Yahoo! App Search and AppSpot Take the Guesswork Out of Finding an App

The last time I needed a cab ride to the airport, I knew I was in for multiple calls to at least three or four taxi companies before I could find one available within 15 minutes.  So, I dove into the app store and its hundreds of thousands of apps to see what I could find.

I’d heard about UberCab, so I started there.  I downloaded the app, but after going through sign-up and registration, I wasn’t sure how I’d be charged for the ride.  I then searched some more and downloaded Taxi Magic and Cabulous. The Taxi Magic app scouted local cab companies for an available taxi, allowing me to pay the driver directly, so I booked and finished my search without trying the Cabulous app.

Apps are great in this way, but I did wish there was a better method to discover new apps, and find that one app I liked and could depend on.

The ratings and reviews in app stores help, but with 425,000-plus apps in the Apple App Store and 200,000 apps in Android Market, discovering new apps you like isn’t easy.   And what’s more challenging – if you don’t know the specific name of the app you want, finding the right app out of the tens of thousands of possibilities requires multiple searches, downloads, and general uncertainty about the quality of the app you download.

Mobile users rely on apps to continuously be informed and entertained, yet discovering new apps on a daily basis is still much more difficult and less intuitive than searching for Web content on the PC.

At Yahoo! Search, we think there is a better way – both for discovering personally relevant apps on a daily basis and finding the utility apps that help get the job done – regardless of the type of device or platform.

Today, we are introducing two fun, fast ways to search and discover mobile apps: Yahoo! App Search on the PC, and AppSpot, a new mobile application. Together, they take the guesswork out of finding relevant and interesting apps for users.

First, Yahoo! AppSpot, a mobile search app for iPhone, iPod touch and Android users, is packed with unique features:

• Daily Personal Picks:  Unlike ‘Top Apps’ lists that provide the same apps day after day, you’ll get new, personalized app suggestions on a daily basis, so you’re always introduced to the latest, most interesting, and relevant apps.

• More Precise Results: Using Yahoo!’s sophisticated search technology, quickly zero-in on an app by showing matching app titles as well as related keywords as you type.

• Related Apps: Discover similar apps within the “more apps you’ll love” section to find related apps that best match your needs.

• At-a-Glance Shopping: Review the price, overall star ratings, screenshots, and description all on one screen to avoid the endless scrolling.

• Fast & Easy Downloads: Direct links to the specific app pages within the Apple App Store or Android Marketplace make downloading an app a snap.

Second, we are rolling out Yahoo! App Search to provide the best of both the PC and mobile worlds –you get the convenience and speed to shop on your PC and the ability to easily download apps on your mobile device.

Yahoo! Search is continuing our mission to take search beyond just links to provide you with direct answers and great content discovery experiences – whenever and wherever you want.

Start discovering new apps today! AppSpot is available now for download on AppSpot for iPhone and iPod touch and AppSpot for Android. Or give it a spin on your PC at http://apps.search.yahoo.com

Anil Panguluri, Yahoo! Product Director of Mobile Search

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Yahoo! AppSpot for iPhone and iPod touch
Yahoo! AppSpot for Android