Yahoo! Launches an Entirely New Communication Experience for New-to-Net Mobile Users in Indonesia

Today, we are thrilled to announce the availability of the Yahoo! Messenger One app in beta at CommunicAsia 2010.  Yahoo! Messenger One was conceived on the premise of wanting to create an integrated and easily accessible communication experience for new-to-net mobile users, offering them a central point for their communication and content needs while on the go.

The beta launch of Yahoo! Messenger One represents a refreshing approach to all your communications needs.  How so?  Simply put, this all-in-one universal address book and communications hub enables you to find, connect and communicate with friends the way you want, whether it’s email,  instant messaging or SMS – it’s your choice!  What’s more, it’s packed with a slew of user benefits including:

• Mobile registration: You can sign up for a new Yahoo! ID right from within Yahoo! Messenger One app.  No PC/laptop needed. How convenient is that!
• Unified inbox: Now you have all your email, IM and SMS conversations in one easy-to-use-and-access inbox, you can always keep track of all your conversations, hassle free.
• Native address book syncing: Simply upload your contacts to Yahoo! so you can access them from one place, anywhere.
• Message archive and search: With all your conversations stored in the cloud, you will never have to worry about losing your messages or having to delete them ever again.
• IM and SMS chats: You can still chat with you contacts even if they are not on Yahoo! by using SMS (presently supported for Indonesian and US mobile contacts only).
• News Content: Lets you always stay up to date with the latest news, and you can share articles with your friends.

Yahoo! Messenger One will be rolled out first in Indonesia and available in Bahasa Indonesian (the local language).  Indonesia does not require any introduction.  Still, this is the world’s fourth-most populous country with more than 230 million people and about 30 million Internet users.  With its mobile phone customer base having more than doubled to 165 million users in less than three years, and with  popular devices like Blackberry smartphones and low cost clones growing at a fast rate, it is not all that surprising mobile users have outpaced active Internet users by more than 5-to-1.  Clearly this is a nation on the move and we are bringing Yahoo! Messenger One right to the users.

Yahoo! Messenger One is currently available for Blackberry 9000, Blackberry 9700, Blackberry 8900, and Blackberry 9630 devices. Just direct your mobile browser to http://m.yahoo.com/one to download the app and try it out. In future releases, Yahoo! Messenger One is expected to support additional devices and platforms. We’d also love to get your feedback so we can keep innovating and improving the user experience.

Karen Yeo

Product Marketing, Apps