Apart from Yellowpages.com’s new iPhone/iPod Touch-optimized search application, Yellowpages.com has made searching for local businesses on mobile devices even easier, with other new applications made specifically for those who like to take their local searches on the go.

They’ve created a free, downloadable mobile application for 20 AT&T handsets. This enhancement allows consumers to search easily for whatever they want local restaurants, ATMs, gas stations, airports, etc., and to save their favorite listings and locations for quicker access in the future.

The new auto-complete feature makes the search process For example, if a user has previously searched for “pizza,” the next time he or she types a “p” in the search field, the term “pizza” will automatically be prompted.

Consumers can also get maps and driving directions, in addition to options optimized for bicycling and walking. Users whose mobile devices are GPS-enabled can search near their GPS position, map their location and get driving directions from where they are .

Consumers can go to www.yellowpages.com/mobile and consult the drop-down menu to determine whether their AT&T handset is compatible. The application is free and can be downloaded in just minutes.

These new wireless applications join other successful wireless local search applications rolled out recently:
YP411
Consumers can send a text message to YP411 (97411) containing a business name or business type, along with a ZIP code or city and state, to receive up to three local listings returned in text message form. Consumers can initiate a phone call from the message or, on enabled phones, follow a Web link to see more information, such as maps and driving directions.
Optimized WAP Browser
Wireless users who type the www.yellowpages.com URL directly into their browsers will access a version of YELLOWPAGES.COM designed for wireless viewing. This means no text jumbling, access to legible maps and no irrelevant content, such as news headlines.
Send to Mobile
Internet users can send search results from YELLOWPAGES.COM to their wireless phones in the form of a text message, including driving directions.

These new applications are just a few of the recent initiatives that YellowPages.com has introduced to make it easier for people to conduct mobile searches, which is considered to be one of the fastest-growing categories in the local search arena. As I have mentioned before, The Kelsey Group’s U.S. Mobile Forecast estimates that the number of mobile Internet users will jump from 37.9 million in 2007 to more than 97 million in the next four years.