Yahoo, Nokia Expand Content Partnership
Nokia will expand its line of Yahoo-capable handsets to include those operating on the Series 40 platform, the operating system used by many of the Finnish phone maker's non-smartphone devices.
Initially, the service will be offered on the recently announced Nokia 6300, as well as Nokia 5200 and 5300 XpressMusic. The phones would be able to access Yahoo Mail and Messenger, as well as have the capability to sync Yahoo contacts, tasks and calendar data.
"In addition to the millions of users who can add Yahoo! services to their S60 smartphone, today's announcement empowers tens of millions of people with the ability to enjoy their favourite Yahoo! services on an even broader range of Nokia devices," Nokia Mobile Phone head Kai Oistamo said.
Over 400 million phones have been shipped with the Series 40 OS since its creation in 2002, Nokia said. Both Yahoo and Nokia have been working together since April of last year on search functionality on the company's phones. The agreement also highlights Yahoo's commitment to the mobile Web.
The first mobile-based Yahoo service was launched in 1999, and since then the company has worked to offer its users additional ways to access Yahoo accounts through their phone.
Analysts have long said that mobile e-mail would become more popular as consumers look for ways to stay increasingly connected. While only six percent of the 220 million US cell phone users currently access their e-mail via mobile devices and four percent use instant messaing functions, that number is expected to increase rapidly.
In many surveys, mobile e-mail access regularly appears as one of the top requests by adult consumers.