homepage
Latest
Apple's App Store homepage will soon feature ads
Apple has famously bragged that it will never invade your privacy to serve ads, but it does have an ad business on its App Store and elsewhere.
YouTube bans election and gambling ads at the top of its homepage
Alcohol and prescription drug advertisers are also locked out of the prominent masthead slot.
YouTube lets you hide channels from your recommendations
No matter how advanced algorithms get, none will understand your YouTube viewing preferences better than you. With that in mind, YouTube is adding a few new features that will give users more control over which videos appear in their homepage and Up Next suggestions. The changes will roll out beginning today on Android and iOS, and they'll arrive on desktop soon.
eBay takes on Amazon with guaranteed 3-day shipping
In an effort to deal with formidable rival Amazon, eBay has launched a new program giving shoppers guaranteed three-day shipping on 20 million products. Called "Guaranteed Delivery," it also includes free shipping on "millions" of those items, according to eBay, and will roll out in the US starting this summer. The online marketplace also revamped its home page today to provide a more personalized experience for shoppers.
Yelp's redesigned homepage puts photos front and center
Yelpers everywhere will soon be greeted with a new homepage. Earlier today, Yelp announced it's rolling out a redesign that focuses on showcasing imagery from users, as well as content from different local services (think: not only restaurants). Yelp says this overhaul is also about making it easier for account holders to find what they're looking for, including businesses, popular categories and recent activity from others. The search bar is now placed front and center too, next to visuals from the community, something that Yelp hopes can make the experience more interactive for people on the site. The freshly minted homepage doesn't appear to be live for everyone yet, but you should see it show up in the coming days.
YouTube's mobile homepage redesign has better recommendations
YouTube wants to put more of the videos you like in front of you, so it's giving its Android and iOS apps a bit of a facelift. Specifically, its homepage is getting a bit of a makeover. Gone are the small thumbnail previews, and in its place are larger, higher-res images. More importantly, the company has worked hard behind the scenes to improve its recommendation engine with a deep neural network. That way, the system should be able to work out the clips you want to watch next well before you've even thought about it -- keeping you on the site for longer.
Bing's mobile homepage for iOS and Android gets a new look
So, you like Bing but don't like it enough to download its app on your phone. Expect to see a new interface when you load the website on an Android or iOS browser, then, along with a number of new options when you swipe up the translucent card at the bottom. That includes a "Popular Now" section, which is essentially the mobile version of the desktop's news carousel. It lists trending stories around the web, some of which might be relevant to you and your location. There's also a new "Image of the day (IOTD) card" that displays info about the mobile and desktop website's daily background. Finally, you can use the "earn and explore" option to earn Bing Reward credits, which you might someday (if you're loyal and persistent) be able to redeem for gift cards.
Verizon FiOS TV rolling out new set-top box Home Page
In the old days, you'd turn your TV on and see video. Typically it would just play whatever channel was on last, but more advanced digital boxes might start at a main menu or specific channel. Verizon's latest twist on that idea is rolling out video hub office by video hub office, and should reach all 5 million customers' set-top boxes within a few weeks. Called FiOS TV Home Page, it welcomes viewers by displaying weather and other basic info next to highlighted VOD or Flex View services, all tailored to each customer's viewing habits. Sure, some might find it useful, but others might be annoyed at seeing the screen for 15 seconds every time they turn on the TV or because there are tiles advertising package upgrades and VOD. Luckily, if simply hitting exit doesn't stop the pain fast enough then there is an option to disable the screen completely if desired.
Yahoo reveals new homepage look with social streams, optimizations for smartphones and tablets
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer took to the company's official blog to unveil a refreshed Yahoo homepage that's "more intuitive and personal." The basic layout hasn't changed all that much (and the real deal hasn't switched over just yet), but Meyer says that the site is now optimized across mobile devices, with newly designed apps able to tap into your Facebook profile to broadcast your friends' birthdays to this new, more social-centric homepage. Recommendations from the social network are also gifted space on the new entry page, but it's email and news that seem to take priority in the redesign, located in eye-catching positions on both desktop and mobile iterations. The CEO added that Yahoo isn't finished yet, noting that the redesign we're looking at above is "the first of many." The new look will roll out across US browsers over the next few days.
Looking at 15 years of Apple's home page
Apple is known for its top-notch design and its webpage is no exception. Charlie Hoehn took an interest in Apple.com and used the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to examine how Apple's website has evolved over the past 15 years. Hoehn notes that Apple's home page has stuck with the same basic billboard design with some refinements over the years. He points out that Apple added a top nav bar in 2000 and gave the site a facelift in 2007 that coincided with the unveiling of OS X Leopard. You can view a history of Apple's home page in the slideshow below or travel to Hoehn's website for all the details. His post also has a second slideshow showing the more dramatic changes in Microsoft, Dell, HP, IBM and Sony. [Via Creativebits] 15 Years of Apple's Homepage from Charlie Hoehn
Redesigned YouTube rolling out to some users, reflects the influence of Google+
From the looks of this screenshot posted by one of our readers, it appears YouTube is testing a new homepage styled more like the look that recently rolled out on Google+. The current default look rolled out last winter with more focus on channels and social integration, while this new facade features more white space and list of channels and friends to the side. We asked YouTube about the new look and a spokesperson issued a boilerplate statement about experimenting with ways to help users find the videos that are important to them. The statement in full is after the break, however the key part is that they're listening to user feedback so take a close look at this pic and the rest at the source link below then let us (and Google) know what you think. [Thanks, M.B. Goro]
Google launches revamped doodle website, store, self-celebration ensues
Google is inviting users to take a trip down Memory Lane, with a new web archive on one of its most celebrated traditions -- the Google doodle. Last week, the search giant unveiled a revamped doodle website, replete with an interactive gallery of over 1,000 homepage designs from around the world. On the new site, users can browse, watch or play with any of Google's myriad doodles, all of which are organized by date and location. Die-hard doodle-heads, meanwhile, can commemorate their love with a customized t-shirt, coffee mug, or any other completely embarrassing stocking stuffer, available at Google's new "Doodle on Demand" store. Check it out for yourself, at the links below.
New category home pages arriving in the App Store
Apple's been quietly tweaking the design of the App Store, and The Next Web notes Apple has been posting new updates to App Store category pages and their designs. Games and Education are the first two to get a new, cleaner look. If it looks familiar, that's because the main music homepage uses the same design, with one big bar and a scrolling list of other featured titles on the side. I don't know that this will necessarily affect app sales much. The New and Noteworthy sections are still prominent, and just anecdotally, I'm not sure how many people actually browse the App Store for apps. I'm sure they do that on the day they come home with an iPhone or iPad, but after that I presume most app sales are by word of mouth ("Go check out this app!") or by specifically searching on the store for something. Getting spotlighted by Apple never hurts, though, and a cleaner category page means it's easier for anyone to shop there. You can see the new pages in action in iTunes right now.
Apple site updated with exciting news from the WWDC keynote
The Apple website has been updated to show all of the wonderful new features that we'll be seeing in the next few months. iOS 5 "in the fall," Mac OS X 10.7 Lion "in July," and iCloud "concurrently with iOS 5." Each of the major images on the home page points to a new landing page. For iCloud, you see a full explanation of the service and how it's going to rock your world. The Mac OS X 10.7 Lion page touts the $29.99 price tag for all of the computers in your house, while the iOS 5 page describes all of the new features. It's worth browsing these pages to pick up details. What's your favorite feature so far? Tell us in the comments.
.Mac Homepage shutting down today
In April of 2009, Apple announced the pending discontinuation of its .Mac Homepage service. A formal date was set in October, and that date is today. Your sites won't be gone for good, however. To find them, open your iDisk and navigate to the Sites folder. There you'll find all of the HTML pages that made up your Homesite. Likewise, pictures and movies will be found in the Pictures and Movies folder. Note that publishing with iWeb will not be affected by this change. So long, Homepages! Thanks for all the fish.
Google enables Binging background images
Google just flipped the switch letting users across the globe decorate their Google.com landing page with preselected images or photos all their own. Wow, somebody alert Alfred Nobel.
Flickr Find: Apple homepage, 1983
Of course, we didn't have Flash, or web designers, or shiny browsers with big graphics, or the actual connections to load those graphics back in 1983 when Apple introduced the Lisa. But what if we did? That's the premise of this slick little photoshop by Dave Lawrence, imagining Apple's current homepage advertising their products of yesteryear.It's good for a chuckle -- if the blistering 1mb of RAM doesn't get you, the iPhone preorder or the "BASIC" on the menubar probably will. But wait; what's all of this about Apple Retail Locations? We've never heard of an "Apple Store," and actually won't until Steve takes a bunch of investors to the first location in 2001. We know all about Apple Authorized Resellers, though. Maybe that's what you meant?
Apple announces end of .Mac HomePage
Apple has begun sending an email to MobileMe customers about a pending service change. Specifically, .Mac HomePage will be discontinued on July 7, 2009. While existing pages will remain live at their current addresses for MobileMe users, they'll no longer be able to edit them or add new ones. If you want to delete an existing page between now and then, simply visit the HomePage application. Groups will also be discontinued on July 7 when Apple shuts down all group email address, group HomePages, message boards and iDisk "Groups" folders. Your data will be safe, however, as Apple will move the "Groups" folder to a new folder on your iDisk called "Groups Archive."While I never used Groups, it's kind of sad to see HomePage go. I can remember building homepages on my old 333mhz G3 iMac. It was so easy to make a quick-and-dirty site for sharing photos, etc. with grandma. No, it wasn't the cleanest code ever produced, but it was fun back in the day.Of course, Apple recommends that customers consider MobileMe Galleries and iWeb as an alternative. You can get the full run-down here.
World of Warcraft iGoogle theme
More and more people (myself included) are starting to use iGoogle as their homepage, because it's incredibly useful. There's all sorts of widgets you can use to customize your homepage, from useful things like the weather and a feed of the top news stories, to goofy things like games and videos. I started using it awhile ago, so I was excited to hear about the addition of World of Warcraft iGoogle theme.The theme is pretty basic as far as its appearance goes: A little art on top, a little art on the bottom, and text colored to match. No absurd bells and whistles or major distractions. The cool thing this theme does, like a few other iGoogle themes, is it changes depending on the time of day in your region. When I first put this theme on my homepage earlier today it had a somewhat orange tinge to it all, the art being what I believe is Durotar. Orcs, all of that sort of thing. As of my writing this, it's only 2 PM Central and it's already switched over to the dark blue of the Lich King. It seems a bit early to be swapping to what appears to be the nighttime version of the theme, and it's somewhat depressing in an odd sort of way.
App Store loses "All Free Apps" link
Apple's made some strange changes to the App Store lately. While the reviews change was a good one, this latest update is just confusing: they removed all of the "See all" links from the sidebar of the main App Store page, including the much-visited "All Free Apps" that many of our readers used to browse the new free stuff in there. Now, all that's there is a bunch of category links. You can still search for apps, obviously, and you can click on the Top Paid and Free apps to see those, and you can even click on the "See all" near "New," "What's Hot" and "Staff Favorites." But if you want to browse all the new Free apps in the store completely unfiltered, you're out of luck.Why would this be? Depends on who's guessing -- if you're angry at Apple (perhaps one of many developers who haven't seen their apps in the store yet), you might claim that it's because Apple wants to keep a firm grip on just what new free apps get seen on the homepage. If you're so-so on the issue, it might be because you think Apple wanted to streamline the process and keep you from the hassle of browsing all the free trash yourself. And if you're what our kind commenters call a "fanboy," you might claim that Apple is just having problems with their store, or that they're actually trying to help developers by raising app prices.Personally, I'm going for option D: someone working on the iTunes page didn't realize how popular the link was, and after a little outcry, it'll be back soon. In the meantime, there are still a few RSS feeds around that will help you keep tabs on what's showing up in the store.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
