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Infinite Loop interviews Yahoo! Messenger dev
When we first came across the beta of Yahoo! Messenger 3 we were impressed. This feels like an OS X app, not some crappy Windows port! Then we pretty much forgot about the whole thing, but Jeff Smykil at Infinite Loop didn't. He wanted to know why Messenger suddenly didn't suck on the Mac, and he wanted to know who was responsible.It turns out that Tristan O'Tierney, who used to work on the Colloquy project amongst other things, has had a large part in making Messenger 3 beta what it is. Jeff interviews Tristan about all things Mac at Yahoo!, so go check it out.
Wake up right with the PSP omlette
Being at DigitalLife in NYC has been cool: I've been talking to publishers about their latest games (expect impressions and interviews soon!). But, the show floor is too busy: there's always somewhere to be, somewhere to go. That's why a good breakfast is so important when I get up. If you're a hardcore PSP fan like me, you know that breakfast doesn't feel right if it doesn't have a chunk of PSP in it. Thankfully, this Japanese auction at Yahoo for a PSP omelette should hit the spot. At around $100 including shipping, it seems like a pretty good deal!Yum![Via Kotaku]
Yahoo snags another search partner: HP
You know what they always say: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Apparently Yahoo is applying this mantra quite liberally, as just a fortnight after signing a deal with Acer to make Yahoo the default search engine on all of its future notebooks, the distantly-second place search giant is teaming up with HP. Yahoo has been on a tirade of sorts in its attempt to partner with as many other firms as possible, but landing a deal with the world's second largest PC maker just might provide the usage boost its been after. North American HP PCs will sport an Internet Explorer 7 toolbar that automatically channels any search requests to Yahoo's servers, while European PCs will be greeted with a Yahoo home page each time they launch their browser (until they change the default setting, that is). Also noteworthy is the newfound partnership between HP and Vonage, which will toss in advertising brochures and an offer for "unlimited premium residential broadband telephone service," thoroughly showering your fresh HP box with "pre-selected offerings." Whether or not this turns out to be a two-fer-one (or are we up to three now?) deal for Yahoo, considering HP just acquired VoodooPC and all, remains to be seen -- but we can't imagine Voodoo customers warming up to an advertisement-laden OS anytime soon. Read - Yahoo teams with HP Read - Vonage connects with HP
Microsoft hooks up Nokia phones with Live Search
We, of course, can't speak for Yahoo -- but if we had to guess, we'd imagine they're at least a little bit perturbed at Nokia right about now. Just under two weeks after announcing a partnership with the search company to include Yahoo! Search in its Mobile Search application, Nokia's now announced a similar deal with Microsoft, which'll see Windows Live Search find a home alongside Yahoo in the mobile search platform. Them's the breaks of the cut-throat search biz, we guess. Hard feelings aside, if you choose the Live Search route you'll get stock quotes, movie times, and results from Encarta Instant Answers in addition to search results in 14 languages -- the idea being that you can access all that info faster than you could using a web browser. Look for it come pre-loaded on Nokia Nseries handhelds, with a free download already available from Nokia's website for compatible Nokia S60 devices.[Via Slashphone]
Dell battery explodes at Yahoo HQ, hundreds evacuate
We just got word that a Yahoo employee's laptop went up in flames today at their Mission College campus down in Silicon Valley, causing hundreds of Yahoo employees to be evacuated from an 8-story building. The culprit: you guessed it, a Dell machine whose faulty cell that should have been replaced (don't they have corporate memos at those big companies?) instead caught fire. From what we now know it doesn't seem like anyone was hurt, but let this be a lesson, people: you have the means, now take Dell up on the freaking recall before something disastrous happens.Update: So it looks like Yahoo uses HP and Mac laptops -- not Dells -- making it very likely this was someone's personal machine that they brought to work. Wrong day to bring your laptop to the office, man.
Yahoo to become default search engine on all Acer notebooks
Since Google went ahead and did the deed with Dell, Yahoo has struck a deal of its own by landing a "multi-year" agreement with Acer (the world's third largest laptop supplier) to become the default search engine on all future notebooks. Yahoo already has ties with names like TiVo, Meedio, and DialPad, but hopes the "loading zone" -- which appears when an Acer user launches their web browser -- will connect another huge chunk of consumers to all facets of Yahoo content, including local weather, sports, and Yahoo Music; plans are already in place to ensure that Yahoo (not one of those other competitors) is the integrated search engine for the forthcoming Internet Explorer 7. While deals such as these certainly aren't surprising, those interested in Acer's hot new Ferraris might be a little alarmed when they arrive pre-modified, though returning them to stock shouldn't require too much "shop time" at all.
Snakes on a Plane star promotes PSP
The gripping story of ophidiophobia in the sky has propelled Snakes on a Plane star Kenan Thompson into the spotlight. Throughout most of the film, he's seen playing the PSP. But what game has him so engrossed? An interview at Yahoo reveals all: "I was playing NBA Street Showdown on the PSP during filming. I was playing it a whole lot and I was getting really good at it." The PSP was not included in Kenan's contract: "I had to give it back after we finished filming, but I had my own, so I wasn't tripping." Kenan thinks the PSP's one of the best handhelds around, due to its multiple capabilities: "You put it in your car and it turns into an MP3 player. It's crazy." Of course, more amazing than the PSP being in Snakes on a Plane is knowing that Samuel L. Jackson plays the system as well: "Sam Jackson loves video games. I think I might have caught him playing my PSP a couple of times on set. He's a cool dude like that." Awesome!Read the rest of the interview to find out more on a potential sequel to the movie (Lizards on the Backs of Llamas on a Boat) and what he thinks about the DS and the Brain Age games ("I felt stupid the first time I played it").
Yahoo Go for Mobile spreads to Windows Mobile
It seems Yahoo was happy enough with their exploits in S60 land to bring their ragtag group of applets to another demographic. This time around, Windows Mobile gets the honors, offering the typical set of Yahoo-themed channels: Search, Mail, Calendar, News, and so on; strangely, Messenger seems to be left out of the equation. Compatibility is apparently fairly wide on this one, so if you can tolerate the lack of text messenger du jour, pull out that Q / 2125 / UBiQUio 501 of yours and get your Yahoo on, eh?Update: As you can clearly see from the screen shot, Messenger's included -- it looks like you won't have to do without text messenger du jour after all. Sorry, Yahoo!
How the PSP can overcome the PSP-inspired mylo
David Carony, executive editor at CNET, has a lot to say about Sony, the PSP, and their newly announced mylo. Sony's attempting to market the device at a whopping $350, which is ridiculous when many, if not all of its features can be implemented in the PSP, or a PSP redesign. With the right accessories and firmware upgrades, the PSP can do every thing the mylo can... plus it can play games. And at $199, it would be a bargain for the consumer. Here's a list of what Carony believes will make the PSP better: Skype support to make Internet (VoIP) calls (using the SOCOM headset). Support for Slingbox (a competitor of Location-Free TV). Sony could make some bling by not selling hardware, but selling a Slingbox application. Built-in IM applications, similar to mylo's support for Yahoo! and Google. Better e-mail integration. Keyboard accessory. Video output for TV. Stop making Connect so crappy. Where's the revamp? These are all great, plausible and reasonable upgrades that Sony can provide. If Sony actually took these suggestions to heart, I know a ton more college students and business people would pick up a PSP. Let's hope Sony has the brains to follow through on some of this.[Via PSP World]
Logitech's EasyCall Desktop -- the MS Office of VoIP peripherals
Today Logitech got a clue: why sell one device to the burgeoning Internet calling community when you can sell an entire suite of peripherals. Introducing the EasyCall Desktop which Logitech claims is the world's first mouse, keyboard, headset and speakerphone combo. In essence, EasyCall Desktop does for desktop clutter what Adobe, Microsoft, and Apple did for software -- take a bunch of disparate tools, give 'em the same look and feel and enhance each for relatively seamless interaction across the suite. In addition to a cordless keyboard and laser mouse (which, while not stated, will likely both feature Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR like other Logitech Desktops) the package includes a tethered stereo headset which can be attached to the full-duplex speakerphone. The speakerphone, apparently also wired, acts as the Internet calling control center and features Logitech's RightSound echo cancelation technology to get the most from VoIP apps like Yahoo Messenger with Voice, AOL's AIM, and of course Skype. What's odd is that a Skype specific keyboard will also be launched as part of the Desktop but only in Europe -- go figure. Expect the kit to ship in the US and Europe by mid-September with an expected retail price pegged at $130/€130.[Via CrowdedBrain]
Widget Watch: Reuters Widget
Attention news junkies: Reuters, that wire service of wire services, has released a free widget for Dashboard. What does it do? It displays up to 10 headlines from your Reuters news channel of choice.Simple, blue, and useful. That's just how I like my widgets.Update: I also like my widgets to work, which this one doesn't. I thought it was just an extension issue, but it looks like the widget itself is a no go. Here's hoping they update it sooner rather than later. But hey, it is free afterall.Update to the update: This widget is for the Yahoo! Widget engine, so that would explain the trouble.
Divorce, 360 style
What do you do when your scumbag ex-husband runs off with the nice computer, the big screen TV and, consequently, your children's love? You buy an Xbox 360 for bait and start the emotional manipulation. Your kids might be psychologically scarred by divorce, but they'll be entertained. Might help snag a new guy too.[Via GamerScoreBlog]
Widget Watch: QuickMail
QuickMail DashMail might not be the prettiest Dashboard widget I've ever seen, but it certainly is one of the most functional: it allows you to send a quick email from Gmail, .Mac, Yahoo, AOL or AIM, and even has the option for entering custom server settings for those who like to blaze their own trail. Simply enter the username and password of your chosen service on the back of the widget and you're off and running. It even remembers previous recipients (sorry, no Address Book integration as of yet) and subject lines; that's what those menu ticks are beside their respective fields.QuickMail DashMail is provided free from Scue Records.[UPDATE: Due to a company already naming an email client 'QuickMail', Scue Records has renamed their widget to DashMail.]
Yahoo! offering up an unrestricted $1.99 MP3 download
It's not like some sort of DRM floodgate has been unlocked, and now unrestricted files flow freely from the Yahoo! Music vaults, but one unrestricted MP3 file has made its way onto their site, so we're going to milk it for all its worth. The song, "A Public Affair" by Jessica Simpson, can be "personalized" by choosing your name before downloading, which gets yourself inserted into the lyrics. If you'd rather not have Jessica singing your name, you can at least sit on the sidelines with us and debate the ramifications of the release. Yahoo! Music's official blog discusses the future of unprotected MP3 releases, stating the premium price was for the custom content, and mulls over the possibility of a $1.09 price point for straight up MP3 files. They don't see much hope of getting the labels to go for it just yet, but with experiments like this it shows we at least have Yahoo! on our side trying to make the music market more of a free one.[Via paidContent]
Motorola to bundle Yahoo Go for Mobile
If you're anxiously awaiting Motorola's upcoming lineup, get ready for a little more Yahoo than you may have expected. The two have announced a love-fest that will ultimately result in Yahoo's "Go" bundle of garden-variety tools and apps being "prominently featured" on some of Moto's handsets starting in the first half of '07. You might recall Go making a cameo on Cingular's Nokia 6682; from the press release, we've no reason to expect anything wildly different when it shows up on the Capris of the world. As long as we don't find a dedicated "Y!" button etched into the keypad of our RAZR K1, we dig.[Via Phone Scoop]
Yahoo Messenger 3.0b1
Apparently, a lot of our readers are Yahoo Messenger users. A good dozen of you or so sent us this tip that Yahoo Messenger 3.0b1 has been released. I've just taken it for a spin and my early impression is that Yahoo seems to have hired some great developers. This is a really nice application with a great Tiger/Leopard iChat-like interface, cross-platform webcam support, integration with other Yahoo services, chat conferencing, and file transfers. The website says that the ability to chat with MSN Messenger/Microsoft Live users will be coming soon as well. Oh, and it's a universal binary.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Google outbids Microsoft for Dell bundling deal, sez WSJ
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google has succeeded in outbidding Microsoft for the right to integrate its search tools into the millions of personal computers that Dell will sell over the next three years. After Yahoo dropped out of what may have been a billion-dollar auction, sources say that along with its desire to increase the exposure of its services, it was Google's frustration over the perceived difficulty in changing the default settings in Internet Explorer to non-MSN search options that ultimately motivated the company to emerge victorious. Besides winning a coveted spot on IE's default homepage, the deal also nets Google some valuable desktop real estate, as its Desktop software -- privacy concerns and all -- will now come pre-installed on Dell machines. For most consumers, this deal really doesn't mean too much, except for those of you who are really into MSN search, in which case you'll have to take a few seconds and adjust your browser settings.
'Wii' not unique enough, search engines yield strange results
Anyone that has conducted a simple online search for "Wii" since the name of Nintendo's next-gen console was officially unveiled less than one month ago has undoubtedly turned up some interesting results. PunchJump.com has put together a status report of the search term, which still yields the Wildlife Institute of India as the top result on Google. Turning to the websites of many major retailers, "Wii" searches often produce shopping lists of World War II memorabilia.But Nintendo's Wii is quickly gaining ground, already nabbing most of Yahoo's top results. Now, it's only a matter of time before Nintendo's console dominates search engines across the 'net. Still, the current results suggest that "Wii" isn't as unique a name as it's been chalked up to be.
Inquisitor goes web-based
Inquisitor, the Safari and Camino plug-in that brings Spotlight to searching the web, has been ported to a web-based search engine. Upon entering a search into its pleasantly minimal interface, you will be presented with a list of search recommendations and a variety of search engines to focus on, including digg, Amazon and their A9 search, Flickr, Google, Technorati and Yahoo!. Neat.[via Daring Fireball Linked List]
Charlotte, Spotlight for the Web
If you like Spotlight, and you like searching the web then have I got the app for you! Charlotte, which bills itself as Spotlight for the Web, is a desktop application that let's you search Yahoo! with a very Spotlightesque interface. Best of all it is free!Charlotte is available now and requires OS X 10.4.
