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Yo goes beyond 'yo' and adds hashtags, links

The app launched as the "simplest and most efficient communication tool in the world" by only allowing users to say "yo" to each other. Now it has some extra features.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger

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Yo

Yo, a mobile app that only allows people to say "yo" to each other, has added some features.

Launched Tuesday, the Yo update now lets people create profiles and show both a name and photo in addition to their usernames. Although Yo isn't letting users add more content to their communications, they can now attach a link to messages and through a new feature called Index, subscribe to sites across the Web and get notified about updates. Yo also supports hashtags that can be shared publicly.

Yo is arguably one of the more perplexing apps out there. Created by developed Life Before Us, the app lists a person's friends in a columned list. From there, they can simply tap on the person's name and send a "yo" to them. The person is alerted to being "yo'd" by a friend.

If the feature sounds familiar, it's because it's awfully similar to Facebook's poke feature -- something that alerted someone to another. The actual usefulness of such features is understandably questioned across the industry, but they do pop up from time to time.

Given the latest update, it appears Yo wants to become a notifications center of sorts where people share items across the Web with friends. The simple "yo" is little more than a vehicle to allow for that.

Whatever the case, Yo's update is available now. The app is free in Apple's App Store, the Google Play marketplace, Amazon's Appstore, and the Windows Phone Store.