Popular search engine Google not only dominates the web game but has taken to lead the mobile search domain as well, a report from Web browser company Opera said recently.

In its State of the Mobile Web report, Opera said Google continues to assert itself as a leader in mobile search in areas such as Southeast Asia, although competitors Yandex and Baidu continue to stake claim of Russia and China.

Yahoo, on the other hand, is particularly strong in Nigeria and Indonesia, the report said, placing a close second in the rest of Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, mobile search continues to grow in areas such as India and Nigeria, where search portal page views account for 16.3% and 26.6% of mobile traffic in the two countries respectively.

"Searching the Web via a mobile device presents an enormous opportunity for both search engines and consumers," said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera. "Almost all search engines are moving forward to offer relevant and timely information based on location. Yet, consumers prefer services from the search engines they already know and use.”

In the Philippines where mobile penetration clocks in at a strong 90% of the population, adoption of Opera’s popular mobile browser, the Opera Mini, continues to see growth as it registered a 353% climb from previous years averaging 705 page views per user, making it the number 3 country in terms of usage.

On popular sites visited by Filipinos, Friendster enjoys a safe lead in the country, but popular search networking giant Facebook continues to ease in, even taking the lead in neighboring country Indonesia.

As in previous years, Nokia handsets enjoy a safe place at the top in terms of preferred mobile phone brand, followed by Sony Ericsson. - John Mark V. Tuazon