Yahoo! Mail now offers free text messaging to mobile phone numbers

Yahoo! has made a couple new major updates to its Yahoo! Mail application that enables people to connect in a few more ways.

The new version of Yahoo! Mail now includes some intuitive communication features that make it a little easier for contacts to stay in touch. The first is the ability to send instant messages from Yahoo! Mail to mobile phone numbers. Mail users can now choose to send IM’s to mobile numbers in the US, Canada, India and the Philippines without leaving Yahoo!’s web mail interface. Users simply enter a mobile phone number, type a message and send it.

The second Mail integration is the ability to send instant messaging straight from Yahoo! Mail to Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger users. This opens up chatting to millions of other IM users, straight from the Yahoo! Mail interface possible. These new features make it easier to connect with friends by converting emails to instant messages to text messages.

Yahoo! Mail IM and mobile feature enhancements will begin rolling out to users worldwide today. And if you are into adding a few new colors to the interface to spice things up, there are six customizable color themes available.

[ Source: Download Squad ]

US ‘no longer technology king’

The US has lost its position as the world’s primary engine of technology innovation, according to a report by the World Economic Forum. Singapore was among the nations ranked higher than the US. The US is now ranked seventh in the body’s league table measuring the impact of technology on the development of nations.

A deterioration of the political and regulatory environment in the US prompted the fall, the report said. The top spot went for the first time to Denmark, followed by Sweden.

Countries were judged on the integration of technology in business, the infrastructure available, government policy favourable for fostering a culture of innovation and progress and leadership in promoting the usage of the latest information technology tools.

NETWORKED READINESS INDEX RANKINGS 2006 (2005)

1. Denmark (3)
2. Sweden (8)
3. Singapore (2)
4. Finland (5)
5. Switzerland (9)
6. Netherlands (12)
7. US (1)
8. Iceland (4)
9. UK (10)
10. Norway (13)

[ Source ]