Yahoo! Go compliments Windows mobile

Yahoo! Go 2.0 will now be available on mobile devices supporting Microsoft’s Windows, and will be supported by 175 different mobile phone models, as announced by Yahoo! on Tuesday. The move will allow Yahoo! to expand its internet user base to millions. 75 mobile devices from different manufacturers will be roped in for the purpose of distribution of Yahoo! Go services.

"Consumers have been clamoring for us to bring Yahoo! Go 2.0 to Windows Mobile devices since we launched the service less than two months ago," said Marco Boerries, senior vice president of connected life, Yahoo!.

Yahoo! Go is an application designed for mobile phones that allows users to access the internet through their phones-literally on the go. The services provided include oneSearch, a search tool that provides relevant data pre-grouped according to subjects, exhaustive local directory information for businesses across USA, interactive maps, traffic updates, weather updates, current headlines and news in Sports, Entertainment, and Finance.

Users can also customize their devices to receive content from the millions of sources on the Web that publish in RSS. Users can also upload and share photographs through the Flickr widget, along with browsing millions of images on the net. Yahoo! Go also allows the consumers to streamline their email while being on the run.

John O'Rourke, general manager, Microsoft Corp. has stated that, "Yahoo! Go 2.0 includes an exciting set of features that helps people access their favorite Internet content while being mobile."

Microsoft’s Windows Mobile, similar to the desktop Windows, is a compact operating system designed for mobile devices. It is based on the Microsoft Win32 API. Windows Mobile enabled devices include Smartphones, Pocket PCs, and portable media centers.

According to Ojas Rege, senior director of Yahoo’s mobile phone business segment, Windows mobile phone users tend to be data savvy. “They are a pretty attractive group of users both from the standpoint of being early adopters of new services and in terms of advertising demographics," Rege said.

The latest version of Windows mobile platform, Windows Mobile 6, was released on February 12, 2007. The earlier version, Windows Mobile 5 has been in the market for about 2 years. The Yahoo! Go application runs on both Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6. Currently, Motorola’s “Q” phone, Palm, Inc.’s Windows “Treo”, and Samsung’s “Dash”, are a few o the major devices equipped with Windows Mobile.

In an effort to distribute Yahoo! Go 2.0 on mobile phones, Yahoo! has struck deals with various top mobile phone manufacturers- Nokia, Motorola, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Research to name a few. Yahoo! has also agreed on a partnership with HTC, a Taiwanese company that manufactures Smartphones and PDA phone devices. HTC, with footholds in Europe, Asia, and USA, possesses strong R&D capabilities.

HTC is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of mobile phones equipped with Windows Mobile systems. This move will place Yahoo! on all new devices that the company makes. “HTC is always seeking new ways to keep people connected to their community of friends and personalized content while mobile,” said Peter Chou, chief executive officer of HTC, in a statement. “With high resolution displays and breakthrough designs, HTC’s products are the ideal platform for Yahoo! Go 2.0. We are pleased to offer users the ultimate Yahoo! Go 2.0 experiences on our innovative devices.”

Yahoo!, started by two Stanford graduates– Jerry Yang and David Filo in 1994, is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. The company was incorporated in 1995. Share prices of the company have increased by 21% this year.