Yahoo Ships App Search Engine, AppSpot iOS App

Yahoo has launched two new search options aimed at mobile apps. The first is a web engine, App Search, which lets visitors comb through iPhone and Android titles. When not using keyword search, browsing is divided into categories like News, Games and Social Networking, and further highlights free, paid or top-rated apps. Selecting a title displays not only typical information such as pricing, images and user reviews, but recommendations and in some cases Yahoo reviews.

The other option is a new iOS  app, AppSpot. Functionally it serves a similar purpose to App Search, but with a narrower platform focus and some feature additions. These include personalized picks delivered daily, and the ability to jump straight to an App Store download page.

Yahoo is promising to expand search options later on. People will, for example, be able to search for native iPad apps, as well as web apps connected to services like Twitter and Facebook. There are no definite plans for any other platforms, such as BlackBerry.