Yahoo expands Mail and Messenger apps to Android

Digital services giant Yahoo extended its Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Messenger applications to Android smartphones, also introducing a Yahoo Search Widget for the Google-powered mobile platform. According to Yahoo, the Messenger app enables Android users to message friends, check their contacts' status and availability, and update their own status--users also can send instant messages via SMS and send photos. In addition, Yahoo Messenger leverages Android's multitasking functionality to send push notifications alerting consumers of new messages when the app is running in the background. The new Yahoo Mail for Android also boasts push notifications, promising users can easily toggle back and forth with Yahoo Messenger. Yahoo Mail additionally features email features spanning the user's Yahoo Address Book as well as the Android device's native phone book, as well as search tools and photo uploads. Both free applications support Android phones supporting OS 2.0 or newer.

Yahoo's new Search Widget for Android offers one-click access to Yahoo Search services--after the widget is installed, a Yahoo Search Box is added to the smartphone homescreen, incorporating voice search, auto-locate for location-relevant results and Search Assist for more efficient suggestions and recommendations. Like the new messaging apps, Yahoo Search Widget is available for free on Android devices running 2.0 or newer, but is limited to consumers in the U.S.

In related news, Yahoo introduced upgraded Yahoo Mail and Yahoo News sites for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch. The new sites leverage HTML5 technology, promising a richer, speedier browsing experience--Yahoo Mail also features a new layout incorporating visual effects and touch gestures. Yahoo said it expects to expand both sites across other Webkit-enabled browsers in the near future.

For more on Yahoo's new Android apps:
- read this release

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