Yahoo to extend service beyond PCs
NEW YORK, April 5 (Reuters) - Leading Internet portal Yahoo! Inc. <YHOO.O> is planning to extend its reach beyond personal computers to hand-held devices and television-based Internet appliances like WebTV.
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Yahoo Inc. <YHOO.O> and Online Anywhere said on Monday that the companies reached a deal to extend Yahoo's brand through Online Anyhere's Author Once, View Anywhere service.
"Author Once, View Anywhere functionality will help Yahoo! users access their personalized Yahoo! content and services wherever they go," said Mohan Vishwanath, Online Anywhere chief executive officer. "The ability to access all types of information without being tethered to a PC is the next logical step for Internet users."
"As part of our Yahoo! Everywhere' strategy, we remain committed to forging agreements with companies, such as Online Anywhere, that offer Yahoo! content display integrity and maximum extensibility in the PC environment and beyond," said Ellen Siminoff, Yahoo's vice president of business development and strategic planning.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Online Anywhere is a start-up firm funded by Motorola Inc. <MOT.N> unit Motorola Ventures that enables Internet providers to rapidly reformat and deliver their content to televisions, personal digital assistants, and wireless devices.
The company's patented FlashMap technology automatically converts Internet sites that have been formatted for a personal computer to a format appropriate for the device.
Yahoo agreed last week to buy Broadcast.com Inc. <BCST.O>, a top Web video provider, for $5.7 billion.
Rival Internet service provider America Online Inc. <AOL.N> is busy developing its own "AOL Anywhere" service, bolstered through its merger with Netscape Communications and its alliance with Sun Microsystems Inc.<SUNW.O>, to link the Internet to appliances besides personal computers.
AOL's strategy is also to make its service available through high speed cable television, telephone and wireless connections.
Both companies are competing with media and Internet ambitions of Microsoft Corp.<MSFT.O>, the world's largest software maker and the owner of WebTV. |
