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Yahoo Updates Its Mobile Application Suite
Yahoo didn’t want to let Microsoft have all of the fun. Tomorrow at 11am, Yahoo will announce some updates to its mobile applications.
The first piece of the announcement will revolve around the Yahoo Go mobile application and that it’s opening up to developers. Sounds like a platform to me! They have some big names on board for the launch including: eBay, MySpace and MTV. A SDK will be coming soon as well to continue expansion of the platform. Yahoo claims that any widgets you create will be seen by millions of consumers.
Next up is a redesigned mobile homepage. Yahoo says this will work best on "high end mobile browsers" which is basically the iPhone, a couple Nokia phones and a couple Windows devices. The majority of users won’t get this updated version. The key features include: updates since your last visit, customizable content and quick links. I can only imagine what will appear in the quick links.
Lastly Yahoo is launching a beta of Go 3.0. The updated application will have improved performance and enhanced user experience, everything you would expect in an upgrade. Widgets seem to be the majority of the news on this updated version. That, and the note that advertising will be included in this version.
Yahoo got it so wrong with the ‘upgrade’ from Go 1.0 to Go 2.0 that I shake with fear as I think of the horror in store for their remaining mobile users tomorrow.
I was never very impressed at all with Go 2.0; with its lack of speed and fiddly interface, it was never fit for the purpose of quick use on the street. You’d be waiting twenty seconds just for it to connect, then further lengthy delays when loading any information and this was on a fairly recent Nokia phone on a fast 3G network in Britain.
Google seems to get it fairly right when it comes to mobile apps; their Maps package is excellent and Mail isn’t far behind, although I prefer just to use the mobile website for that. I think the mistake Go! makes is sticking everything in the one app. If I want to check my Y! email, why make me sit through the loading of news, weather, search and so on?