yahoo

The 404 1,295: Where we telegraph it in (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Ants aren't the only ones destroying electronics: Bored pets are, too.

- Snapcat: A photo app for cat selfies.

- Stop the presses: Today is the last day to send a telegram in India.

- RIP Google Reader: Today it is kaput.

- What happens when a guy logs in under his wife's gamer tag? Understanding sexism in gaming.

- Computer and printer prices to rise in EU because you can print copywritten stuff.… Read more

A hail and farewell to AltaVista

This is what happens after a series of bumbling owners fail to keep a once terrific product relevant in a dynamic market: You get a cold PR send-off that doesn't even fill the screen.

"Please visit Yahoo! Search for all of your searching needs."

That's all Yahoo wrote Friday afternoon as it lumped in the news that it was killing off AltaVista on July 8 with word that it will also ax 11 other products that no longer matter to the company.

Jay Rossiter, the vice president in charge of platforms, said the moves will free … Read more

Off with their heads: Yahoo issues list of nixed projects

Summer cleaning starts today at Yahoo which revealed a dozen projects that are shutting down. In a note announcing the list, Jay Rossiter, the vice president in charge of platforms, said the moves will free Yahoo to sharpen its focus and thus "continue to focus on creating beautiful products that are essential to you every day." (Did you know Alta Vista was still kicking around? Well, no longer.)

From Rossiter's memo:

Yahoo! Axis (June 28, 2013)

If you installed the browser plug-in, it will no longer work. If you downloaded the app, it will continue to work, … Read more

Yahoo integrates Flickr with e-mail, adds new search alerts

Continuing to spruce up its offerings, Yahoo on Friday added Flickr integration into its e-mail service and notifications for Yahoo search results for images and video.

Adding Flickr, the popular photo-sharing service acquired by Yahoo, to e-mail means it will be easier for users to send individual photos and sets from their Flickr accounts, according to a blog post from Yahoo. Just click on the arrow next to the paperclip and choose "Share from Flickr," to access the feature.

For Yahoo search, users can now set up alerts for keywords for a Web, video, or image search. Yahoo … Read more

Yahoo News gets a face-lift to become 'more personal'

Yahoo News on Thursday became the company's latest site to get a facelift.

The Internet company added new features that it believes will deliver a "more personal, intuitive and modern design." That includes a news stream that's customizable to a user's interests and a redesigned iOS app. A new Android design will be hitting devices soon, Yahoo said.

"This new design is one step towards creating a more consistent feel across Yahoo," Mike Kerns, Yahoo vice president of product, said in a blog post.

Kerns noted that Yahoo News will get smarter over … Read more

Student group files complaint against U.S. firms over NSA data snooping

A student group has charged several U.S. technology companies with violations of European law for allegedly cooperating with the NSA to collect data on private citizens.

Known as Europe-v-Facebook (EVF), the group of Austrian students announced Wednesday that it filed formal complaints with the EU against Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Skype, and Yahoo. The group contends that since the five companies do business in Europe through subsidiaries, they fall under European privacy laws.

Such laws allow the export of data only if the company's European subsidiary can guarantee an "adequate level or protection" in the home country. … Read more

Marissa Mayer misses a chance to shame a 'dirty old man'

I would have been tempted to step down from the stage, cock my fist, and swing it while saying: "Lean into this, George."

And yet not being Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, I was unable to perform this task at Tuesday's shareholders meeting.

Sadly, Mayer decided to put up with an alleged shareholder taking the microphone and offering: "I'm George Polis. I have 2,000 shares of Yahoo. I'm Greek, and I'm a dirty old man, and you look attractive, Marissa."

Perhaps this man thought he was being funny.

More likely, he really … Read more

Yahoo completes blockbuster $1.1 billion Tumblr acquisition

Exactly one month after announcing plans to acquire microblogging platform Tumblr for $1.1 billion, Yahoo has closed the deal.

The Internet giant announced Thursday that it officially owns Tumblr. The company announced the acquisition last month, saying that the $1.1 billion purchase price would be "substantially all...in cash." The company also promised at that time "not to screw [Tumblr] up."

Tumblr is highly popular site with over 300 million monthly unique visitors. The company was founded in 2007. Under the terms of the deal, Tumblr will remain its own entity under the Yahoo … Read more

Yahoo: Don't fret about hack attacks on recycled user IDs

Yahoo's plan to recycle old user IDs has prompted some concern among security experts who fear hackers could take advantage. But Yahoo says their fears are unfounded.

Speaking to Reuters in an interview published on Thursday, Yahoo senior director for consumer platforms, Dylan Casey, said that he's "aware" of the concerns over identity theft, but his company has "gone through a bunch of different steps to mitigate that concern."

Yahoo announced last week that it's resetting all user IDs that have been inactive over the last 12 months starting in July. The company … Read more