Yahoo Steps Up Push Into Mobile-Software Arena

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- In a move to grab ground in the emerging mobile arena, Yahoo said it will launch on Friday an improved version of its suite of software for cellphone users in the U.S. and unveil test versions in 13 other countries.

The Sunnyvale, Calif., Internet giant will also announce pacts with six mobile carriers in Asia to use its oneSearch Web-based search service as the default engine on their mobile portals.

"We have a very clearly stated goal, which is to be No. 1 in mobile," said Lee Ott, director of mobile product management at Yahoo. "We're making a major push to get the service out in everyone's hands."

Ott predicted that "2007 is going to be the tipping point for mobile," because finally "the phones are good enough, the networks are good enough and now, with the new Yahoo Go, the products are good enough."

Yahoo's downloadable Go for Mobile application, which has been in test mode in the U.S. since January and, Yahoo said, has been requested by more than 3 million people, makes a number of Yahoo's Web-based services for computer users available from mobile devices.

Go will be released with several key improvements, the company said. Yahoo Mail users will be able to open many common attachments, including Word, Excel and PDF files, in addition to the basic text and image files they could view previously. They will also be able to access and file emails in folders.

The new Local and Maps service will offer satellite maps, satellite maps overlaid with street names and real-time information on traffic conditions. There will be shortcuts for finding the location of ATMs, restaurants and other places people often search for while on the road. And the software will use global positioning system technology embedded in certain high-end devices to help those users find nearby establishments more easily.

Go users will also be able to access Yahoo's calendar service, and address book users will be able to, with a click, call people in their address book and get driving directions and maps to their street addresses.

And in its effort to expand outside the U.S., Yahoo said it would test launch localized versions of the service in Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, Thailand and Vietnam.

Worldwide, Go will work on more than 200 phone models by the end July and 400 models by end of the year, Yahoo said, though availability to consumers will also be subject to the agreement of their wireless carriers.

The six Asian mobile operators that Yahoo inked search deals with are Globe Telecom in the Philippines; Idea Cellular in India; LG Telecom in Korea; Maxis Communications Berhad in Malaysia; PT Telekomunikasi Selular, or Telkomsel, in Indonesia; and Taiwan Mobile in Taiwan.

-By Riva Richmond, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5670; riva.richmond@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires"

Posted to the site on 20th June 2007