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July 1, 2009

Does Yahoo! Mail Applications pose a challenge for Google Wave?

Google impressed the world with what they promised to be something that would revolutionize the way we perceive email today; an open source product that sets the grounds and opens the way for developers’ innovations. While we all sit here, waiting eagerly for the the launch of Google Wave later this year, Yahoo, as a part of it’s open strategy, have already launched its mail application platform.

Yahoo! Mail Applications

Today, US Yahoo! Mail users enjoy the features of 11 applications that can be accessed directly from their own email inbox. There are 4 default applications that show automatically once you sign up to the service and another 7 available to add as you choose. Applications include photo and file sharing, Paypal’s money transfer and a Wordpress publish option directly from your Yahoo inbox. I will list the whole set of the available applications at the end of this post.

But what does Yahoo introducing mail applications mean to Google?

The two platforms are open to developers’ innovations, and while Google Wave is revolutionary in its infrastructure, it is still not out there. Yahoo Mail Applications are ready and already out, in no time, third party developers will seize the chance and add to Yahoo mail users’ experience. Google shouldn’t also ignore the fact that Yahoo still enjoys the lead in the email market share – despite their superior g-mail experience – which in a way or another does give Yahoo an edge.

Both Yahoo and Google seem to realize that opening their email platforms would be their way to compete in the social networking arena. Using their email user-bases is not a bad approach to conquer areas that are only possible with platforms like Facebook and MySpace. Competition is good, it brings us – the users – revolutionary technologies! We want to hear your opinion, how much of a challenge do you think Yahoo! Mail Applications poses to the upcoming Google Wave?

List of available Yahoo! Mail Applications:

My photos: See and share photos in Mail from attachments, Flickr, Picasa, and other photo-sharing sites.
PayPal: Send money to and request it from friends and family around the world.
Picnik: Fix, touch up, and add effects. It’s photo-editing awesomeness in your Inbox.
ZumoDrive: Share files of up to 100MB from your Inbox.
Family Journal: Build your family tree in Yahoo! Mail and start connecting with relatives today
Flickr: Share your photos with friends and family using Yahoo! Mail.
Movies: Share movie showtimes, trailers and reviews instantly from your inbox.
Organizer: OtherInbox automatically finds all of the emails that aren’t from real people and organizes them into folders so that you can read them when you are ready. It’s like your own personal assistant!
PhotoBucket: Photobucket is the premier site on the Internet for uploading, sharing, linking, and finding photos, videos, and graphics.
WordPress: Publish to your blog and subscribe to everyone else’s right from Yahoo! Mail.
Sending e-cards with the Yahoo! Greetings application is quick and easy.

Filed under: Controversial Picks, Deductions and Realizations — Tags: applications, developers, email, google, open source, platforms, social networking, Yahoo — Fadi @ 2:30 pm

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Fadi: Social media researcher/consultant and blog writer. Graduated from Jordan University with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and perused his passion for technology and social media ever since. Fadi is also well-known for his skills in writing short stories and film scripts.

Comments

FadiPick

JPierre, sure Google Wave isn't out yet, but why can't we compare it to Yahoo Mail? Sure, it promises revolutionary features to mail as we know it today, but also mail applications also add a whole new dimension to using email, no?
JPierre

The email we use today, is literally based on how it was invented 40 years ago. When Google started the Wave project they looked at it as if email was invented today, how would it look like.

We can compare Y! Mail to Live, Gmail or any current email system used today regardless the technology, but again not to Wave.

We should not look to Wave as an email platform. Wave is the next milestone for online communication as we know it. It's not email, it's a step (even ages) ahead.

That's my 2 cents.
Amer Kawar

Yes, email is an old concept, but that's given the world, and the barely literate computer users the time to get used and trained to use email, understand it's concept and it's jargon (cc, bcc, auto-reply, etc). That's the main challenge for Google in my opinion.

Now, the most impressive features of Wave are being real-time, and the openness. The real-time part cannot be compared to Y! Mail - I agree -, but the openness can be through developer apps, just as Yahoo! Mail Apps is attempting to do.

I believe in gradual evolution. Facebook wasn't the first social networking platform, there were at least 10 before Facebook (hi5, MySpace, Friendster ...), but Facebook added the 'cool' element of being Harvard's social networking platform, as well as better privacy controls to the mix, and took over the market!

Just my thoughts :)
JPierre

We can't really compare Y! Mail with Google's Wave. They are both totally different.

However, what I see of Yahoo's application is not a threat to Google's wave, but it's just one step behind by being their response to the Google Mail Labs Gadgets.

In other words, Yahoo! mail could be ahead of Gmail Gadgets with their Apps (I really don't know, I haven't used Y! Mail since they cancelled the Y! Plus service back in 2006) but it's more than just a step behind Google Wave (which is not even out yet).
Amer Kawar

I think Google Wave will face the issue of people being unfamiliar with the concept of their new system. It's supposed to be an all in one communication solution - as far as I understand. Yahoo have the advantage of using the very graspable approach of plugins and apps. My two cents! We have to wait and try Google Wave to judge!

July 1, 2009

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