Google mobile ads patent
Google apparently has a patent application out for advertising on mobile phones, according to William Slawski's SEO (Search Engine Optimization) by the Sea blog.
The patent application abstract says: "At least some ads may include call-on-select functionality," which would automatically dial the advertiser's phone number when the user clicks on a button.
Slawski concludes: "If the search engine is going to serve ads on mobile devices, I do like the idea that they will take into account small displays and slower connection speeds. I suspect that there's no way to avoid ads on a smart phone."
Already Google has been testing a new click-to-call service that lets people speak with some advertisers on Google's search results page. A Web surfer can click on a phone icon adjacent to an ad, enter his or her phone number and click a "connect for free" button and the phone will ring with the advertiser on the other end.
Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press. E-mail Elinor. 
