Move Over, Safari. Yahoo! Axis Wants to Be Your Next Mobile Browser
Yahoo! is determined not to be forgotten, officially throwing its hat into the mobile browser ring this morning, offering iPhone and iPad users Axis Browser, an alternative to the overwhelmingly iOS-dominant Apple Safari search landscape.
According to its iTunes description, Yahoo!'s Axis "allows you to enter your search, see and interact with the results, and find what you need without ever leaving the page you are on." I know from experience that trying to find something on my iPhone from a variety of results can be time-consuming, and I'm happy to say Axis delivers on this time-saving promise.
Thus far, the reviews in the iTunes store are overwhelmingly positive.
When I downloaded the app on my iPhone this morning, the first item of business was a lengthy user agreement, detailing what Yahoo! would (and would not) be responsible for, stating it would place advertisements to stay in business, and warning me that I would at some point need to create a Yahoo! account, which could cause my kids to get at my Yahoo! email if I didn't keep their prying eyes away.
Once I agreed to it all, I was ushered into a simple window, with arrows prompting me to search for something, swipe down on the screen anytime to see results, or sign in to my Yahoo! account, in order to use the sync-across-devices feature. (I expect a pickup of new accounts for Yahoo! based on this feature, a win for the flagging Internet search company still dealing with CEO issues while trying to find its voice.)
Intuitive, Scrolling Thumbnail Results
As I performed a basic search for Technorati, search results began pre-loading, building as I typed. Although pre-loading of search terms is a feature long-held by competitor Google, what is unique with Yahoo! Axis is that it also pre-loaded thumbnail images of suggested sites. This could prove extremely helpful to me when I am unsure of a web address, but I know a site by, well, sight.
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