HELIO LLC, a mobile service built for young, connected consumers, and Yahoo!(R) Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), a leading global Internet company, today announced a relationship to give Helio members access to one of the most extensive suites of Yahoo! services available from any mobile brand. Through this relationship, Helio members will stay connected to their favorite Yahoo! services such as Yahoo! Search, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports and more on Helio’s 3G services.
“There are millions of people who use Yahoo! as their online hub of connectivity and who align with Helio’s target market,” said Sky Dayton, CEO, HELIO LLC. “By extending Yahoo! services to the Helio platform, we’re giving these people the opportunity to access their information and connect with friends from virtually anywhere nationwide — away from the PC — all through a familiar experience.”
Helio and Yahoo! will also continually work to introduce new Yahoo! services to Helio members. This includes Yahoo! Go for Mobile, a full range of Yahoo!’s leading community, information and content services integrated into a single complete product experience. In addition, Yahoo! and Helio will co-market the services across the Yahoo! network and other Helio marketing channels. The marketing efforts will showcase how easily Yahoo! users can extend their experience into the mobile environment with Helio’s 3G network and high-end devices.
“We’re continually seeking new ways to keep our users connected to their community of friends and personalized content,” said Marco Boerries, senior vice president, Connected Life, Yahoo!. “Helio’s innovative service platform and 3G service allows our users to keep connected in new, unique ways including fast access to the best of the Internet, including Yahoo!’s powerful services, on their mobile phones.”
Helio will integrate many of Yahoo!’s industry leading services, including:
– Yahoo! Search: Helio and Yahoo! are partnering to offer an industry first: one-click access to a single-button Yahoo! search experience from the Helio device home screen that combines Yahoo!’s mobile Web, local, and image content with Helio’s premium mobile content — videorings, music videos, games and more. For example, a Helio member can start a search by literally typing in a search term just as if they were dialing a phone number. This feature is provided exclusively by Yahoo! on Helio’s device home screen. Members will also be able to use Yahoo! Shortcuts, a quick way to get useful information such as local restaurants, movie showtimes, sports scores, weather, and stock quotes.
– Yahoo! News, Sports, Finance and more: Helio will offer one-touch links to a full range of Yahoo!’s content services including News, Sports, Finance and Movies. In addition, for more immediate access to the latest information from Yahoo!, Helio will provide consumers dynamic news feeds on selected topics on their Helio device home screen.
– Yahoo! Mail: Helio members will have fast and easy access to their Yahoo! Mail account from anywhere, including the ability to reply, forward, delete and move messages to folders. Members will also be able to add, edit or delete contacts in their Yahoo! Address Book.
– Yahoo! Messenger: Yahoo!’s easy to use instant messaging service gives access to the existing friends’ list and the ability to send and receive messages. Members will also be able to set presence information to show friends and family when they are online and available to chat.
Combining market-driving innovation from Korea, one of the most advanced 3G markets in the world, with services tailored for the young US consumer, Helio recently announced its exclusive launch devices — the Hero and Kickflip(TM). Helio will launch in the US this spring. Stay tuned.
About HELIO
Hello. We’re a new mobile service dedicated to giving young, passionate consumers the type of wireless experience we’ve been waiting for. HELIO launches in the spring of 2006 with unique devices and world-class customer care. Helio is a joint venture between SK Telecom, the world’s most innovative wireless carrier, and EarthLink, the next generation Internet service provider. www.helio.com
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! seeks to provide online products and services essential to users’ lives, and offers a full range of tools and marketing solutions for businesses to connect with Internet users around the world. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
“Helio,” the “Helio” logo and any other product names, service names or logos of HELIO used, quoted and/or referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of HELIO LLC. Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other product names and/or company names used herein may be protected as trademarks of their respective owners.