Yahoo has teamed with High Tech Computer (HTC) to put a suite of Internet software applications on millions of Windows Mobile handsets, the companies said Wednesday.
The deal puts Yahoo a step ahead of rivals with its Yahoo Go for Mobile 2.0. HTC, the latest of a number of companies Yahoo has signed on to use its software, is the world's largest maker of handsets that run Windows Mobile. The OS is normally found on the kind of high end smartphones that Yahoo is targeting.
"We don't have any kind of agreement with Google right now, but we do provide pocket MSN and IE on our Windows Mobile handsets and we will continue to do so," said an HTC representative.
Yahoo said it would put the gamma, or release candidate, version of the mobile software on HTC handsets. Previously, only a test version had been available. Once aoftware is ready for general release, it moves from gamma to gold.
Supporting Devices
HTC will preload Yahoo Go 2.0 on millions of devices, the companies said in a statement. HTC joins a host of other companies announcing support for the new applications, including Nokia, Research In Motion, Motorola, and Samsung.
Users can download Yahoo Go 2.0 for free on more than 75 Windows Mobile devices via a link at a special section of Yahoo's Web site. The site also offers a place for users to input their mobile phone numbers to determine if their handset can run the suite.
In all, Go 2.0 can be used on over 100 different mobile phone models, a number that will rise to 175 models in the near future, according to Yahoo. The company is aiming for 400 devices by the end of the year.
Launched early this year, Yahoo Go 2.0 offers users oneSearch, which serves up useful information for Internet searches instead of just a list of Web sites. For example, if a user types in "pizza," the search engine will display phone numbers for local pizzerias. It also offers a number of widgets including e-mail, local information, maps, news, sports, finance and more.
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