Yahoo Messenger gets free Android voice calling

Hey, guess what, Skype and Google Talk? You’re not the only players in town. Yahoo wants to be taken seriously in the VoIP market too, and has just taken a step in that direction with the latest Yahoo Messenger app update.

This adds to the Skype Mobile app, which launched earlier this year in an effort to take down the typical way cell phones work. However, carriers placed huge restrictions on how the app could work.

As you might expect, none of the mobile service providers is too excited about the concept of being able to place phone calls over a mobile phone without going through their networks.

The new update also adds landscape (wide-screen) video calling, as well as the ability to sync contacts with other Yahoo accounts and additional language support.

The video chat feature is equally interesting of an update. It could give the iPhone’s Face Time a run for its money. Here’s the catch, though. For whatever reason, it only workd on the HTC Evo 4G or the MyTouch 4G.

So it obviously needs a 4G connection to work properly. There’s also the Epic 4G from Sprint, but according to Yahoo the Messenger voice feature won’t work on that phone.

The new version of Yahoo Messenger mobile is available now from the Android Market. It is a free download.