yahoo is set to launch an Android-based smartphone called "Yahoo Phone” in Japan, in collaboration with the country's third largest mobile operator Softbank. The move has come as a surprise for many as Yahoo is considered to be close to the Microsoft, the search and productivity rival of Google, with Yahoo going so far as to power its search by Microsoft's Bing. However, it's notable that Yahoo owns each of its international sites with the exception of Yahoo Japan in which it has only 34.79 percent minority stake.