Yahoo! Australia & NZ Brings Instant Messaging to LifeNew Yahoo! Messenger 5.5 features first-ever animated emoticons
and improved Super Webcam capability
SYDNEY, 25 November 2002 -
Yahoo! Australia & NZ, today announced the release of the newest version of its popular Yahoo!® Messenger service. Continuing to drive innovation in online communication tools, Yahoo! Messenger is the first instant messaging platform to offer animated emoticons, leveraging the Yahoo! Messenger IMVironmentsTM patent-pending technology. In addition, the new version of Yahoo! Messenger features Super Webcam, a faster, higher-quality Webcam experience.
"Whether it's maintaining a long-distance relationship, keeping in touch with work colleagues or just making plans with friends, more and more people are using instant messaging as a primary means of communication in their day to day lives," said Rachel Watt, senior producer at Yahoo! Australia & NZ. "By providing enhanced features like animated emoticons and Super Webcam, Yahoo! Messenger is leveraging its core strengths to offer more valuable and engaging services to consumers."
Something to Smile About
With the new Yahoo! Messenger, consumers are now able to expand the way they express themselves in their online conversations. Only available on Yahoo!, animated emoticons allow people to liven up their instant messaging conversations directly within the instant messaging window and as part of their conversations. Rather than just using a static smiling or sad face, individuals now have a new and broader way to show their emotions through animated actions like rolling eyes, raising an eyebrow, applauding hands, shedding tears and many others. A total of 35 emoticons, including animated ones, are now available on Yahoo! Messenger.
In addition, Yahoo! Messenger now offers Super Webcam, allowing people the ability to communicate face-to-face in real-time video with up to 20 frames-per-second. Yahoo! Messenger Super Webcam offers higher resolution, the ability to zoom, higher frame rates and a choice of two window sizes - small (160x120 pixels) and large (320x240 pixels), making it easier to see friends and family up close.
"One-Click" IMVironmentsTM
Yahoo! Australia & NZ continues to offer shared interactive instant messaging environments, called IMVironments - themed backgrounds with conversations that appear directly in the instant messaging window and shared virally among friends. Innovative IMVironments such as Doodle, Chess, Yahoo! Fighter, Hearts Falling, among many others, make sending messages fun. The new "one-click" IMVironments feature makes it easier for people to see all available IMVironments.
Yahoo! Messenger for SMS
Yahoo! Messenger for SMS is available for Telstra mobile customers, extending instant messaging to mobile phones. With Yahoo! Messenger for SMS Telstra customers have the ability to send and receive Yahoo! instant messages on their mobile phones.
About Yahoo! Messenger
Yahoo! Messenger is one of the most popular instant messaging, information, communications, and notification services on the Internet. Yahoo! Messenger lets people send free instant text and voicechat with anyone around the world world. Yahoo! Messenger was the first IM provider to offer Webcam functionality, enabling face-to-face communications. It is fully integrated with Yahoo!'s suite of communications services to provide up-to-the-minute alerts on stocks and sports scores, notification of important meetings on Yahoo! Calendar, access to Yahoo! Chat rooms, Yahoo! Games and much more. Yahoo! Messenger is accessible from a personal computer and through mobile phones and pagers.
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About Yahoo! Australia & NZ
Yahoo! Australia & NZ is one of the most recognised Internet brands in the
region. www.yahoo.com.au and the online auction site SOLD.com.au are part of
the global network of Yahoo! sites. By working with leading local companies,
Yahoo! Australia & NZ provides comprehensive online products and services to
over four million Australians and New Zealand consumers and businesses each
month. For marketers, government and businesses, the company offers
intelligent, innovative and integrated marketing, selling and Internet
broadcast solutions for maximum impact. Yahoo! Australia & NZ has offices in
Sydney and Melbourne and can be found on the Web at www.yahoo.com.au and
www.yahoo.co.nz.
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Yahoo!, Yahoo! Australia & NZ, and the Yahoo! logo are trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
For further information, photos or interviews, please contact:
Carly Morrison or Sonia Fedele @ MacSween Communications
Tel: 02 02 9327 4333
Jennifer Hwang or Francesca Nickson @ Yahoo! Australia & NZ
Tel: 02 8925 0100
or email: pr@au.yahoo-inc.com
Copyright © 1994-2002 Yahoo! Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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