I’m busy, busy this morning; can’t divulge details just yet. Since I’m swamped, I’ll keep this short and sweet. A Yahoo! Messenger update just launched and is entirely web-based. That makes me a happy camper if it runs on Windows Mobile browsers because the T-Mobile Dash IM implementation is really text-message based app. I found out the hard way after getting my bill; note to T-Mo: please don’t call something IM when it’s really and SMS service. ;) Unfortunately, I may be out of luck as the service appears to be Flash-based. There’s plenty of info on Yahoo’s Yodel Anecdotal site right here.
Also in the news is an expansion of Yahoo! oneSearch, the beta moves to five European countries and the full press release follows with the info. Back to what I was doing on the….oh…that was close. You almost had me there…..
Yahoo! Brings Reinvented Mobile Search to British Consumers
Consumers in 5 European countries and Canada Now Have Localized Beta Versions of Yahoo! oneSearch™ At Their Fingertips
London, UK. – May 3, 2007 – Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO) today expanded the reach of its popular mobile search service, Yahoo! oneSearch beta, to consumers in Britain. oneSearch reinvents search on the mobile and is designed to provide consumers with exactly what they want on their mobile device – instant, relevant answers. This beta version of oneSearch can now be accessed through Yahoo!’s mobile Web page, on any mobile phone with a browser and Internet access.
oneSearch leverages Yahoo!’s expertise in search on the desktop and mobile Internet services as well as relationships with leading content providers to deliver an innovative search experience to consumers.
“What consumers want from a mobile search is entirely different to what they want on the PC,” said Geraldine Wilson, vice president, Connected Life Europe, Yahoo!. “Yahoo! oneSearch is designed specifically for the mobile phone and understands what users are looking for on the move. Yahoo! oneSearch delivers relevant results with just one search, instead of a sea of Web links to PC sites."
Yahoo! oneSearch is designed to make finding information faster by providing relevant results right on the first page such as news headlines, images, weather, financial updates and easy navigation to other Web sites.
For example, if a consumer wants to look for local pizza restaurants in their area, they just need to type pizza and their area into the search box. The search results would list local restaurants including their phone numbers with click to call feature, distance to location, ratings and more.
Yahoo! oneSearch on Yahoo!’s Mobile Web service has advertising built into the experience, enabling advertisers to reach consumers on their mobile devices across major mobile operators. This further extends the reach of Yahoo!’s advertising services to the mobile environment. Consumers will be able to click on an ad to go to the advertisers’ mobile Web site or a landing page to get additional information about the advertisers’ offerings, including the ability to call the advertiser.
At launch, British consumers will be able to access content including local listings with phone number, distance and click to call facility as well as ratings, News, Finance, Weather, Image, Flickr™ and Web results. The company will add new content feeds over the coming months.
Yahoo! oneSearch launched on the company’s Mobile Web service US in March 2007.
Yahoo! oneSearch will go live in beta today in six countries, including UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and Canada. To try Yahoo! oneSearch on your mobile phone open your browser and type in uk.m.yahoo.com. For additional information on Yahoo! oneSearch please visit http://uk.mobile.yahoo.com/mobileweb/onesearch
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo!’s mission is to connect people to their passions, their communities, and the world’s knowledge. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
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