Fresh off the latest round of its public feud with Microsoft, Yahoo! has announced a new software title, to be known as "BrowserPlus".
Designed to "expand what"s possible", BrowserPlus is similar to Google Gears. It allows users to extend the functionality of their browser windows into areas typically dominated by desktop applications. One of the center-pieces of these additional browser capabilities is the ability to send notifications to the desktop, eliminating one of the traditional browser limitations. Yahoo! hopes other functions, such as drag-and-drop, acquisition of online feeds and simpler file uploads, will serve to entice users.
As it has not yet been released, it remains to be seen whether or not BrowserPlus will find a substantial user-base; however, it does show that yahoo is serious about continuing to contend in the ever-more-competitive market for online presence.