Onyomo launches mobile search portal

The start up has launched a mobile search GPRS site for local searches in select cities in India

Onyomo, the start-up by IIT-Delhi alumnus Shailesh Mehta, has launched a mobile WAP (wireless access protocol) site for local search. The site can be accessed through GPRS on www.owap.in on GSM phones. The service is not currently available on CDMA. The service is also available via SMS, which works by sending keywords to a short code.

For now, the site will only be available in Delhi & NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Pune -- to be soon extended to other cities. The site allows mobile users to search in 13 categories including ATMs, restaurants and movies. Mehta says that the service has 85 per cent of the database in these categories, through tie-up with various information providers.

The company is also offering value services beyond search, on both GPRS and SMS. “We are making our search more interactive, and helping users refine their queries. For instance, in movie search, we return reviews and ratings on the query,” adds Mehta. Users can also call up the listed services directly, save the details for later or forward it to friends. Mehta also adds that the company is in “advanced stage of talks” for tie-ups with content providers for its services.

Onmoyo was launched in January 2006 with India’s first local search engine, O-Gyan, which is also available on SMS. The company also tied up with radio station Big FM earlier this month for its local SMS search on the station’s short code, 5454.

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