Yahoo! has introduces a new idea in web browsing, and have iPhone, iPad and desktop versions, and called it Yahoo! Axis. The blog post Introducing Yahoo! Axis has a lot of detail about what it is and how it works.
Yahoo! Axis is a completely new way to search and browse the web. By supercharging the browser with a visually rich search experience and seamlessly connecting that experience across all of your devices, we are delivering an experience that will change the game. In its simplest form, Axis is a mobile browser available for iPhone and iPad, and a desktop plugin available for your favorite HTML5-enabled browser (IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari) that removes the friction from getting you to the content you want.
I’ll be honest, I’m mildly impressed with this, not blown away. It feels to me a bit like some of the early ’00s search engine wars, with people adding thumbnails, 3D, and throwing a bunch stuff at the wall to see what sticks. What I’ve seen from a few minutes with the desktop plugin for chrome, it really feels like one of those “that’s cool” things you play with for a few minutes and then go back to plain old Google.
The iOS app has some neat ideas, but since you can’t set the default browser to anything that’s not Mobile Safari, it’s almost a lost cause already (just like any other browser on iOS that’s not Safari).
Still, interesting and I have no doubt that it’ll find it’s audience.