Yahoo grabs for Android smartphone homescreen

SAN FRANCISCO: Yahoo on Monday ramped up its move to mobile, grabbing for Android smartphone home screens with an Aviate application tuned to where people are.

Yahoo bought Aviate early this year in a deal reported to be valued about $80 million dollars and the software was subsequently honed with a test group.

An English language version of Aviate for smartphones powered by Google-backed Android software made its global debut on Monday.

"We created Aviate to connect you with the information you need at the moment it´s useful," Aviate founder and Yahoo product manager Mark Daiss said in a Tumblr post.

"Yahoo Aviate simplifies everything about your phone."

The Aviate application available at Google Play online shop is touted as creating an "intelligent home screen" that serves up applications or information based on where users are and what they might be most interested in a given moment.

"It starts with a clean, new layout and apps automatically organized for you," Daiss said.

"But it´s not just about making your phone simpler -- Aviate also makes your phone smarter by offering intelligent information throughout your day."

The Aviate release comes as part of a campaign by Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer to revitalize the faded Internet firm as a premier digital content company at the heart of people´s daily routines in the mobile age. (AFP)