Yahoo Launches 'oneConnect' For Mobile

Yahoo ; Tuesday introduced a new service called oneConnect, which will combine e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, and social networking in one mobile platform.

The company plans to roll out oneConnect as part of Yahoo Go 3.0 -- an all-in-one mobile offering -- and Yahoo's new mobile home page in the second quarter of this year. In the meantime, Yahoo is showcasing oneConnect at the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona this week.

One of the more impressive features of oneConnect is a socially-connected address book, which will allow users to transfer activities from social networks, professional networks, and communities to their address book. For example, users will be able to stay on top of when a contact updates their status or uploads a photo to their profile.

Yahoo will also offer integrated mobile messaging. That means any messaging service provider will be able to use Yahoo's application program interfaces to integrate with oneConnect's messaging feature, according to the company. Yahoo said it will use an open communications platform to give users the freedom to send e-mail, instant messages, text messages, and access social networks through a single application.

Users may potentially be able to access both their personal and work messaging services. Yahoo also said it's in discussions with DataViz, which specializes in mobile access to Microsoft Exchange e-mail accounts and Microsoft Office documents. The two would team up to develop widget versions of DataViz's RoadSynch and Documents To Go applications.

Other features in oneConnect include the ability to set up messaging shortcuts to get in touch with people more quickly; a social contact card for collecting relevant information about contacts; and a location-sensing capability for locating, chatting, and exchanging information with nearby oneConnect users.

Yahoo expects oneConnect to support hundreds of mobile devices and mobile browsers worldwide.

Source: http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206502032