Google signs wireless content provider in Asia

The company said that users of Chilipadi.com, a new wireless content provider in Malaysia, will be able to access Google's wireless search engine through most wireless devices.

The partnership lets Chilipadi users search an estimated 2.3 million wireless Web pages. Google also says wireless customers can view any of the 1.3 billion wired Web pages using the same search engine.

The deal not only marks Google's first Asian wireless client, but spokesman David Krane said he thinks it may be the first deal of its kind by any American company.

Chilipadi, about two months old, is mainly a content provider and starting point for wireless customers in Malaysia and Singapore. The company is not saying how many registered users it has.

The latest deal adds to the growing list of Google's wireless foray. Its biggest client so far is Palm, which chose Google as its default search engine on the MyPalm portal. It's also the default search engine for OmniSky and Nextel.