Microsoft says yes to banner ads in mobile phones

Microsoft has announced that it will allow advertisers to serve mobile users with banner ads from now on. Advertisers will now be able to display banner ads to mobile users using Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail. However, this is restricted only to the users in the U.S., France, Spain, and the U.K.

By doing this, Microsoft has joined the list of companies like Google, AdMob, Yahoo, and Third Screen which serve banner ads to mobile users.

Microsoft also hinted that it might soon introduce keyword advertising service in Windows Live Search Mobile. Though the beta version is available in the U.S. now, Microsoft believes that there is still room for improvement and it might hit the market only later this year. Microsoft is also working on expanding its presence in mobile market and has made Live Search Mobile available in 49 markets.

It’s good to see that Microsoft has put the Yahoo fiasco behind and working to improve its position in the mobile market. However, with Yahoo going great guns and Google looking to leave no stone unturned for Android, it better be watchful.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Microsoft, Mobile Web.

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What does Yahoo - Microsoft deal mean for Google?

By now, I think everyone and their mother knows about Microsoft’s proposed buyout of Yahoo! And you should, because if it were to happen, it would be undoubtedly the biggest and the most important acquisition ever made in the industry. Now, what does this deal mean for mobile industry? A lot.

Firstly, we all know that Yahoo Go Mobile is a huge success and it’s really a brilliant interface which offers you the best of browsing experiences and the best of applications. Now, if Microsoft were to integrate Yahoo Go Mobile in its Windows Mobile, it could be huge. Though you can already download Yahoo Go Mobile on Windows Mobile, hardly anyone does. By integrating it into Windows Mobile, Microsoft could simply rejuvenate its Windows Mobile market and Yahoo could reach millions and millions of users effectively.

Yahoo Maps, as we know, is the market leader and when combined with Windows Mobile, it could be a potent rival to Google Maps.

Yahoo Mail, undoubtedly, is way better than Microsoft’s mail service and if integrated into Windows Mobile, could be a huge success. Already, Yahoo Mail is used widely on the iPhone.

When it comes to Instant Messaging, both Yahoo and Microsoft have winners in Instant Messenger and Windows Live Messenger respectively. When these two merge, they could cater to a huge market and be far more effective.

Yahoo already provides the widgets for iPhone and it has been popular with users. If Microsoft could use these widgets on its Windows Mobile devices, it would make them even more compelling for the users. Most importantly, Microsoft will be in a position to tackle the iPhone competition, which already uses Yahoo widgets.

Photos and Sharing would become far more comfortable and easier for the users, as they will be able to access Flickr and Windows Live Spaces, both of which are extremely popular.

Last but not least, if Yahoo and Microsoft did come together, the search app would become far more powerful and could pose a serious threat to Google’s dominancy in the search market.

So, a lot is being speculated on this proposed buyout and it would be interesting to see the developments from now on. It will also be interesting to see what Google does to face this giant of a competition. Interesting times ahead people, watch this space closely.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Yahoo, Microsoft.

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