IAC close to launching Ask.com mobile service
location based services
InterActiveCorp will launch in the coming days a new mobile application for its Ask.com Web search service to help consumers find friends, shops and services based on their location at a given moment.
The company said on Friday "Ask Mobile GPS," or global positioning system, will initially be available on No. 3 U.S. wireless operator Sprint Nextel through a deal between the carrier and WaveMarket, a company that provides location-based services for mobile phones.
In addition to regular search features and GPS-enabled maps and directions, Ask Mobile GPS will also offer services from within IAC's family of Internet brands, beginning with its CitySearch guide for finding customer-recommended restaurants and its Evite online party planner.
"The Web has evolved to being an essential daily tool in people's lives and that doesn't stop when you leave the house," Ask.com Chief Executive Jim Lanzone said in an interview ahead of the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit next week.
"At the end of the day, everyone needs to go mobile. But being early in the game can help lock people in for the long term," Lanzone said.
Mobile Internet services and local search services are viewed as two of the greatest growth opportunities for Web-focused companies, from Google to Yahoo as well as traditional media producers and communications operators.
IAC, controlled by media veteran and Web investor Barry Diller, hopes that an early combination of the two will provide a competitive advantage in developing a new market for the nearly 75 million people who subscribe to its various Internet-based services in the United States.
The company, home to more than 60 Internet brands, plans to bring more of its services to the mobile application over time, including box office service Ticketmaster, dating site Match.com and home listing site RealEstate.com.
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