Yahoo is bidding to boost its appeal among people browsing the web on the move, by launching a new browser that lists previews of a web page's content, rather than simply links.
According to Yahoo's director of project management for special projects, Ethan Batraski, the new browser, known as Axis, shortens the time taken for a user to get from their initial query to the desired result.
He described the regular search process as “an archaic experience”, and added: “We decided to get rid of the middle step, because nobody really likes the middleman.”
The app works as both a browser and a search engine, and incorporates features such as an address bar, and the facility to bookmark pages. Initially, Axis only searches using keywords and images, and the results do not include any advertisements.
According to Pcadvisor.co.uk, any structured content results, such as show times or sports scores, now appear across the top of the screen, and the user can swipe their screen to display lower-ranking results without reloading.
The results for Axis are provided via Microsoft, with whom Yahoo entered a search partnership in 2010. However, this has not been enough to help Yahoo keep pace with Google, and it now has about 14 per cent of the search market, according to comScore.
The app is currently available for iPhone and iPad, with an Android version to follow soon, according to Batraski.
