Product designed to simplify mobile searching across many devices, initially the iPhone and iPad

Yahoo has been the least visible of the web majors on mobile platforms, but it aims to make a new bid for glory, unveiling the Axis mobile browser and search tool.

The product will run on smartphones and tablets and promises to simplify searches on such devices, being released initially for the iPhone and iPad. It offers previews of web sites at the top of the screen so users can interact with their search results without leaving their current page. Yahoo will also offer a plug-in for browsers such as Google Chrome and Apple Safari.

The firm, which recently refocused its struggling business more firmly on its content portal, will have a tough battle to raise its profile on the handset, especially in search, where Google has about 67% share in the US. According to comScore, Yahoo search, which is powered by Microsoft Bing, had 14%. Now the portal provider aims to add value to its experience to attract more users, especially on mobile gadgets. "We've been hard at work making the next big step in search and changing the landscape of search," said Shashi Seth, SVP of search products at Yahoo. "This product clearly will demonstrate that."

Features of Axis include a streamlined approach for moving through results, involving fewer clicks than conventional processes, and once users log in, the tool remembers their recent searches and bookmarks even on a different device.

Yahoo recently named Ross Levinsohn as interim CEO after Scott Thompson stepped down after failing to correct errors in his academic record, and citing ill health.