Yahoo has released a beta version of the improved Yahoo Go! app for symbian phones. The application integrates, Yahoo Search, Local, Mail, Entertainment, Flickr, Weather, News, Sports and Finance into a single application which is compatible on most java enabled cell phones.
Screenshots:
The main reason why this app caught my eye was due to its integration of Yahoo Local, Entertainment and Mail into a single app (= a single shortcut on my phone’s standby screen) as I use them a lot. And since it was designed by Yahoo!, I wasn’t expecting to be disappointed. But I was.
This is why I don’t consider Yahoo Go! to be a good app….yet:
- To start it off, in typical beta fashion, there are only a limited number of downloads available. You have to leave your phone number and Yahoo will send you a text message with the download link (this takes about 4 days).
- The app in itself is really slow. There is a definite (and quite irritating, I might add) lag when switching between items in a page or when switching pages.
- It is plagued by constant “Connection Error, Please try again” messages, even when I’m using wi-fi.
- Yahoo Messenger and Yahoo Calendar are no longer a part of this app.
- And the mother of all bugs
: When you let the app connect using wi-fi, and after you find yourself adequately irritated with the slowness, if you disconnect and exit, the app does not terminate the wi-fi connection. The only way to stop the wi-fi connection is to reboot the phone.
I am quite surprised to see that Yahoo has no blog or feedback system in place so that beta testers can contact them about their experiences with the app.
Overall, I am quite disappointed with the app and with Yahoo in general as well. I hope that the final release will be a lot better than the beta version.
Tags: apps · mobile phonesComments