the type of request required means that the number of clicks to type in the code is extremely large and lengthy. |
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