Yahoo has gone the Google way and now offers multiple utilities for iPhone users. From Yahoo IM to Voice Search all is now integrated onto the Yahoo App!
The updated Yahoo App offers the following:
- Voice search integrated along with one Search
- Latest updates from Yahoo News
- Email: Let’s you add Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail and AOL mail accounts
- Receive status updates and photo updates from various social networks (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Bebo, Frienster etc…)
- Yahoo Messenger, Address book and Calendar
- RSS Feeds, Sport Scores, Stock quotes etc
Though I gave up Yahoo Mail for Gmail long back (and I had given up the snail slow 2MB Hotmail for Yahoo’s 4MB before that), the nicest part is that the Yahoo App is available on the India App Store. So I gave
Voice Search:
I used Voice search on Yahoo, and it is truly impressive (reads my accent accurately). But what yahoo lacks is the smart usage of the accelerometer and the proximity sensor like the Google Mobile App. I have to press manually the “Tap when done” button after recording my query. In the Google Voice search functionality, the App uses the accelerometer+proximity sensor to detect when you lifted the phone towards your face and when you took it away after speaking the search querry. Thus, making the process seamless. However, the Yahoo voice app is good, – at least it works for me 🙂
Tha app also remembers your search history and an option to clear the same are seen in the settings tab.
Connect: Social Pulse
Out of the many services I tried Twitter, Facebook and Flickr and its great to have a built in Twitter client. This is some space where the Yahoo app beats Google – Loads of other addons like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Bebo etc. While advanced features like Retweet are missing, you can see your twitter feeds, update your staus on twitter and all other networks you added simultaneously. The social pulse page also shows updates from my Facebook and Twitter accounts together.
Along with the Yahoo IM inside the Yahoo app, they also have a dedicated IM app. The dedicated app is good and swift, the Yahoo IM inside the Yahoo app is slow and gives a better browser feeling rather than an app.
I haven’t gone very deep to checkout all the features, but some key ones that interest me. The app works mostly online, and my WiFi was put to the test. If connection snaps here is what you will see:
Free App