Yahoo Releases Limited Mobile Beta

Yahoo has released a limited mobile beta for smartphones, with general availability in the second quarter.

Yahoo has said that it’s begun offering an updated version of Yahoo Mobile in limited beta, which will eventually become an iPhone application as well as applications for Nokia, RIM, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Motorola devices, not forgetting phones with Windows Mobile.

"We believe the new Yahoo Mobile will transform the way millions of mobile users around the world will interact with the Internet," Marco Boerries, executive VP of Yahoo, said in a statement. "Yahoo Mobile will enable users to create their own Internet starting point on their mobile device so they can better discover, connect to, and stay informed about the people and things that are important to them."

So what will it do? You can search editor-selected content, access e-mail and social networking sites, as well as instant messaging, address books, and calendar tools.

Meanwhile, the mobile Web and iPhone applications will offer search, buzz, and OneConnect, letting users access e-mail from Yahoo, Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail, and AOL. Additionally, it will feature Pulse for access to social networking sites, Yahoo Messenger, and Yahoo News, among other features.

The smartphone versions have the same functionality, and also Yahoo’s OneSearch with Voice.