vTap to unseat YouTube on iPhones

Now that the iPhone's been unlocked [1], the proverbial door is open to all comers, including a mobile search software specialist by the name of "Veveo." The company's product, vTap, is a text-based video search engine designed specifically for mobile devices. Apple currently has a deal with Google to make YouTube content exclusively available on iPhones.

Rafe Needleman reviewed vTap for Webware and said the application worked better on his Blackjack than on an iPhone. The search results were the same, he said, but the interface was "clunkier" and the search slower on the iPhone, Needleman said. Gear guru Om Malik said the service was "quite accurate, and in my opinion, impressive."

Veveo was launched in 2004 by Murali Aruvamudan, co-founder of Winphoria Networks, a wireless switch maker purchased by Motorola in 2003 for $172 million. Aruvamudan has raised $28 million for Veveo in two rounds of funding; one three years ago and another that closed in May, according to VentureBeat [2]. Investors include Norwest Venture Partners, Matrix Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners and OmniCapital Group.

Sept. 10 is the release date for both vTap and iPhone users roped into the YouTube stash.

For More:
- Needleman's Webware review is here [3]
- Om's assessment is here [4]
- The vTap site is here [5]
- Apple's YouTube arrangement is described here [6]