Lycos claims first Wap-based search device

Web portal Lycos has launched a wireless initiative which it claims includes the first internet search facility for Wap users.

Lycos Anywhere enables users to access the Lycos Network from a variety of devices including personal digital assistants and Wap phones.

Users can access information from their personalised My Lycos web page which also provides daily weather reports, news and sports headlines, as well as daily horoscopes, stock quotes and other financial information. Users can also opt to have the information automatically beamed to the device of their choice.

Jason Pavona, director of wireless strategy at Lycos, said: "Lycos Anywhere lets the user decide what information is most important, and that information is formatted specifically for each device, maximising the efficiency."

The Wap-based search facility is expected to be launched in August. Besides searching a directory of Wap-enabled pages, Lycos users will also have access to a driving direction and business locator service.

Lycos is currently being acquired by Terra Networks, the internet subsidiary of Spanish telco Telefonica, in a stock-swap deal valued at $12.5bn. Terra and Lycos together boast 50 million unique internet users, and have operations in 37 countries throughout North America, Latin America, Asia and Europe.

Separately, Lycos launched its Hindi-language portal today at www.LycosAsia.co.in. The site will provide email, chat and access to local news in the native language. The expansion into Asia follows similar moves by Yahoo, Alta Vista and Microsoft, with the latter planning to expand into India in the near future.