Today Yahoo is rolling out new travel and event notifications for its mobile mail client, Yahoo Mail.
In yesterday’s earnings call, chief executive Marissa Mayer said that going forward the company would be pursuing more personalized consumer features and applications. The company has already started to make it’s search capabilities more personalized. For instance, Mayer mentioned that on a recent trip, she searched for “JFK airport” on her phone while she was en route; her flight details, mined from her email, popped up in the search results.
Yahoo’s Mail update works similarly. It’s new Today section shows users everything they have planned for the day, as a calendar might. Tapping on an event will show you details, and in the case of a flight, YMail will indicate whether the plane is delayed. Users will also be able to call the airport from the event screen.
Once you land in your new location, YMail will send suggestions for restaurants and accommodations with reviews from Yelp. If your event was sent through Evite, Eventbrite, or Ticketmaster, YMail will offer directions to the venue.
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Like Google Now, Yahoo’s new mail features are aimed at providing users with features that automate their lives. Features like these also aim to show consumers the benefit of using all of Yahoo’s products in tandem. For instance, using Yahoo’s search and its mail client will allow Yahoo to collect more information on the user and deliver more tailored results — much like targeted advertising works.
Of course, they’re not the only company to go this route. Google just announced Inbox today, which will help users organize email. The functions are different, but the concept is the same. Consumers can expect to see more hyper-personalized apps that strive to simplify their lives.
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