05/25, 6:25pm
App discontinued despite high ratings
Yahoo announced today that the company will be discontinuing its personalized digital newspaper app, Livestand, after just six months of availability in the App Store. As detailed in a posting on the Yahoo Corporate Blog, the move is part of a greater push by the web company to refocus its efforts into a mobile-products-first model, with a greater focus on software offerings for tablets, smartphones, and other connected devices.
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05/24, 7:41am
iOS app and browser extension offers image-based search
Update: Axis was temporarily pulled by Yahoo due to a security vulnerability, but has already been updated.
Yahoo has released Axis, which it is calling a 'visual search' application. It has been released as a full mobile browser for iOS and as a cross-platform desktop browser extension that uses page snapshots in live search results instead of text. The iOS app, while having the same tabbed browsing and bookmarking found in Safari, has a user interface focussing on image-heavy search, with cross-device synching possible between iPhone, iPad and the desktop browser extension.
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05/22, 8:09pm
Search engine gets $6.3B in cash, $800M in stock, more
Alibaba, a Chinese-owned e-commerce giant, has bought half of Yahoo's stake in the company through a buyback deal. The previously speculated arrangement, announced on Sunday, sees Alibaba receive half of the 40 percent stake Yahoo has in the company in exchange for $6.3 billion in cash, and around $800 million in new Alibaba preferred shares. Yahoo will also receive preferential treatment if Alibaba conducts an initial public offering, with either Alibaba buying or Yahoo selling 25 percent of the remaining stake.
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05/22, 1:08am
Robert Kwok faces fines, business restrictions
Yahoo's former senior director of business management, Robert W. Kwok, and a former mutual fund manager at Ameriprise Financial have agreed to settle insider trading charges. The Securities and Exchange Commission maintains that Kwok and fund manager Reema D. Shah shared confidential information after a chance meeting in 2008 and continued with the information exchange into 2009. Kwok pled guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and Shah pled guilty to conspiracy. Both await sentencing.
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05/18, 8:40pm
Thompson-hired exec loses position, other shakeups
Yahoo's new boss, appointed just four days ago, is wasting no time in reorganization and shaking up the company. Interim CEO Ross Levinsohn is consolidating a consumer commerce division created by ex-CEO Scott Thompson. Instead of operating separately, the commerce group will be folded into the company's global media force.
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05/17, 11:34am
Yahoo lawyers shown not looking for Facebook affidavit
Yahoo lawyers accusing Facebook of fraudulently filing patents, as part of an ongoing lawsuit, may have been quickly proven wrong. Facebook, accused of deception, appears to have not only proved the Yahoo legal team wrong by producing the required evidence, but also discovered that there were no previous requests for the relevant document in the first place.
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05/14, 3:55am
Head of global media will become interim CEO
The board of Yahoo has accepted the resignation of former CEO Scott Thompson and named Ross Levinsohn, its head of global media, to be the interim CEO. Fred Amoroso, who just recently joined the board of the troubled Internet search engine, was named chairman, and Third Point hedge fund manager Dan Loeb, who had been pushing for Thompson's removal, and two of his proposed directors will join the board.
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05/10, 11:25pm
Thompson accused of falsehoods in resume by Daniel Loeb
Embattled Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson has provided another explanation for the inaccuracies on his resume. Thompson reportedly told other top Yahoo executives that he never personally provided Yahoo with a resume prior to taking the CEO job. Yahoo representatives have declined to comment on this matter.
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05/05, 8:31am
Yahoo could raise up to $8 billion in new Alibaba deal
Yahoo is said to be in talks to divest 15-25 percent of its holdings in e-commerce giant Alibaba in a buyback initiated by the Chinese-owned company. According to its sources, Reuters says that the transaction is aimed at removing some or all of the issues that arose when Alibaba’s CEO Jack Ma attempted put together a deal to gain control of Yahoo. Yahoo, which owns 40 percent of Alibaba, could stand to make anywhere between $4.8 billion to $8 billion if the deal goes through.
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05/04, 4:29pm
Yahoo claims Facebook infringes by using open source code
Facebook, in the run-up to its much-anticipated initial public offering, has amended its IPO filing four times to reflect new information from its ongoing legal battle with Yahoo. Now the social network has filed a fifth amendment, in which it releases a letter wherein Yahoo claims that Facebook risks violating 16 Yahoo patents in operation of its data centers and servers.
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05/03, 6:10pm
Daniel Loeb owns 5.8 percent of company, wants to shake up board
Daniel Loeb, a major Yahooshareholder, is accusing CEO Scott Thompson of lying about his credentials. Loeb claims that Thompson does not have a bachelor's degree in computer science from Boston's Stonehill College. Yahoo's board was angrily informed of the discrepancy by Loeb on Thursday after they informed shareholders that Loeb wasn't fit to run the company.
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05/03, 10:00am
Researchers helping design new research lab
Microsoft has reportedly hired more than a dozen former Yahoo employees to help establish a new research lab located in New York City. The team is said to include algorithmic economist David Pennock, along with machine-learning specialist John Langford, among others.
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04/30, 6:00pm
Jensen had focused on women, lifestyle projects
A senior Yahoo executive who had been in charge of its Shine site for women's issues, health and lifestyle content has left the company to take a position at Apple's iAd mobile advertising division, AllThingsD is reporting. Jessica Jensen was the public face of Yahoo's efforts to beef up its own content away from sports, finances and celebrity news. Jensen originally came to Yahoo three years ago through her own site LowImpactLiving.com.
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04/27, 6:25pm
Now alleges 12 patent violations by Facebook
The patent struggle between Yahoo and Facebook took another turn today, with Yahoo adding two more patents to its list of alleged infringements by Facebook. The move, which brings the total number of alleged Facebook infringements to 12, came in response to Facebook's own countersuit against Yahoo, in which the social network claimed that Yahoo had infringed on 10 Facebook patents.
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04/23, 1:20pm
Facebook increase patent library to fight lawsuits
Facebook is set to buy a large number of patents that Microsoft recently acquired acquire through an AOL auction. The deal, worth $550 million, lets Facebook own 650 AOL patents and patent applications, along with a license to the remainder that Microsoft retains.
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04/20, 5:50pm
Apple's Prineville, Oregon plant gets tax break
Apple has reached an agreement with the town of Prineville and Crook County in return for the placement of its Oregon datacenter. The deal will give Apple a 15-year property tax exemption. In return, it will have to invest $250 million in its 160 acres of land and promise at least 35 jobs at 150 percent higher than the county average.
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04/10, 1:35pm
Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson rearranges leadership
A message from Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson addressed to all employees has been leaked prior to an all-hands meeting later today. The e-mail, leaked to AllThingsD, details a restructuring of their leadership and from the start of May dividing Yahoo down to three groups: Consumer, Regions, and Technology.
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04/05, 11:40pm
Latest executive shakeup
Yahoo's chief product officer, Blake Irving, has reportedly submitted his resignation. Although the company has yet to make a formal announcement, the departure is said to have been previously planned ahead of the layoff announcement that was made earlier this week.
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04/04, 2:35pm
Moves to startup to fill gap from Picnik closure
Flickr has announced that Aviary will be its new photo editing web app. The division of Yahoo had been using Google's Picnik, but had to scramble to find a replacement after Google announced plans in January to shut Picnik down on April 19 as part of a streamlining of operations that Google began last August.
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04/04, 10:15am
Yahoo shakes up staff in mass departures
Yahoo confirmed rumors of large-scale layoffs by dropping 2,000 workers. Focusing mostly on the product division, the exits would include some immediate layoffs as well as gradual transitions away. The positions were being dropped to return to a "core purpose" of "users and advertisers," CEO Scott Thompson said.
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04/03, 2:10pm
Facebook refuses to back down over Yahoo suit
Facebook responded to Yahoo's web technology lawsuit on Tuesday with a countersuit. The complaint levels 10 patents, including three recent ones. Attorneys at both Cooley and Apple's defense team versus Samsung, Wilmer Hale, are launching the case.
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03/30, 4:20pm
Yahoo job cuts due next week, then reorganization
The expected Yahoo job cuts may start as soon as next week, if an AllThingsD wrote citing multiple sources proves true. The week after next will see the announcement of a restructuring plan, Tuesday and Wednesday meetings with new CEO Scott Thompson allegedly revealed. The job cuts will reportedly come mainly from the product, research, and marketing arms. The goal is to have about 14,000 employees left over at Yahoo.
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03/22, 4:10pm
Facebook rumored to have bought 750 IBM patents
Facebook has bought 750 patents from IBM in order to be better protected against patent infringement lawsuits, Bloomberg was told by a purported source close to the affair. The deal isn't yet public, but the patents were said to cover software and networking technologies, among others. Its purchase was almost certainly triggered by Yahoo's recent lawsuit against the social network over web patents.
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03/13, 3:45pm
FTC wants to know how iOS search favors Google
The FTC's widening antitrust investigation of Google is now collecting information from Apple, insiders tipped on mid-Tuesday. A pair of Bloomberg sources understood the US agency to be subpoenaing Apple for the deals making Google the default search engine on iOS devices. It's presumed, though not certain, that concerns may exist Google is unfairly using its search dominance to cut out Microsoft's Bing and others from getting the pre-selected position.
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03/12, 4:50pm
Yahoo goes on offense after patent dispute
(Updated with Facebook response mid-story) Yahoo brought its dispute with Facebook to a head on Monday by suing the social network. It alleged that Facebook was treading on ten patents focusing on ad and messaging, including ways to track and verify ad hits, privacy, social networking, and technologies like those behind Yahoo Messenger. The lawsuit claimed not only that Facebook was borrowing others' technology for elements like Facebook's News Feed but that Facebook effectively wouldn't exist without Yahoo's work.
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03/07, 6:45pm
Looking to cash in on future Facebook revenues
Last week, Yahoo threatened Facebook with legal action over the search engine company's ad, website and messaging patents. Business Insider now claimed that talks between the two companies to resolve the issue have broken down. Sources have reportedly told the news source that Yahoo now will take "formal action" against Facebook, most likely in the form of a lawsuit.
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03/06, 5:00am
Yahoo prepping for major restructure, job loses
Following the hiring of ex-PayPal chief Scott Thompson as CEO, Yahoo is said to be preparing to make major cuts to its workforce. In conjunction with the hiring of Thompson, the Yahoo board also hired the Boston Consulting Group to conduct a strategic review of the organisation. The restructuring is expected to result in what could amount to job loses in the ‘thousands’ according to sources familiar with the matter.
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02/24, 3:05pm
Google patent details gesture-based web searches
Google has filed a new patent with the USPTO that relates to touchscreen-based web searches on mobile devices. Rather than copying and pasting some text into a search engine, the tech will initiate Google web searches when users draw a lower-case 'g' on the screen and then continue on to circle the text or image they want to learn more about. The patent also makes mention of searching other sources such as Yahoo or Wikipedia by tracing the shape of the letter 's' on the screen.
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02/23, 11:00am
Proposed web privacy bill has seven stipulations
President Obama and his administration this week released a white paper (PDF) outlining proposed new online privacy rules. A big part of the regulations includes Do Not Track technology for behavior-based web advertising. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will oversee and enforce these rules.
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02/21, 5:35pm
Flickr reworks to improve photo viewing and upload
Flickr senior product lead Markus Spiering in a far-ranging interview previewed some of its first major overhauls to Flickr for years. A February 28 overhaul outlined to BetaBeat will remake the photo preview page, turning it into a mosaic with larger shots and information only when it's needed. The new upload page is now more akin to a mobile app with a more visual drag-and-drop interface.
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02/16, 9:35am
Mac OS X Mountain Lion adds iMessage, Reminders
In a surprise step, Apple on Thursday gave developers a preview version of OS X Mountain Lion, the next significant update to the core OS. The new version is directly influenced by iOS 5 and includes Notification Center, Reminders, Notes, Game Center, and Twitter integration, with iCloud syncing where it's relevant. AirPlay Mirroring is also new to the Mac and shares exactly what's on screen through an Apple TV.
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02/14, 2:15pm
Yahoo talks on sale reportedly stopped
ahoo and its potential Asian buyers may have finished their negotiations to buy out the online entity, AllThingsD reported. China-based Alibaba was interested in buying the company, along with Japan's telecommunications giant, SoftBank. Sources claimed the end to the discussion was due to the complex nature of the cash split, among smaller issues.
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02/10, 11:20am
Stoppage likely to continue for weeks.
Iran is apparently proactively censoring selected Internet sites. Reports out of that country claim that the government there is blocking access to Google, Yahoo, and Gmail, It is also preventing access to sites using the secure Https protocol, effectively preventing any online banking services.
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02/09, 11:40pm
Eolas sees web patent lawsuit claim tossed
Eolas' attempt to patent the "interactive web" may have been dealt a permanent blow after a jury in the normally patent lawsuit-friendly town of Tyler, Texas ruled that the patent was invalid. The decision negated both any attempts at claiming damages and also negated three future trials. The rejection came in part after testimony from the spiritual creator of the web, Tim Berners-Lee, as well as individual creators whose work predated that of Eolas owner Michael Doyle.
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02/08, 6:25pm
Company expands patent litigation
A Texas court is finally ready to hear arguments in a high-profile patent lawsuit that names tech giants Google, Amazon and Yahoo among a list of defendants. The companies are attempting to defend themselves against a suit filed by a patent holding company, Eolas Technologies, that accuses the group of violating several patents related to "interactive web" technology.
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02/07, 6:00pm
Yahoo sees director overhaul with new CEO
Yahoo on Tuesday orchestrated one of its biggest board shifts in recent memory. Long-serving chairman Roy Bostock said he wouldn't stand for reelection at the next shareholder meeting, effectively resigning this year. Three others, Vyomesh Joshi, Arthur Kern, and Gary Wilson, were also stepping down.
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02/03, 7:00pm
Offers reviews as well as link to download
Yahoo has launched an app filtering tool to its search engine. Yahoo's main page now gives a user a tab for Apps as well as the traditional Web, Images, Video, Local and More. With it, users can get app only search results and filter them for either iOS or Android apps.
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02/01, 9:35pm
Vizio CinemaWide gets price at middle size
Vizio has quietly updated the product page for its flagship TV of the year, the CinemaWide, to give it a price. The middle tier 58-inch set should cost $3,499. Smaller 50- and high-end 71-inch sets are still coming, but didn't immediately get prices.
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01/31, 12:50pm
Hulu CEO careful not to commit to or deny Apple TV
Hulu chief Jason Kilar used careful language in an interview at the D: Dive Into Media conference when discussing major content deals. He wouldn't confirm or deny any talks to bring Hulu Plus to the Apple TV. The executive was aware it was a potentially loaded question and denied it twice when pressed.
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01/19, 3:25pm
Samsung outs new basic phones with two Star 3s
Samsung has released successors for its entry-level Star II handsets with the Star 3 and Star 3 Duos. Both handsets are virtually identical, with the Duos adding a dual SIM slot. They have three-inch, 240x320 displays, and are 11.5mm (0.45in) thick.
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01/17, 5:20pm
Yahoo loses Yang as new CEO takes over
(Update: more to come?) Yahoo on Tuesday said that its co-founder Jerry Yang was leaving the company. He had immediately resigned both from the Board of Directors and "all other positions" at the search giant, including a board spot at Alibaba. He sought to "pursue other interests" beyond the company but cast it as an amicable leap, putting his confidence in new CEO Scott Thompson.
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01/17, 4:35pm
World IPv6 Day to launch standard is June 6
The IPv6 Internet addressing standard will get a more formal launch by its backers on June 6, which is being devoted World IPv6 Day. Seven global ISPs will back the new standard then, including AT&T, Comcast and Time Warner. Also onboard are heavily trafficked websites, including Facebook, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft's Bing, as well as hardware makers Cisco and D-Link.
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01/09, 4:30pm
Futuristic "Electric City" aims at today's issus
Yahoo has lined up Tom Hanks to help it launch its foray into original scripted programming. Hanks will be creating Electric City, a 90-minute animated science fiction series for the digital media company. The premium content will be viewable on both Internet connected TVs and tablets.
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01/06, 6:20pm
Yahoo set to refresh board, undertakes search
Following the appointment of this week of Scott Thompson as the new CEO of Yahoo, the company is said to be on the lookout for new board members. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Yahoo has hired Heidrick & Struggles International to lead the executive search. The latest shakeup at the top of the embattled Internet giant is apparently the result of some board members having been on the board for a long time, and the recent heavy time commitments required following the firing of former CEO Carol Bartz.
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01/04, 9:45am
Yahoo settles on permanent CEO from eBay division
Yahoo confirmed rumors Wednesday and picked PayPal president Scott Thompson as its new CEO. The nomination of the eBay division head followed months of uncertainty at the company following the firing of Carol Bartz in September. Thompson takes the position January 9.
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12/29, 6:30am
Alibaba hires lobbying firm to help Yahoo bid
Alibaba continues to show strong interest in acquiring Yahoo by hiring a lobbying firm according to Reuters. Alibaba, one of China’s largest e-commerce companies already has a complex financial interconnection with Yahoo. Yahoo owns a 40 percent stake in Alibaba that is worth around $17 billion, which will need to be resolved before any proposed buyout can go ahead.
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12/22, 4:25pm
Google to pay $300m per year in Mozilla deal
When Google and Mozilla renewed their search royalty deal earlier this week, they didn't reveal that Google will pay $300 million per year, AllThingsD learned. For this amount of money, Google will be the default search engine in Mozilla's Firefox browser. The numbers are a sharp increase from the previous arrangement because of the new competition from Yahoo and Microsoft.
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12/22, 1:55pm
Sonos update stops Zune, Microsoft devices
Sonos has quietly put out an update for its Play and Bridge devices last week that unusually strips out features. The 3.6 update pulls support for copy-protected Windows Media files, leaving Zune Pass users and those still tied to mostly inactive PlaysForSure DRM stores without a way to stream their music to Sonos boxes. The company hasn't given an explanation for the switch but has been asked for a comment.
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12/21, 3:50pm
Slot critical to attracting possible investors
Since September, Yahoo has been searching for potential buyers for itself. Although there have been many potential suitors, with no apparent deal close at hand, the company is now refocusing itself on permanently filling the CEO slot, which has been vacant since Carol Bartz was fired abruptly three months ago. All Things D, citing its sources, claims that Yahoo's board is
looking at Hulu's CEO Jason Kilar.
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12/08, 2:55pm
Google said to ship Currents as soon as tomorrow
Google's tablet reader software, previously referred to by the Propeller codename, will officially be called Currents, from current events. It may also launch as soon as Friday, AllThingsD reported. The product will compete with the likes of Flipboard, Zite, and Yahoo's Livestand.
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