AOL launches mobile search

America Online this week launched a test version of a revamped AOL Mobile Search (or wap.aol.com on your phone), tapping Google for core search results with a variety of AOL sites playing key content roles.

The search offering includes content from AOL Web sites including Moviefone, MapQuest, AOL News and AOL CityGuide. Web-wide search is powered by Google, which also handles the search results on AOL.com. Embedded ads will be served by Third Screen Media, a recent AOL acquisition.

Mobile search is obviously a huge opportunity and--unlike the Web, where Google continues to reign supreme--remains an open game. Yahoo has weighed in on the mobile side with Yahoo One Search, while Google is competing with both Google Maps for Mobile (which has become a popular cell/smartphone application) and a new, in-development content/search service (reported last month by the Wall Street Journal). Cellular carriers, of course, offer their own integrated content and search portals, trying to take advantage of their network and handset customer relationships.

According to AOL, its new search product groups search query results into relevant categories, including local, images, Web and more. To add local search to the mix, users must input their location in a location box, which will also add maps and driving directions to search results.

Another feature is integrated Click2Call, which allows users to highlight a phone number on the site and have their phone call out to it automatically.