Yoono is a social networking tool that lets you access data and update your status on networks including Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter, and FriendFeed. The utility started out its life as a browser toolbar for Firefox and Internet Explorer, but Yoono recently launched a desktop client that provides all the same features and then some.

Basically, the Yoono desktop client for Windows or Mac provides you with a single place to track your contacts, update your status, or chat on Google Talk, Windows Live, or AOL instant messengers. You can click an "All" tab to see all the latest updates from each network you register with the Yoono client, or you can click on an individual service if you just want to check in on Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, or an instant messenger.

One nice feature of the Yoono desktop client is an integrated browser. Other applications that provide you with Facebook and MySpace updates require you to click a link and open a web browser to get more details. Yoono launches an integrated browser window that will show the full web page. You can also click a link on that page to open it in a browser window if you prefer.

Overall, the Yoono desktop client is pretty slick, but I'm a bit disappointed in the way Yoono handles instant messaging. Instead of opening new chat windows for each conversation the way virtually every other application does, Yoono places each conversation in a new tab. If a new message comes in when you're in another area, a notice should pop up at the top of the application, but that means you may have to spend a lot of time toggling between windows if you're chatting with more than one person at a time, especially if one is on AIM and another is on Google Talk.

There's also no support for file transfers, voice or video chat, or Yahoo! Messenger.

[via TechCrunch]

Social web browsing plugin Yoono has emerged from private beta. The new version still wears a beta label, but it's available to the public. Yoono is basically a utility that hangs out in the Firefox sidebar and gives you quick access to instant messenging services, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, FriendFeed, and Piczo.

The public beta adds support for Firefox. It also packs a few new features:

• Filter your friends activity by network, group, or names
• Add FriendFeed and Flickr comments
  
• Send Twitter direct messages and replies
• Upload pictures to Facebook or poke friends
• Browse Digg video

Yoono will also be adding Google Talk and MySpace soon. There does appear to be a bug that prevents Yoono from working properly on Firefox 3 in some cases. The problem seems to show up if you've installed some other browser plugins. Yoono is expected to release an updated version addressing this problem within the next few days.

[via Mashable]

Like the idea of having a web browser with Twitter, Facebook, and instant messenger integration, but don't want to install a whole new browser to get those features? Yoono is a browser plugin that makes Firefox behave a bit more like Flock, the social web browser built from the same Mozilla code. But instead of downloading and installing a whole new browser, all you need to do to start using Yoono is install a 2MB Firefox add-on. An Internet Explorer version is in the works.

So what exactly does Yoono do? It adds a sidebar to Firefox that gives you quick access to your instant messenger, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Piczo, and Friendfeed contacts. You can send messages, update your social feeds, or just see what all of your friends are up to from within Firefox. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. You can also leave notes about the web sites you're visiting, rate pages, and share your bookmarks.

You can also add several widgets to your sidebar that will let you view web sites or pictures related to the page you're currently viewing. There's also a YouTube widget that will show you related videos, the day's top rated videos, or videos from your contacts.

Yoono is in private beta, but we've got 200 invites to give away to Download Squad readers on a first come, first served basis. Please don't leave comments asking us for invites, just follow the link after the jump.

Yoono is a social-bookmarking add-on for Firefox (and IE) which is similar to the popular StumbleUpon. It works on the premise of sharing your bookmarks with other Yoono users. When you first install and configure Yoono you are prompted to create an account and also select which of your bookmarks you would like to share. Never fear, you can also specify which bookmarks are private and should not be shared (like ChiaPetFansite.com).

What I like about Yoono is that it takes the work out of social bookmarking. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to use Del.icio.us or Ma.gnolia (or any other social bookmarking site) but since it works with your existing bookmarks it makes the 'social' aspect completely transparent, almost a brainless activity. Depending on your personality, this can be a pro or a con. While you're viewing any particular page, a ticker is displayed below the location bar which suggests similar sites to the one you're visiting. The only problem I had with this feature is that it would show links to the home pages of search sites or social news sites (like google.com or digg.com), which doesn't hold a lot of value for me. Since I can only presume this is based on other people's bookmarking habits, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. It would be nice if it would show only links to actual content. It does also feature bookmark syncing, a la Foxmarks, which I think most people will find useful. Overall I think it's a really fun add-on that is worth checking out.