Windows Live Mobile Search hits V2
Back when Windows Live originally released Windows Live Search for Mobile, I absolutely loved it. Windows Live Mobile Search is a killer app, especially if you have a Windows Mobile phone. Version 1 of the application included tight integration with Windows Live Local, with support for both standard and aerial map views. The most powerful features, though, are local search and directions. You can search for addresses, restaurants, hotels, or whatever in your area and get directions to get you there. I can't tell you how many times it has helped me to figure out where I needed to go. Since its release in December of 2006, it has quickly become my favorite mobile application.
When I read today that they had released version 2, I was eager to check it out. Version 2 includes some key new features that really take this application to the next level.
Among the coolest of the new features in the Windows Mobile version of the application is movie showtimes. Windows Live Search will give you the showtimes for any movie at your favorite theater. So, there is no more scrambling around trying to figure out what time the movie you want to see starts; it's right there in your pocket. As if that wasn't enough, you can also see the ratings for the movie that you are considering seeing and get directions to the theater.
They also employed a similar strategy with their improved restaurant listings. The listing page includes consumer reviews and star ratings for the establishment in question. As always, there is a direct link to call the restaurant and directions to get there.
Windows Live Search for Mobile can either be used on Windows Mobile (2003, 5, or 6) or on J2ME phones. I am not sure how the J2ME version of the application is since I don't have a compatible phone to test it on, so if anyone wants to give it a shot, let me know in the comments.
Download Windows Live Search for Mobile (navigate here on your phone)
Harrison Hoffman is a tech enthusiast and co-founder of LiveSide.net, a blog about Windows Live. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
