Yahoo is set to launch an Android-based smartphone called “Yahoo Phone” in Japan, in collaboration with the country’s third largest mobile operator Softbank. The move has come as a surprise for many as Yahoo is considered to be close to the Microsoft, the search and productivity rival of Google, with Yahoo going so far as to power its search by Microsoft’s Bing. However, it’s notable that Yahoo owns each of its international sites with the exception of Yahoo Japan in which it has only 34.79 percent minority stake.
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According to TechCrunch, the phone will be manufactured by Sharp and is a remodelled version of the “AQUOS PHONE THE PREMIUM SoftBank 009SH”. The Yahoo Phone features Android 2.3 Gingerbread as its operating system, and comes with a 4-inch LCD with QHD resolution, an 8MP camera, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, a microSDHC slot, a digital TV tuner, an e-wallet function, infrared communication, and plenty of other geeky Japanese features.
The Yahoo Phone has pre-installed Yahoo apps such as Yahoo Japan Home, Yahoo Japan Auctions, and Yahoo Luco, etc. According to reports, the phone will hit retail shelves later next month in Japan.
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