Yahoo 2.0: Stalwart Wrestles Startups in Internet's New Age

PRNewsFoto/Busca Corp, Inc(SUNNYVALE, Calif.) -- If one took a poll that asked ordinary Americans, "Which technology company has the most buzz?," the top responses might include Facebook, Twitter and Zynga, the company behind hot social-media games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars. Yahoo? Not so much.

"I think it's a bit of a perception-of-reality problem," said Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo's executive vice president for the Americas. "Sixteen years as one of the premier sites in the world: That's a story that should be told."

Sure, but that's a different story. Buzz surrounds the new. Facebook is five years old -- late adolescence in cyber-chronology -- making 16 downright ripe.

According to Levinsohn, the key to long-term success isn't the adage, "slow and steady wins the race."

"There's been great innovation here," he said. "Standing the test of time is really the hardest thing to do. So when you look around this campus and at our other offices, it's a testament to success. If we weren't successful, none of this would exist."

The big problem is that buzz isn't just about "street cred" but also Street cred -- Wall Street. Yahoo stock has been stuck in the same general place for years. One reason is that Yahoo was late to the mobile-computing game, according to analysts like  Kara Swisher, co-producer of tech conference D: All Things Digital, and a journalist who's been covering technology since 1997.

"There is a whole spate of interesting startups," she said, "all of them on mobile devices -- from Zynga to Angry Birds to Foursquare to Groupon -- and there are all sorts of things people can do now, and Yahoo doesn't have a piece in any of those."

What it has is half a billion visitors per month. Yahoo's news site is the Internet's most visited, with 85 million monthly visitors. Its sports site also is tops, with 45 million visitors per month. Yahoo Mail is first in its category, with 90 million users (Google's Gmail is number two, with 52 million). Its OMG site is first in entertainment, more popular than TMZ and People.com.

Yahoo is -- as the numbers clearly show -- well known as a portal, but it is also a content producer. Its online sports program gets up to 1.8 million views per day, bigger than the viewership of ESPN's "SportsCenter." Its fashion show has attracted the biggest celebrities, such as Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

Now it is getting into the journalism business, complete with a newly built, humming newsroom. The idea is to take in stories from bloggers around the world, put them out, then track who's reading what. Using this data, the site greets visitors with a selection of stories that represent Yahoo's best guess as to what would interest him or her.

In addition, Yahoo is updating the search experience, an effort led by Blake Irving, whom Yahoo hired away from Microsoft. Yahoo searchers won't get the same old list of links, rather a list of possible answers to questions their search suggests they have.

With all that, one wonders if it matters that Yahoo lacks buzz.

"I think it matters to a small subset of people," said Levinsohn. "I don't think it matters at the end of the day to consumers. I mean, Yahoo does more revenue in two weeks than Twitter will do all year, yet Twitter is the hottest thing going -- and rightfully so right now."

Levinsohn admits that Yahoo, with all its staying power and visitors, never saw Twitter -- and the social-media trend it epitomizes -- coming. Now Twitter's here, included as a clickable button on much of Yahoo's content. It makes Twitter -- not Yahoo -- look like the innovator. And that's the key to buzz -- to be seen as innovating.

So one could say Yahoo is the GE of the Internet: old, big, diverse -- and still innovative.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Jobs: Tech Companies Are on a Hiring Spree

ABC News(MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.) -- Whoever said there is no free lunch obviously wasn't looking for a tech job these days. A lot of Silicon Valley companies offer free meals and much, much more.

"We have espresso bars, we have the shuttles, we have gyms," said Google recruiter, Christina Howard. "We have amazing classes to take. ... We have haircuts. The library comes in a bus to come and show us all the books. It's impossible to think of all the stuff because there's so much and it's great."

At job fairs, perks have become a big part of the sales pitch because tech companies are on a hiring spree and the competition for candidates can be fierce.

"There is incredible value in bringing in incredibly bright and talented people with raw ... intellectual skills and [a] passion for learning," said Howard. "We'll train you and we'll teach you about the space even if you don't have experience with it. But if you are willing to commit to an intensive learning experience and program, the growth opportunities are limitless here both for the company and for you personally. So there's a lot of opportunity to be had."

Google just rented 100,000 square feet of office space in Venice, Calif., the company is planning on adding 6,000 jobs. Economists say its presence will likely have a positive economic effect on the community.

Boris Petrov, a computer programmer, hasn't even graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, yet and already has several job offers.

"They're paying us disgusting amounts of money," said Petrov. "How great is it to do something you really love for $5,500 a month in your sophomore year of college."

The jobs not only are for engineers and technical wizards. There are jobs for English majors too.

"I've found that a Berkeley degree definitely ... helped me a lot," said Jeff Baker, a political science and history major who accepted a job doing sales for a software company.

No matter the position, the perks are what get people in and make them want to stay.

Facebook brags that a job at the company could make someone a Guitar Hero. While Zynga, the company behind the Facebook game Farmville allows employees to bring their dogs to the office.

Friday, Microsoft upped the ante, giving every employee a 10 percent raise -- except it turns out Google beat them to the punch and did the same thing months ago.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Isn't It Ironic? 'Unplug Day' Gets Smartphone App

Apple Inc.(NEW YORK) -- If you're a smartphone-toting technophile chances are you're used to "checking in." But a new application wants to give you a way to "check out" -- at least for the next 24 hours.

To help people observe the second annual "National Day of Unplugging," which starts at sundown Friday, the non-profit Jewish network Reboot launched a smartphone application to remind people to turn off their phones and send messages to friends about their decision to go off the grid.

"We're not anti-technology. We completely recognize the value and importance of technology in today's world in connecting people and for work," said Amelia Klein, program director for Reboot. But "people are saturated with technology, it consumes our lives ... The Sabbath Manifesto and the National Day of Unplugging asks people to take stock of their lives … take a pause from our frenetic existence, unplug and reconnect with the things most important to us."

The Sabbath Manifesto "Check Out" app, is like the "inverse" of location-based social network Foursquare, said Klein.

Instead of letting friends know that you've arrived at a particular place, the app automates outgoing messages to Twitter and Facebook to tell friends that you're taking a temporary break from technology.

The irony of using a high-tech app to promote a no-tech day is not lost on its founders.

"We realize the irony of using social media to get the word out but it's been successful for us in reaching a wide audience and encouraging people to unplug," said Klein.

The app is available for Android phones, Blackberrys and iPhones by texting REBOOT to 738674.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Tax Tip: Saving Energy and Taxes

Photo Courtesy - Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- If you upgraded your appliances or fixtures to make your home more green, you're likely to be eligible for a tax break.

“If you put in energy-efficient windows, doors, or something like that in 2010, you can get a tax credit of up to $1500,” said Eric Smith with the IRS.

The residential energy credit gives you back 30 percent of what you spent on your home – up to $1500.

The credit is available for 2011 - but reduced.

“That tax credit has been scaled back to $500 instead of $1500,” said Mary Beth Franklin with Kiplinger's Personal Finance. “If you took advantage of the $1500 credit in 2009 or 2010, you don't get another crack at the lower credit in 2011.”

There are, however, still some alternative energy credits on the books for larger home projects, like installing solar panels and small wind turbines.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

JCPenney Offers High-Tech Shopping Experience

Photo Courtesy - PRNewswire/ JCPenney (PLANO, Texas) -- JCPenney has equipped 120 stores nationwide with high-tech fixtures to improve their in-store shopping experience.

The company installed what it has called "findmore" smart fixtures in select stores to help customers access information available at jcp.com so they can more easily find what they are looking for. The company also plans to install the same concept using iPads in 50 fine jewelry departments nationwide.

“We’ve always seen the value of integrating the online and in-store shopping experience offering customers the opportunity to have access to a greater merchandise selection by offering access to online purchases in the stores,” said Tom Nealon, group executive vice president of JCPenney. “Offering an in-store digital experience that drives additional sales is a true differentiator for JCPenney, and continues to build on our leadership in the digital space as we merge our online and in-store shopping experiences.”

The "findmore" fixtures are 42-inch touch screens that gives users an interactive look at the store's merchandise availability and details.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

In the Driver's Seat: Obama Plugs Hybrid Technology Overseas

Photo Courtesy - TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images(LISBON, Portugal) -- During a break from sessions on NATO and Afghanistan, President Obama got a look at a plug-in hybrid car on display at the convention center in Lisbon.

The electric/gas vehicle is an Opel Ampera, produced in Detroit where the GM Chevy Volt is made.  It has the same technology as the Volt and both will be marketed in Europe starting in late 2011, according to Guillermo Sarmiento, managing director of GM Portugal, and Volker Hoff, vice president of Opel.

The president sat in the driver’s seat and got an explainer on the car from Hoff. The president noted to reporters watching the demonstration that the engine was silent – “Can’t hear it, can you?” he asked.

President Obama noted that Portugal has placed an emphasis on the vehicles, offering subsidies. He said he hopes that GM will market this car “all across Europe.”

“These gentleman are excited about the prospects,” he said of Sarmiento and Hoff.  “This is the future.”

Copyright 2010 ABC News Radio

IBM Wants to Make 100 Cities ‘Smarter'

Photo Courtesy of IBM(ARMONK, N.Y.) – IBM on Tuesday announced an initiative to create 100 smarter cities across the globe. Through the Smarter Cities Challenge, IBM plans to provide $50 million in technologies and services to improve the growth, services, efficiency and citizen engagement in 100 cities that make the strongest case for their involvement.

Pilot grants have begun in Baltimore; Austin, Texas; and Mecklenburg County, N.C. to ensure the program’s success.

The Smarter Cities Challenge represents the single largest philanthropic investment currently planned by IBM.

Copyright 2010 ABC News Radio

Google TV: The Future of Interactive Television?

Photo Courtesy - ABC News(MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.) -- First, Google revolutionized Web searches. Now it's trying to reinvent the way you watch TV.

Inside a top-secret lab in Silicon Valley, programmers are putting the finishing touches on a new product called Google TV. The company says this new device will take all the best features of watching television, surfing the Web, playing online games, and connecting with friends on Twitter and Facebook, and combine them into a single experience.

With Google TV, users can channel-surf between traditional TV shows, websites, online video, social media, and eventually programs recorded on a DVR, all with just a few clicks of the remote. (The DVR function has not yet been worked out with all major cable and satellite providers.)

Google is betting that it will transform TV the same way smartphones transformed the telephone.

The device is expected to hit store shelves later this month. It will be marketed as a stand-alone unit that can be attached to an existing TV, and also as a built-in feature in Sony TVs and Blu-Ray DVD players.

Google TV already has competition from Apple, which markets a system called Apple TV. Apple's device -- a sleek little black box -- provides access to TV shows, movie downloads, online music, photos and more. Amazon and Netflix are also looking at new ways to provide immediate content for viewers to turn watching TV into a more interactive experience.

Copyright 2010 ABC News Radio