Marketing Pilgrim

Both Microsoft and Yahoo announce big moves in the area of mobile and mobile search today.

Microsoft plans to upgrade its mobile Internet Explorer browser, according to an announcement released yesterday (no word on whether that’s just prank, though). Microsoft’s press release states that this will bring “desktop-grade Web browsing to Windows Mobile phones,” with enhanced features especially for mobile phones.

These enhanced mobile features include:

• browsing and bookmarking features (”Easily flag, delete or move groups of messages and keep track of conversations through threaded text messaging. Zoom in on text or pictures, or view an entire Web page at once.”)
• security features
• mapping features (”For any people in your contacts list/address book, immediately view their address on a map and get directions there” and “View custom maps of locations and events that are created on the PC by you, your friends, or the broader community.”)

The new version, which will have Adobe Flash integrated, is expected by the end of this year and will include updates for existing phones, including many Blackberries. (via)

Today, Yahoo is also making mobile moves in the area of mobile and mobile search. Their new announcements in mobile search today include:

• Search Monkey for mobile (Open oneSearch)
• oneSearch upgrades to oneSearch 2.0
• Search Assist for mobile, which will decrease the amount of typing you’ll have to do on popular queries.
• Voice oneSearch, which will also minimize typing on your phone.
• “Idle Screen” search, which integrates a Yahoo search box into your phone’s main screen.

In another press release (via), Yahoo also emphasized contributions to the overall mobile landscape, citing their

• Delivering essential mobile services indispensable to consumers’ daily lives;
• Releasing an open technology platform that overcomes the complexity of the fragmented mobile landscape;
• Creating a monetization engine offering sustainable value to all constituents.

However, the release appears to just reemphasize the developments they’ve already begun, rather than announcing new developments.

Naturally, the proximity of these announcements could easily spur debate over whether it’s the browser or the sites (or content) that will truly make a difference in the advancements of the mobile Internet. Yahoo’s announcements will clearly have an impact much sooner, but which do you think will have a greater impact?