Yahoo Gets Into The Phone Business

By John Stith
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2005-05-23

With the launch of Yahoo's Instant Messenger 7.0 (YIM), Yahoo takes a leap into the Internet calling business. This is just the latest step in Yahoo's growing product catalog of tools for the Internet.

Internet to and another user meaning all parties have to have the YIM to make use of this program. The users can't call traditional phones or cell phones per se. They can instant message any phone with that capability though. As more and more people utilize email and messaging services in mobile forms, this will grow more useful.

The trick is VoIP in the middle of this new version of YIM. It works well with other Yahoo products like Yahoo 360. It gives you a voice mail service and all you do is hit call on the interface and you're ready to roll. YIM gives you drop and drag photo and file feature. All these are in addition to all the traditional features YIM already includes.

Other companies use the VoIP too. Skype really started the current ball rolling in free computer-to-computer phone business but MSN and AOL have picked up VoIP for their instant messengers too.

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About the Author:
John Stith is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.

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