As Matt reported on 31 Jan 2008, Google released enhanced mobile search in the UK. Since the official release of the application on February 21 I've been playing with the Symbian S60 incarnation on a Nokia n95 8gb. Here's what I found:

The claim by Robert Hamilton (Google Mobile's Product Manager) that using the ‘phone app, rather than opening a web browser, reduces the initial search time by 40% is bang on- comparably it is incredibly fast.

Installing it is a doddle. From your ‘phone go to Google Mobile and download it.

Once installed there's a default option to use a screen shortcut:

...but I preferred to disable it and place a shortcut in the active standby apps toolbar (I found that the screen shortcut can get in the way if you've a long list of reminders):

If you're a geek, like me, there's a certain amount of satisfaction from seeing that little ‘G' logo on your ‘phone. But does it justify it's existence? In use it has so far performed flawlessly. The search screen is well rendered and character input has no lag:

When you get your results- how long this takes depends entirely on how you're connecting to the web (I mostly use wifi)- there is an option to zoom out or rotate the page to get the best view:

 
 

 
 

Maybe the most interesting factor with this app is the ease with which you can you specify your location:

     

As you would expect the results come back in a standard Google Mobile format:

...with a maps result just one click away:

Knowing that local search is available in such a slick package on a mobile device only goes to reinforce the need for sites to be optimised for searchers with local intent. I know that I'm a geek, so this technology is something that I wholeheartedly espouse, but seeing as it so easy to work with I'm confident that it will see mass adoption.

By tapping in to, and embracing local SEO you too could reap the benefits from local/mobile search.