Google top choice for mobile search, finding local shops
Google (GOOGL) is crushing the competition when it comes to Internet search on smartphones, a new survey shows. A survey of over 1,000 U.S. smartphone owners June 15-19 found that the “vast majority” find online information with their handset using Google search, survey sponsor Mizuho Securities said in a research report Thursday. “Although we believe smartphone owners are increasingly going to mobile apps for their specific needs (e.g., Google Maps for directions, Yelp (YELP) for restaurant reviews, etc.), it appears that the vast majority of users are still completing traditional search queries,” Mizuho analyst Neil Doshi wrote. “Google stands out as the clear winner in this scenario, given the Google search app, Apple’s (AAPL) Safari browser search and Google’s Chrome browser all utilize the Google search engine.” Apple might stop using Google as the default search engine for Safari when their current deal is up later this year, he said…