Google (GOOG) is launching a new service that will help mobile handset users search ringtones, games, and other content that consumer can buy from content providers.
Google will make money by allowing companies to buy sponsored links on the service. As The Wall Street Journal points out, the new technology could allow customers to by-pass their service providers like AT&T (T) to buy content directly from owners. AT&T and its peers charge fees as a commission for content that they sell.
If the service catches on, it represents another area where Google has moved at least one step ahead of Microsoft (MSFT) and Yahoo! (YHOO) in the race to move services from the desktop to the handset.
In this case the race does seem to go to the swiftest.
Douglas A. McIntyre
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