• by Tameka Kee , June 21, 2007

Yahoo is set to launch a new version of its mobile application tomorrow, with localized beta versions for some 13 countries, as well as a general rollout of Yahoo Go 2.0 in the U.S.

With a reported 3 million user requests to download the platform, the U.S. version moves from beta to general availability six months after its initial launch in January.

Yahoo Go 2.0 gives users access to e-mail, maps, and the company's mobile oneSearch engine, with video capabilities planned in the future. "At the moment, video is very bandwidth-intensive, and we wanted to make Yahoo Go 2.0 accessible to the widest number of users by keeping it as lightweight as possible," said Yahoo spokesperson Nicole Leverich.

Brands such as Pepsi and Hilton Embassy Suites have already signed on as advertising partners for Yahoo's mobile Web service, and the company is actively brokering new agreements for local search, banner ads and other forms of sponsored content.

Through partnership agreements with handset manufacturers, Yahoo Go 2.0 will be pre-loaded on new phones from Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG, and HTC later this year--a move that could help the Web giant hold its place as the "number one mobile Web destination," as reported by M:Metrics. The service will be compatible with more than 200 handsets by the end of July, expanding to 400 by the end of the year.

Consumers in 13 countries across Asia and Europe (including the UK, India and Singapore) will be able to download Yahoo Go 2.0 as of tomorrow, but the company has also inked six exclusive search deals with mobile carriers in the Asia Pacific region.

Through the partnerships, Yahoo's oneSearch will be the default search engine that subscribers access from their mobile phone's home page. Together, the six operators--Globe Telecom (Philippines), Idea Cellular Limited (India), LG Telecom (Korea), Maxis Communications Berhad (Malaysia), PT Telekoumunikasi Selular (Indonesia), and Taiwan Mobile (Taiwan)--reach a combined base of almost 100 million users.

This latest agreement, said Leverich, "puts Yahoo in a leadership position for mobile search in Asia," a space that industry analysts have been slating for exponential growth. The company declined to disclose financial details, but Leverich noted that "partnerships like this only make sense if both companies are getting value, whether it's increased revenue, increases consumer usage, or a combination of the two."