SCHAUMBURG, IL — Another sign that the internet and mobile communication devices are moving closer and closer to one another is Motorola Inc.’s latest announcement that it will integrate Yahoo services into tens of millions of its newest phones during the first half of 2007.This merging of the largest internet media company’s services with the second-largest maker of mobile phones is a significant statement about how confident the two – and possibly the industry – is about the ultimate one-stop future of mobile phones and other objects.
“We are looking at a broad range of phones,” Bruce Stewart, vice president of business development for Yahoo’s Connected Life unit explained recently.
Although what specific phones will be involved is not yet known, it is believed that the multi-year deal will focus on mid- to high-end Motorola phones and will include such offerings as Yahoo Go for Mobile, which includes access to Yahoo mail, search, and address book functions.
This is the second time that a major handset manufacturer has embraced Yahoo’s Go software system, which hit the scene this year with the express purpose of bringing Yahoo services to mobile phones and televisions while simultaneously making them as easy to use there as they currently are on a computer. Previously, Nokia, the number one maker of mobile handsets, had installed the system on its phones.
The decision to move forward with mass embedding of the system comes after Motorola installed a version of Yahoo Mail locally on some of its phones, allowing users to connect with the touch of a button.
