You are either:

1. No work, no computers, no technology. You want to get away from it all and not be contactable. But if you’re going to be off globe-trotting around the world or just lazing on the beach for two to three weeks, why don’t you let your friends and family know that you’re away. Just use the “Holiday Response” in the Options menu of Yahoo Mail and respond to everyone when you get back. And now that you have unlimited storage, you don’t have to worry about pesky limits again.

or…

2. An email junkie. You’re so connected that you check your mail everyday whether from your laptop, your friends’ laptop, a cyber-café or the hotel lobby. You just can’t go a day without checking your email.

Mail just got mobile
If you fall into the #2 camp, why don’t you take your mail with you? Use your mobile phone to check your mail. It’s easy and free (of course your provider might charge you for internet access). You can check it out if you have a WAP compatible mobile phone. Just type http://uk.m.yahoo.com into your phone’s browser and you can get your email, contacts, and even Yahoo! Messenger.

For a more enhanced experience, why not try Yahoo! Go. It’s a feature rich java application that makes it easy and fun to access the Internet. If you’re a true email junkie, then Yahoo! Go is for you. Check it out. All your emails are there when you want them. Email is automatically pushed to your phone and syncs with your Web account (for example: delete a message on your mobile and it is reflected on Webmail).

Believe it or not, I’m a #1 kind of guy.
Have a great summer!!
Andrew – Yahoo! Mail Beta Team

You can check it out at http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php. Just sign-in with your Yahoo! ID and now you can instant message (IM) from anywhere - work offices, Internet cafés, schools, airports – from almost any Internet-enabled computer (well as long as you’ve got Flash installed). How cool is that if you are off travelling or just on the go and sitting at your favourite Internet cafe.

So here’s the scoop…
Yahoo! Messenger for the Web is a light-weight service designed specifically for Web usage, and offers a lot of the features that Yahoo! Messenger users know and love and even has stuff that isn’t even available with Yahoo! Messenger’s desktop client software (that’s what the *’s are for in the list below). With the new service, you can:

• Search archived IM conversations from any computer using Yahoo! Search technology*
• Communicate with friends who are using Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live™ Messenger
• Organise all instant messages in tabs, rather than separate windows*
• Enhance self-expression with Avatars, display images or photos
• Make conversations come to life with emoticons, fonts and colours
• Customize presence settings and set stealth mode
• Access Web-based service from any Web browser including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Opera*
• Use multiple operating systems including UNIX, Mac OS X, and Windows 2000 and up

There’s even a video preview for your enjoyment.

As always… Happy emailing (or should I say IMing  )
Andrew – Yahoo! Mail Beta Team

What if I don’t feel like chatting?
I’ve been reading and listening to all of your comments, and a common question is, “How can I turn chat off?” The answer of course is, “Easily”. Here’s how…

From the top of the Mail Beta window you should see a status message next to your @yahoo.co.uk ID. Just click on the down arrow and then click on “Sign out of chat”. That’s it – you’re done. And, the next time you sign into mail, we’ll remember your status and you won’t be logged back into Chat until you set your status back to “Available”.

Happy emailing!
Andrew – Yahoo! Mail Beta Team

Coming soon to a browser near you…
…it’s text chat (or instant messaging if you prefer to call it) right from your Yahoo! Mail Beta mailbox!

Huh?!?! Well, in short, we’re integrating Yahoo! Mail Beta and Yahoo! Messenger. It’s a feature that allows you to have a conversation with another Yahoo! Mail or Messenger user right from within your Yahoo! Mail Beta mailbox. When you log into your mailbox you will see, at the top of the window, a status message (Available or Offline) and a drop down arrow. When you click that icon, here’s what it’s going to look like…

Once you set yourself Available, your contact list will show all of your contacts that have set themselves Available too. When you click that arrow next to the contacts that are online, you will be able to select anyone on that list and start a conversation with them right from the comfort of your own Mailbox window. Here’s what it’s going to look like when your engrossed in a conversation with one of your friends:

Our friends and colleagures in the US have created a “screencast” of how the new Mail and Messenger integration will look. You can view it here: http://ymailupdates.com/screencasts/mail_messenger_integration/.

That looks pretty cool, when can I get it?
Right now, the new instant messaging feature will roll out to Yahoo! Mail beta users over the next 3 months.

Keep your eyes peeled to this blog and to your mailbox. Instant messaging in Yahoo! Mail Beta is coming soon.

Happy emailing!
Andrew – Yahoo! Mail Beta Team