Yahoo! is planning to release an android smartphone. The device is made by Sharp and targeted to folks in Japan. It would have a custom user interface skin and of course, Yahoo! as the main search engine.

The handset is heading to SoftBank Japan as the Yahoo Phone. It features 1 Ghz processor, a 4.0″ qHD display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and a 8MP shooter. When the customers purchase the handset, they will received Yahoo Premium for 2 years free.

[via AndroidCommunity]

The plans will starts from T-Mobile myTouch HD and currently have been submitted to the iTunes App Store for review. It’ll reported to work both on WiFi and 3G, not left out those devices that could operates Yahoo! Messenger, including webcam-equipped PCs. It’s quite a news to heard. Now, everyone can call their friends or love one via video no matter how far they are.

[via Engadget]

the Alcatel One Touch Net is manufactured by TCT Mobile, and it’s heading to India next month. It has the same body as RIM’s BlackBeryr, but definitely not the same aesthetics. It has the same full, physical QWERTY keyboard, and it’s rocking a “special optical trackpad.” We have no idea what that means, or what makes their trackpad special, but hopefully they’re not just trying to throw some fancy words in there for good measure.

The handset also features a 2.4-inch display, integrated FM radio, EDGE connectivity, a 2MP camera on the back, and 80MB of internal memory. As for those Yahoo! services? You get Yahoo! Search, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! Social Pulse, Yahoo! Address Book, and access to Yahoo!’s Calendar and Flickr. As we just mentioned, it’s heading to India in June, and it’s going to cost under $100. It will also get launched in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam later this year.

[via UnwiredView]

The collaboration deal will see a large collection of Nokia’s services fused, and in some cases replaced with, Yahoo! services. For example, Yahoo! Maps is going to be “powered by” OVI, and Nokia’s devices will be the sole proprietary handsets providing Yahoo! Maps around the world.

And then you’ve got OVI services like Mail and Chat are now going to be “powered by” Yahoo!. You’ll be able to log into all of the services from one location, using OVI ID, which should hopefully make it easier for everyone wanting to use the services. (And no, you don’t get a choice.) The first markets to get the services will be getting them in the second half of this year, and it will rolled out gradually over the course of 2011.

Press Release:

Global strategic alliance enables industry leaders to leverage strengths in e-mail, instant messaging, maps and navigation across PC and mobile devices

New York, NY, USA – Today, Yahoo! and Nokia announced a worldwide strategic alliance to extend the reach of their industry leading online services and offer people rich experiences that keep them connected to their world and the world around them.
Building on more than five years of collaboration, Nokia and Yahoo! ® will leverage each others’ strengths in e-mail, instant messaging and maps and navigation services, to provide consumers with access to world-class experiences on both PC and mobile devices.
As part of the alliance:

- Nokia will be the exclusive, global provider of Yahoo!’s maps and navigation services, integrating Ovi Maps across Yahoo! properties, branded as “powered by Ovi.”

- Yahoo! will become the exclusive, global provider of Nokia’s Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat services branded as “Ovi Mail / Ovi Chat powered by Yahoo!”

- Nokia and Yahoo! plan to work on ID federation between their services, beginning by making it easy for people to use their Ovi user IDs across select Yahoo! properties to easily access the online content and services they need.

“Delivering great user experiences — both online and on your mobile – is what this alliance is all about,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO, Nokia. “We’re enabling millions of Yahoo! customers in key markets including North America to discover the unique capabilities that Ovi Maps brings.

Similarly, Yahoo!’s online expertise will bring exciting mail and messaging enhancements to millions of Ovi Mail customers across almost every country around the world, many of whom will have their first Internet experience on their mobile.”
“What a combination,” said Carol Bartz, CEO, Yahoo!. “We’re excited to expand the reach of our best-in-class Mail and Messenger services, bringing personalized experiences to more people across the mobile web, particularly in emerging markets where we are seeding the next generation of Yahoo! users. At the same time, we believe Nokia’s strength and continued investment in maps and navigation will greatly enhance our existing products, enabling us to focus on areas that are core to our business.”

Together, Yahoo! and Nokia will continue to deliver compelling Internet experiences that address the core needs of consumers, developers, operators and advertisers. The companies will utilize their respective global distribution advantages and brand recognition across consumer audiences.

Select, co-branded service offerings are expected to become available from the second half of 2010, with global availability expected in 2011.

Nokia is the world’s largest mobile device manufacturer, with hundreds of millions of devices sold each year and a leader in digital mapping, with continuing investment and innovation focused on developing comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, now covering 77 countries in 46 languages. With more than 600 million users of Yahoo!-branded sites per month, Yahoo! is a global Internet powerhouse, a one-stop web destination enabling consumers to enjoy their online life anywhere and everywhere – all customized for their interests. As one of the leading Internet brands, Yahoo! is focused on growing its audience by providing seamless web experiences across PC and mobile devices.

Note to editors: Media materials, including a webcast replay, can be found at pressroom.yahoo.com and www.nokia.com/press.

Thanks to a fresh agreement between Yahoo! and Samsung, you will start seeing embedded services from the former company on all Android and Bada-powered handsets. The agreement goes into effect now, but the devices won’t start seeing reality until May. What should you expect on your Samsung Wave or Samsung Galaxy S? Yahoo! Weather, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Search, Yahoo! Flickr, and Yahoo! Contacts, amongst others.

This is going to either be really good news for some folks, or really bad news for others. We don’t really see a middle-ground here. And, worse of all, we don’t know for certain whether that means the “With Google” branding is non-existent, or if the Google services we’ve all come to expect will still be present. We don’t have long to wait for May, but it might not be until June until the Galaxy S hits shelves. Then again, you could always go with the Wave.

[via Business Wire]

According to Reuters, this could very well be the reason. It’s a sad truth that politics can come between a great many things, and if this situation is indeed the case, then chalk this one up as another loss. And while many think that an Android-based device isn’t an Android-based device if it’s lacking such distinct features as (Google) search and (Google) maps, that’s simply not the case. No matter how you look at it, the Android mobile Operating System is planted firmly in the open source market. Meaning, once someone decides that they want to use Android on their device, it’s fair game.

We’ve seen such travesties before, naturally. Sure, it doesn’t help Motorola’s case that the last great debacle featuring a missing Google feature happened on another one of their devices, but this just seems to be a case of freedom of choice. The manufacturing company has decided to stake their claim in an open project, and by the result of that, can do whatever they want with the platform once it makes it onto their hardware. (Let’s not forget that AT&T is more than likely also very much to blame for the Yahoo! Search on the Motorola Backflip, the other handset in question.) As much as we all expect, or even need our Google-centric applications on Android devices, the nature of the beast is far more robust, and has a lot more options.

Instead, T-Mobile USA has gone ahead and signed up with the Mountain View-based company, also known as Google. In addition, they’re also partnering up with Medio Systems, to better index results of premium content like wallpapers and ringtones. The switch has apparently taken hold already, as Google is available now in their Web2Go, along with their mobile web homepage.

But all is not lost for the purple Y in the land of magenta. Yahoo! is still making their services useful for the carrier by providing access to Yahoo! services like News, Finance, Messenger, Mail, and Flickr. So apparently the split was mutual, at the least. We’re not really surprised by this, considering the push that T-Mobile has been making on the Android side of things. Sprint’s pushing Android as well (not as hard, but they’re trying), and they’ve got a deal going with Google as well. The main contender to that would be Verizon Wireless, which is still rocking Microsoft’s Bing as their primary search provider, but that’s not a surprise either. And AT&T? Well, they’ve still got the Yahoo! love.

[via unwiredview]

Check out a demonstration video below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Yahoo! Mobile offers an open environment within which consumers can bring together their favorite content and services from across the Internet. The new Yahoo! Messenger application will provide iPhone users in the U.S. with the industry’s leading messaging experience. Features include the ability to send and receive instant messages, exchange photos, add contacts, change status, send emoticons, and stay logged in an idle state when using other applications on the iPhone. In addition to this standalone iPhone application, Yahoo! Messenger is also available within Yahoo! Mobile (both for the Web and iPhone) and as an application on several other types of mobile devices from leading manufacturers.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Yahoo! Go now runs on over 330 phones worldwide, including many Windows Mobile Devices. You can download the free software at  http://mobile.yahoo.com/go.

If you are a BlackBerry Bold user, and have tried this software,  please share your feedback here.

[via BlackBerry Cool]