---
title: "Yahoo Mail Goes Ajax – Finally"
date: 2007-08-26
author: "Richard MacManus"
categories:
  - name: "ReadWriteWeb"
    url: "/category/readwriteweb.md"
tags:
  - name: "2007"
    url: "/tag/2007.md"
---

# Yahoo Mail Goes Ajax – Finally

![yahoo mail](https://web.archive.org/web/20110426190855im_/http://static.flickr.com/95/242870784_91f198a758_m.jpg)The Ajax version of [Yahoo Mail](https://web.archive.org/web/20110426190855/http://mail.yahoo.com/) has finally had its [beta tag](https://web.archive.org/web/20110426190855/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/yahoo_mail_beta_interview_ethan_diamond.php) removed and is now the default interface for all Yahoo Mail accounts. The new service includes two interesting real-time communication features:

1\) Free text messaging to mobile phone numbers (but only available in the US, Canada, India and the Philippines);

2\) Integrated instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger.

The Ajax version went into public beta [in September 2006](https://web.archive.org/web/20110426190855/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/yahoo_mail_beta_interview_ethan_diamond.php) and it’s been a long journey since Yahoo acquired Oddpost, a pioneer in Ajax-powered Web mail, in July 2004. But it has been steady progress – in November 2005 [Yahoo put RSS into Mail](https://web.archive.org/web/20110426190855/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/yahoo_puts_rss.php), then in March 2007 [Yahoo Mail got an API](https://web.archive.org/web/20110426190855/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/yahoo_mail_api.php) and [unlimited storage](https://web.archive.org/web/20110426190855/http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/03/27/yahoo-mail-announces-unlimited-storage/).

Techcrunch has [more details](https://web.archive.org/web/20110426190855/http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/08/26/yahoo-mail-out-of-beta-new-features/) of tonight’s news and some great comparisons. For me, Gmail’s [Web Native functionality](https://web.archive.org/web/20110426190855/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/rethinking_emai.php) still wins out – although lately I’ve been experiencing frustrating performance issues with Gmail.

*Originally published on ReadWriteWeb ([archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040018/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/yahoo_mail_goes_ajax.php))*