Yahoo today is unveiling a host of new features for its popular e-mail program including, most significantly, the ability to send text messages to cell phones directly from email.
With that
feature, anyone with a cell phone is now accessible to a far greater extent than before. For instance, senders can now send text messages to recipients who might not be in a position to answer their
phones, or listen to a long voicemail message. In particular, parents can now more easily reach teens at school, where they can inconspicuously check for text messages.
The move also
serves as a clever way to give users incentives to continue using e-mail, when many teens and young adults are increasingly turning to text messaging or IM in lieu of email.
Last year, a
comScore report showed that teens' use of e-mail declined by 8%, while other researchers found that texting was soaring in popularity with teens. The Pew Internet & American Life Project also reported
that around two in three teen cell phone owners used text messaging.
If history is any guide, the other major e-mail providers will soon follow Yahoo's move. In the past, whenever a major
company has upgraded its free e-mail capabilities, a rival soon did likewise. For instance, in 2005, after Yahoo boosted the amount of material users could store for free in Web-based e-mail, Google
followed suit within the week.