Can Yahoo! Oust Google with new Yahoo Axis iOS Web Browser?

Apparently, Yahoo! is still around, despite Google having pretty much taken a stranglehold on search in general. But Yahoo! is not going to go quietly (I feel like we’ve said this before), and they’ve just released a new iOS Web Browser called Axis , which puts a fresh spin on how search results are displayed, and comes readily equipped with content syncing across your iOS devices and Mac.

From what we can tell, the main benefit of Yahoo! Axis is the replacement of text-based search results. In their place, Yahoo! has provided a pretty slick layout for visual representations of individual web pages. By displaying the results in an image carousel, Yahoo! hopes to offer a more intuitive means of finding what you’re looking for… It’s an interesting idea, but getting users away from the text-based results they’re accustomed to seeing may be a tall order.

Beyond that, Yahoo! Axis also claims to be a full-featured web browser, complete with syncing across platforms (iOS and Mac), as well as tabbed browsing and social sharing. That means you can continue to browse the webpage you have left off on your home iPad when you open your iPhone Axis browser, wherever you are.

I’m doubting if anything about Yahoo! Axis is going to rip people away from Mobile Safari, Skyfire, or what have you, but those with an interest in browser variations might find it worth a look—and who knows, maybe word will spread… There’s a browser extension for those hooked up with something like Chrome or Firefox on a desktop, so the Axis experience can be spread across all your daily browsing, should you find it worth it… It’s free to try, so there’s no reason to complain about Yahoo! trying to preserve some sort of mobile presence. The real question is whether or not anyone will find a reason to play around with Axis, or if Yahoo! will be left to age more or less gracefully.

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Devin Wieland

 

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