Taptu (www.taptu.com) is a new search engine for mobile devices that brings a unique proposition to the market: "mobile search made social". It is targeting the fast-growing mobile search market, which is being stimulated by rapid growth in mobile broadband and quantum improvements in the mobile internet user experience as pioneered by devices like the iPhone.



Taptu's beta service was unveiled in February 2008 providing a focussed mobile content & entertainment search service. It delivers more relevant results to users faster by using a number of techniques new to mobile search: harnessing social scoring for better ranking of content results; human optimisation of results for the most popular searches; and easy sharing of search results to friends via SMS, email and posting to social networks.



Founded by Steve Ives, serial entrepreneur and former CEO of Trigenix (acquired by Qualcomm in 2004) Taptu is rapidly expanding the depth and breadth of its coverage and is adding localised versions in several markets. Taptu's search technology will also be provided through mobile social network and other partners. At the same time it continues to innovate, adding to its current list of 15 technology patent filings.



Taptu has seen significant traffic growth since the initial beta launch. It is one of the very few companies to have launched a credible alternative to the direct-to-consumer mobile services provided by the existing desktop search leaders. The business model is similar to the existing well-proven desktop search advertising model, but adapted to the different requirements of mobile.