For those of you who prefer to surf the Web in Internet cafes, there's reason to cheer!
Yahoo! has announced beginning offering a Web-based version of its Instant Messenger (IM) that works inside a Web browser, thus doing away with the need to install and run a separate software program.
The service is sure to appeal to travellers and professionals on-the-go, not to mention those whose companies block IM software downloads on their internal servers for security reasons.
As of now, Yahoo!'s Web-based IM service is available in India, Brazil, Malaysia, the Philippines, USA, and Vietnam, with plans to expand to more countries within a year, sources at Yahoo! said.
A unique feature of Yahoo!'s Web-based IM is 'archive,' whereby users will be able to search back to find all of their previous conversations with any of their IM contacts. Another plus point is the service will allow users to manage 10 or more simultaneous conversations in just one IM window.
Announcing the service, Brad Garlinghouse, Yahoo!'s Senior Vice President in charge of Communications, said Internet is fast evolving from a static experience, where a Web page is just that, to one where a Web page behaves more like a traditional desktop computer application.
He said too many people have been restricted from using IM services till date, and that with the new service, Yahoo! intends to cast the IM net wider.
Garlinghouse also suggested that Yahoo! sees an opportunity in the new service as a possible intersection between social networking Web sites and real-time IM communications. However, he gave no timeline as to when such a thing might materialize.
According to comScore Data, nearly 46 percent of Web users in India log on from Internet cafes. And, globally, Yahoo! comes in at second position in terms of Instant Messaging services, with approximately 88.5 million IM users worldwide.
source: techtree.com
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