Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) travel assistant app, Yahoo Radar, has been discontinued. The app was launched last summer and was billed as the perfect solution for streamlining vacations. A spokesperson for Yahoo confirmed the discontinuation saying the decision was taken after a thorough review.
“At Yahoo, we are constantly reviewing and revising our product portfolio as we strive to innovate and bring users the best experiences possible…We plan to incorporate our learnings across Yahoo’s products, including Yahoo Mail,” a Yahoo spokesperson told VentureBeat.
AI and Chatbots
Yahoo Radar was developed as an alternative to similar offerings from Tripadvisor Inc (NASDAQ:TRIP), and Kayak. It also went a step further by incorporating artificial intelligence and chatbots to perform research on attractions, activities, restaurants that one could sample on a trip. The app required one to have an email account from Yahoo though not necessarily an email address as Yahoo Mail can be managed from other widely used email clients.
Upon activation, the app would scan the Yahoo email inbox for planned trips in the hope of gleaning information that would be compiled in order to better plan and enjoy trips and vacations. The app could also send alerts such as in the case of a flight cancellation or a flight delay.
Bye bye Yahoo Radar
With the app discontinued, those who have it installed on their phones will not be able to use it as accessing the app only informs users of the discontinuation while suggesting other Yahoo apps. At the time of the discontinuation, the app was only available on iOS and an Android version was in the works. While it was not clear exactly why the app was discontinued, low uptake is probably the reason.
The discontinuation of the app comes in the wake of a disclosure which revealed that approximately 1 billion Yahoo’s user accounts had been hacked. This has complicated an acquisition bid by Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ). Though only a material event would cause Verizon to withdraw, the hacking incident is expected to slow down the negotiations.
In Tuesday’s trading, Yahoo rose 1.93% to close at $39.16 a share.
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