Yahoo now on mobile

Yahoo Mobile app allows users to access news, e-mail, search engine and social networking sites.

By Konrad Foo, Contributor June 18, 2009 at 5:46 a.m. PT

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Yahoo has extended its portal to the mobile platform. At the imbX exhibition hall this week, the Internet giant showcased various functions and personalization features available via the new mobile tool.

Yahoo Mobile is accessible via mobile browsers, where users can visit the built-for-mobile portal to access news, e-mail, social networking sites and Yahoo Messenger.

The mobile tool supports over 400 Internet-enabled mobile devices, including the iPhone, where the application is available as a free download on Apple's AppStore.

Credit: Konrad Foo

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As shown, Yahoo Mobile allows users to access not only Yahoo's Web-based e-mail, but also other e-mail providers such as Google's Gmail and Microsoft's Hotmail. It also includes a section called Social Pulse, which lists social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Another section, called My Interests, where users can bookmark Web links and create a list of their favorite catogeries, such as weather information, stocks and horoscopes.

Vishweshwar S. S. Deo, an engineer at Yahoo, also showed how various other user preferences can be customized. Address book and calendars can also be synced from the phone to a PC.

Credit: Konrad Foo

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Daily news headlines are featured in a section, dubbed Today on Yahoo, as shown in the picture. Users can also view a mobile version of the Yahoo News site.

Credit: Konrad Foo

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Yahoo also showcased its search engine, which the company said can churn related and more detailed results such as cinemas currently showing the movie title the user keyed in. Called Yahoo oneSearch, the site roped in over 70 content providers to support this tool.

Turochas Fuad, Yahoo's Southeast Asia head of mobile, said oneSearch allows searches to be geological specific. For example, users located in Singapore will be provided search results that are Singapore-oriented, hence, providing these users added convenience. According to Fuad, 27 telecommunications service providers in Asia use the Yahoo search engine in their own Web sites.

Credit: Konrad Foo

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