LAS VEGAS – Research In Motion and Yahoo! Inc. announced Monday an expansion of their strategic global alliance to bring Yahoo! Go for Mobile 2.0 to millions of BlackBerry users around the world.
Starting Monday, users worldwide can download and enjoy the beta version of Yahoo! Go 2.0 on select handsets including the BlackBerry 8700 Series, BlackBerry 7130 Series and BlackBerry Pearl. The companies also plan to make Yahoo! Go 2.0 available for future BlackBerry handsets and develop even tighter integration between it and the BlackBerry platform.
"Our relationship with Yahoo! continues to grow and to benefit mobile users that want to access Yahoo!’s popular services via the industry leading BlackBerry platform," said Jim Balsillie, chairman and co-CEO at Research In Motion. "Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo! Messenger on BlackBerry handsets deliver an exceptional experience that is representative of our strong relationship. We are pleased to be working with Yahoo! to bring new services through Yahoo! Go 2.0 to BlackBerry users around the world."
RIM and Yahoo! first announced their relationship to bring Yahoo!’s innovative services to BlackBerry users in early 2005. Since then, the companies have launched several Yahoo! services including Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger and Yahoo! Search.
"We have optimized Yahoo! Go 2.0 for BlackBerry and believe we have created an unmatched mobile Internet experience on their handsets," said Marco Boerries, senior vice-president of connected life, Yahoo!. "Together, Yahoo! and RIM have already successfully launched Yahoo! services to BlackBerry users through more than 120 mobile operators in almost 60 countries, and with today’s launch we are continuing to make it easy for people to stay connected to what’s important to them."
Yahoo! Go for Mobile 2.0 is a new mobile Internet application that makes web use easier for blackberry users.
For example, oneSearch recognizes the intent of a search term and presents relevant content – not just a list of web links to PC sites – on the results page, says the release. Results are grouped by subject making it easy to read through and drill down to get more details, says the release.
The Local & Maps widget gives users quick access to comprehensive local directory information for businesses across the U.S., enhanced with ratings and reviews from the millions-strong Yahoo! community. Interactive maps, driving directions and real time traffic updates help users find their way.
