Earlier this month, Bing released a lineup of search features that left Google out in the cold; Bing was allowing users to quickly find, install, rate, and otherwise interact with iOS applications – but not Android apps. Well, Yahoo! (the other half of “Bingahoo”), is resolving that imbalance by adding two Android-oriented features: Yahoo! App Search and AppSpot.
Yahoo! App Search
App Search is a new section of the Yahoo! site, easily accessible from the top panel of navigation options (e.g., Web, Images, Video, etc.). When you navigate to the Apps section on either the desktop or mobile environment, Yahoo! will search through the entire database of Android and iOS applications. Users can navigate to the appropriate OS using a simple “iPhone | Android” toggle at the top of the screen and can filter the apps to show only free or only paid options, as desired.
Apps are organized by price (free items are prioritized), relevance, and rating (as found in the Android Market and Apple App Store). Users can set the apps to be organized by rating only. A list of “trending apps” (which are currently popular) are also listed in an additional panel on the search screen.
Yahoo! AppSpot
For those looking to discover new apps while on the run, this Yahoo! application is a gatekeeper that may simplify the process.AppSpot, which is available for both iOS and Android, provides a search feature, daily suggestions, a “related apps” tab, quick summaries of applications, and direct links to application downloads. AppSpot itself is completely free.
While Bing may have decided to snub Android (intentionally or not), Yahoo! seems to be everyone’s friend – at least in the world of mobile apps.
[Sources include: The Yahoo Search Blog]
