The news for Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Links for this episode:
Yahoo Q2 revenue of $1.07B highlights business drift even as it beats with EPS of $0.35 - The Next Web
Yahoo beat profit expectations in the second quarter with non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.35, but weaknesses in its core businesses resulted in disappointing ex-TAC revenue of $1.07 billion. Analysts had expected $1.08 billion in revenue and $0.30 EPS.Display revenue for the period was $472 million, down a troubling 12 percent year over year. Search revenue fell 9 percent year-over-year to $418 million.“I’m encouraged by Yahoo!’s performance in the second quarter. Our business saw continued stability, and we launched more products than ever before, introducing a significant new product almost every week,” CEO Marissa Mayer said in the earnings release.
WhatsApp for iPhone moves to $0.99-per-year subscription model | The Verge
WhatsApp, the multi-platform messaging app used by over 250 million people per month, is now free to download for iOS users. Previously a $0.99 purchase, the price-drop brings the iPhone app in line with the Android version, which is also free to download. Just as on Android, you'll be able to use all the features of the app for 12 months, after which you'll have to pay $0.99 for an additional year's access. The move to a subscription model has been planned for some time, and doesn't affect anyone that's already using the app.
Google Maps 2.0 hits the App Store, brings new iPad design, live traffic, and new Explore mode | iMore.com
Google Maps 2.0 is now live in the App Store, and it brings with it a gaggle of new features, including an all new iPad interface, better navigations with live traffic, and a new, popular location finder called Explore, among other things. Here's what the Google Maps blog had to say:
The new Google Maps for mobile builds on the design we released for iPhone last December and improves on it with a few useful search and navigation features. And it's the first dedicated app for Android tablets and iPads. We’re also retiring Latitude and are making some changes to offline and My Maps
'Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' will debut on September 24th | The Verge
ABC's much-anticipated TV series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will premiere on Tuesday September 24th at 8PM ET. The series will follow the exploits of Clark Gregg's S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson, who featured in many of the recent Marvel movies such as the Iron Man series, Thor, and The Avengers, as he leads a team investigating and tracking down superheroes. The pilot episode will be directed and co-written by Joss Whedon alongside his brother Jed and Maurissa Tancharoen, who both collaborated on Whedon's Dollhouse.
Tumblr tells iOS users to download security update, change their passwords | The Verge
Users of Tumblr’s iOS app are advised to immediately install a new security update and change their passwords, says the company, following the discovery of a security vulnerability. (Passwords could be "sniffed" — intercepted on local networks — in some versions of the app.) A representative told The Verge that "earlier today, Tumblr was notified of a security vulnerability introduced in our iOS app," and immediately acted to close it and notify affected users. iOS 7 will bring automatic app updating to Apple’s platform, getting rid of the need to plead with people to install security updates once it arrives this fall. In the meantime, be sure to download version 3.4.1 of Tumblr from the App Store.
Google schedules Android event for July 24 | Android Central
Invites are going out for a Google event in San Francisco, Calif. next Wednesday, July 24. Dubbed "breakfast with Sundar Pichai," the event will likely cover new developments in Android or Chrome, the two product areas Pichai now oversees. The event will also be livestreamed on YouTube for those who can't be there.
After a lackluster quarter, Yahoo acquires AdMovate to boost its mobile ad team - The Next Web
Yahoo has announced yet another acquisition. This time, the company in question is AdMovate, a startup that says it helps advertisers “deliver personalized, hyper-local targeted offers through the mobile channel.”Unsurprisingly, AdMovate is joining Yahoo’s advertising team. There, the company says it will “execute [its] vision faster and address the most important mobile advertising challenges for [its] customers.”Yahoo made it clear in its announcement that this deal is an investment in its ad tech platforms, which include Apt, Genome, and Right Media. Yahoo also clarified that AdMovate’s future contributions will focus on mobile