Norwegian software firm Opera has revealed it has chosen Google as the default search engine for its Opera Mobile and Opera Mini web browsers, despite having previously entered into a similar agreement with Yahoo!.Yahoo! stated that the termination of its agreement with Opera, which was announced in January 2007, was its own initiative, although it did not provide details as to why the decision had been taken.
In a statement, the search engine provider said: "Yahoo! has elected not to continue its mobile search partnership with Opera at this time.
"Consumers with Opera browsers will continue to have access to Yahoo! oneSearch and as long-standing partners, Opera and Yahoo! will continue to work together."
Meanwhile, under the agreement with Google, users of Opera Mobile and Opera Mini will be able to access Google's mobile search directly from their browser start page.
The two companies already have a long-term relationship, with Google having been the default search option on Opera's desktop browser for seven years.
Commenting on the new deal, Jon von Tetzchner, chief executive officer of Opera, stated: "Google and Opera have established a valuable relationship over the years and we look forward to continued collaboration on mobile products.
"With 2008 poised to be the year the mobile web goes mainstream, Google and Opera are extending this collaboration to give our users immediate access to the quality and convenience of Google's search results."
