Yahoo has released a set of free tools that it says will help developers tackle the problem of making apps work across hundreds of different handsets.

The offering doesn't quite have the scope of arch rival Google's Android platform, however.

Instead, Yahoo is to provide 'widgets' to help content providers produce content to run within its Go mobile application or other mobile browser software.

Ultimately, Yahoo hopes to make money by selling advertising around the content produced using its tools.

Yahoo is just the latest in a long line of companies hoping to attract content providers to their various platforms. Others include the likes of Nokia, Microsoft Apple and Google.

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However, unlike those four companies Yahoo is not in a position to control the phone operating system, which may prove a barrier to it establishing a truly ubiquitous content platform.

Yahoo would no doubt argue that its approach is precisely what's required to breakdown differences between the various OSes.