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Yahoo acquires to-do app Astrid

Yahoo's app spending spree continued Thursday with the acquisition of to-do app Astrid.

The to-do-list and task management app "will continue to work as is" for the next 90 days but will not accept new premium subscriptions, Astrid CEO Jon Paris said in a company blog post announcing the acquisition. Terms of the acquisition were not revealed.

"To make future changes as easy as possible, we'll be in touch with users shortly to share how to download data," Paris wrote in the blog, adding that Yahoo would issue refunds to eligible users who have … Read more

Yahoo ditches Dailymotion acquisition -- report

Yahoo is apparently abandoning plans to secure majority control over video site Dailymotion due to objections from the French government.

According to Reuters, plans to secure a 75 percent stake in the video site -- owned by telecommunications company France-Telecom Orange -- fell apart after the French government objected to the idea that the "country would lose control over one of its biggest Internet industry successes in such a deal."

The French government sought to persuade Yahoo to acquire a 50 percent stake instead. However, this apparently wasn't an option the tech giant was willing to entertain. … Read more

Yahoo graces Android app with Summly, too

To sum it up: First came the new Yahoo app for iPhone, then came the one for Android.

Just over a week ago, Yahoo brought out an iPhone app that features news summaries delivered using the natural-language algorithms and machine learning technologies from the company's recent Summly acquisition. Now, Yahoo brings us word of its similarly equipped new Android app.

And what a difference that eight days seems to have made in the excitement level for Yahoo.

The announcement of the iPhone app came in a posting from CEO Marissa Mayer and it made sure to name-drop Summly, a … Read more

Yahoo's bid for Dailymotion reportedly axed by French pol

Yahoo's bid to take a controlling stake in French video-sharing site Dailymotion has reportedly been killed by the French government.

Dailymotion, which is owned by France-Telecom, was in talks to sell a 75 percent stake to Yahoo, according to a report last month by The Wall Street Journal. The deal was expected to give Yahoo a much-needed boost in the overseas video-sharing space, which is mainly dominated by services like Google's YouTube.

While Marissa Mayer purchased a recommendations startup late last year to fortify Yahoo's presence on mobile, Dailymotion would be her first big acquisition since she … Read more

Yahoo rolls out six original shows and new TV partnerships

Working to fulfill Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer's promise to make Yahoo a place where users will want to come every day, the company announced Monday that it will debut six new original Web shows in 2013.

The shows range from Ed Helms playing a miniature crime fighter to chef Megan Mitchell giving tips on outdoor grilling to actor John Stamos interviewing celebrities about losing their virginity.

"In the last year, we have more than doubled the original video programming on Yahoo! to become one of the Web's largest content publishers," Yahoo vice president and head of … Read more

Yahoo continues to recast itself and debuts two new ad features

As Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer continues to work to reformulate the company as a modern mobile-forward search engine with new products and features, she's also thinking about earning revenue the good old-fashioned way -- advertising.

The company launched two new ad features on Monday. One is a new way of introducing ads called Yahoo Stream Ads, and the other is a redesigned Yahoo Billboard.

"As we continue to build products and features that inspire and entertain our users, we're committed to delivering engaging and effective advertising opportunities," Mayer wrote in a blog post Monday. "Over … Read more

Yahoo's Marissa Mayer will reportedly join Jawbone board

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is said to have joined the board of directors of gadget maker Jawbone. According to AllThingsD, sources familiar with the matter said that Mayer has been familiar with Jawbone for some time and has already sat in on one of the company's board meetings.

Jawbone is a San Francisco-based company has been making colorful tech gadgets for more than a decade, such as the Jambox wireless speaker and the Jawbone Up fitness bracelet that tracks users' physical activity and syncs the data to mobile devices.

The fact that many of Jawbones devices focus on wireless … Read more

Check the weather in style with the Yahoo Weather app

Yahoo Weather is a weather app that displays stunning Flickr photos as a backdrop to a wide range of weather information on your iPhone -- more than you get with Apple's weather app. There are certainly other options with more weather information, but for a quick look at what's happening in your area, Yahoo Weather is a good-looking and well-made app.

When you launch Yahoo Weather, you'll be asked immediately if the app can use your location so it can give you information on the weather around your area. From there you'll be presented with a … Read more

Yahoo Chairman Fred Amoroso resigns

Fred Amoroso, who became Yahoo chairman at a time of turmoil for the Web pioneer, has resigned his position, the company announced on Thursday.

Amoroso will remain on the board until company's annual shareholders meeting on June 25 but will not seek reelection. Maynard Webb Jr., former CEO of cloud-based call services company LiveOps, has been appointed interim chairman.

"Fred has been a wonderful chairman for Yahoo over the past year, and I'm personally grateful for his trust and guidance as I took on the role as Yahoo CEO," Marissa Mayer said in a statement. "… Read more

LinkedIn Contacts looks to boost relationships

CNET Update has much to say:

It's hard to remember everything. Apps can help. And LinkedIn's Contacts app wants to help make sure you remember more about your professional contacts.

If you're trying to make it in the business world but don't have time for networking and schmoozing, just pay a ton of money for the chance to become BFFs with Apple's CEO Tim Cook. Coffee is included.

Talking to people can be hard, but Facebook doesn't want you to be shy. It's encouraging more messaging by throwing green dots all over the place. … Read more