Yahoo hooks up the mobile, PC and TV

Yahoo chief executive Terry Semel unveiled Yahoo Go at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that will make personal information available across the PC, television and mobile phone.

All devices pull the information from existing Yahoo services including the calendar, Yahoo Photos, Yahoo Messenger and address book. An internet connection is required to access the service.

"We believe that the internet is not a web page or a destination for your PC anymore. It's an infrastructure and a delivery vehicle for communications and experiences and entertainment and any kind of data that you use on the internet, " Semel told delegates at CES.

"The next iteration is about ease of use and open platforms that connect the internet to any device."

Information currently accessible only through a web browser will be unlocked for the mobile phone and television through Yahoo Go.

Creating a central storage for data accessed through an internet connection eliminates the need for the user to synchronise devices. It also prevents data loss if a device is misplaced or stolen.

Users will have to store all their data on the Yahoo services to be able to benefit from the universal access, however. Devices will also require specially crafted software to access the service.

Users who rely on desktop applications such as Outlook or Lotus for their personal information are locked out. Yahoo Go also does not integrate with competing online information services such as Plaxo.

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