(EMAILWIRE.COM, May 07, 2001 ) Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO), a leading global communications, commerce and media company, introduced low-rate international PC-to-Phone calling and a host of powerful new features with the launch of its newest version of Yahoo!(R) Messenger, (http://messenger.yahoo.com), one of the Web's most popular instant communication, information and notification services. Additionally, the latest version of Yahoo! Messenger now offers people enhanced Yahoo! Address Book (http://addressbook.yahoo.com) integration and text-message archiving.

Adding to its existing low-rate domestic PC-to-Phone calling functionality, Yahoo! Messenger's new affordable international PC-to-Phone calling capability further extends Yahoo!'s powerful suite of existing voice services, and responds to increased demand for new features to meet the essential, day-to-day communications needs of consumers. People can also take advantage of Yahoo! Messenger's existing PC-to-PC voice chat feature, which allows them to talk to other Yahoo! Messenger users, free of charge.

"Yahoo! Messenger was one of the first instant messaging tools to offer deep integration with other powerful Web-based services and content and has become an increasingly essential way for millions of people to communicate on a daily basis," said Lisa Pollock, director, Yahoo! Messaging Products. "Integrating international PC-to-Phone calling capabilities at extremely low rates is the next logical step in offering our millions of users new voice services in addition to those that are already integrated and available on our network. We've introduced an even more powerful suite of communications services, and continue to innovate and develop new ways for people to connect with each other."

Yahoo! Messenger As Your Phone: Now Introducing International PC-to-Phone Calling

Convenient and easy-to-use, the new international PC-to-Phone calling service is seamlessly integrated into Yahoo! Messenger. Yahoo! Messenger users can place unlimited domestic and international calls over the Internet by clicking the "call" button and dialing a phone number. Anyone with an Internet-connected computer equipped with a microphone, speakers and sound card can take advantage of this service.

First-time users of PC-to-Phone calling will be prompted to set up a Yahoo! Phone Card - a virtual calling card that conveniently allows people to pre-pay for minutes towards their future PC-to-Phone calls. The password-protected Yahoo! calling card is integrated with Yahoo! Wallet (http://wallet.yahoo.com), a SSL encrypted place to store credit card and billing information conveniently. The Yahoo! Phone Card also enables people to see which numbers they have called, call durations, and costs for individual calls.

More Convenience, More Personalization

New features in Yahoo! Messenger allow people to:

Send Contact Information easily and conveniently. People can now send their phone number and e-mail address to anyone in their Friends list directly from Yahoo! Messenger. That contact information can then be stored directly in the recipient's Yahoo! Address Book.
Create Nicknames in the Friends List for a more personalized experience. The latest version of Yahoo! Messenger offers users the ability to personalize and change the names in their Friends list to more memorable nicknames.
Archive Instant Text-Message conversations, alerts and conferences for future reference. Yahoo! Messenger now offers users the ability to archive their conversations on their computer hard drive, allowing them to retrieve past conversations with family, friends, and associates whenever they want.
Express Yourself With Eight New Smileys that include a range of innocent angels, mischievous devils, geeky bookworms and attitude-filled "talk-to-the-hand" characters. Yahoo! Messenger also introduced six, unpublished "secret smileys" that can only be made by entering a secret combination of keystrokes, a long-time tradition amongst programmers to keep people intrigued by offering true enthusiasts special tricks. Yahoo! Messenger now offers a total of 20 fun smileys.
Yahoo! Messenger is available for wireless devices based on the Palm Computing platform, palm-sized devices running WinCE, and WAP-enabled phones. Yahoo! and Verizon Wireless recently announced that Yahoo! Messenger is available for Verizon Wireless Mobile Web customers. The wireless versions of Yahoo! Messenger build upon the company's Yahoo! Everywhere strategy to enable people to connect with each other and access Web-based content and services through any Internet-connected device.

Yahoo!'s global communications platform has scaled to become one of the largest in the world. Yahoo! Messenger, available on all of Yahoo!'s world properties, is part of Yahoo!'s comprehensive suite of communications services. From instant messaging, online greeting cards, free e-mail and voice chat, to address books, calendars, and personal file storage, Yahoo!'s communications services aim to give users everything they need in a centralized online location to communicate and organize their lives via the Web.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet communications, commerce and media company that offers a comprehensive branded network of services to more than 192 million individuals each month worldwide. As the first online navigational guide to the Web, www.yahoo.com is the leading guide in terms of traffic, advertising, household and business user reach. Yahoo! is the No. 1 Internet brand globally and reaches the largest audience worldwide. The company also provides online business and enterprise services designed to enhance the productivity and Web presence of Yahoo!'s clients. These services include Corporate Yahoo!, a popular customized enterprise portal solution; audio and video streaming; store hosting and management; and Web site tools and services. The company's global Web network includes 24 World properties. Yahoo! has offices in Europe, the Asia, Latin America, Canada and the United States, and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

------------------------

Produced for Yahoo! Inc.

Media Contacts:
Mary Osako
Yahoo! Inc.
408-349-6255
mosako@yahoo-inc.com

Melinda McRae
Fleishman-Hillard
916-492-5331
mcraem@fleishman.com

------------------------

Contact Information:
Yahoo! Inc.
Joseph Nchor
Tel:
Email us


This is a press release. Press release distribution and press release services by EmailWire.Com: http://www.emailwire.com/us-press-release-distribution.php.