This is a massive move and also a risky one. Yahoo’s homepage sees about 170 million daily users who click in to do a variety of things. That huge traffic means that advertising placements earn big bucks from marketers — which inside sources said is typically upwards of $350,000 for a prime placement for a day, rising in price depending on complexity.

Thus, making any dramatic change to the powerful homepage is a big deal for Yahoo’s bottom line, especially in the important fourth quarter, when big advertisers spend a lot of money online and expect big results.

And the latest versions are certainly a major shift from Yahoo’s older look, with the latest using an interactive tiled approach at the very top that suggests the design spawn of Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Flipboard’s elegant social reading app.

As I noted last week, along with experiments in infinite scrolling, a simplified logo and giving search more prominence, Yahoo’s homepage change seems to be aimed at being consumed on touch-responsive, non-PC devices.

That’s no surprise, since Mayer declared in a recent earnings call that Yahoo was going to veer toward a “mobile first” sensibility. “Yahoo will have to be a predominantly mobile company,” she said.

She also has to aim at being a reliable digital company, it seems. In a bit of unlucky timing — even as Yahoo prepped the home page redo, as well as major overhauls of other products — its hugely popular Fantasy Football offering went down right as eight games were about to start at 10 am PT.

Yahoo acknowledged the slowness in its servers on Twitter, noting: “We’re still working to fix fantasy server issue & will update ASAP. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience & appreciate your patience.”

Fantasy Football fans were livid, although this has happened before, especially to those who waited to do their lineup. But some were also funny about the screw-up, as you can see below:

Yahoo Fantasy Football site is down. The Republicans were right; America has officially collapsed. The apocalypse is upon us.

— Steve Fuller (@fullsteve) November 11, 2012

Dear Google, please develop a fantasy football platform. That will end Yahoo! as we know it. Love, Long Suffering Yahoo! Fantasy users.

— WFAN Audio Clips (@WFANAudio) November 11, 2012

As of two hours ago, Yahoo said it was still working on the problem. Presumably, it will be the first fix-it challenge for new COO Henrique De Castro, who starts this week.

Hopefully, Yahoo will not have such problems with the homepage rollout, once the final version is selected.

Until then, please check out two images of yet another version, which is similar — although not the same — as the one I posted last week. In the latest design, for example, the swooshy scroll at the top is smaller and a 300 by 250-sized ad unit is back in place at the top. Overall, it is a little bit more conservative, although still streamlined.

Here they are, along with a more dramatic one from last week and also a recent Yahoo homepage:

.

(Mark Sanchez photo: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com)

Another week and yet another new design for the Yahoo homepage is being tested out on users — this time, it appears to be one (which you can see below) that looks a lot like Microsoft Windows 8’s touchscreen tiled approach (which is here).

After already putting out tests in the field with infinite scrolling, a simplified logo and giving search more prominence, the Silicon Valley Internet giant is apparently testing an even more drastically different redesign of its key landing page — one that seems to be aimed at being consumed on touch-responsive, non-PC devices.

As you can see from the screenshots below — which a user sent me, and which look exactly like what many Yahoo sources have described to me recently — the design uses big photos tiled across the top of the page. It suggests an ethos that is reminiscent of the new approach by Microsoft, as well as many others, such as Flipboard and Pinterest.

All of these encourage users to reach out and touch, scroll and swoosh. In fact, there are side-swiping arrows on the new Yahoo design.

Also part of the look, which is still being tweaked: More simplified icons for various Yahoo properties, fewer text links, additional social and personalization aspects and — perhaps most importantly — no advertising module at the very top.

That’s interesting, since Yahoo’s homepage is a big moneymaker for the company, because of its huge daily traffic. Thus, any new homepage design will have both massive consumer and financial impact on the company.

Sources said that one possible plan is to move from several 300 by 250-sized ad units to a single 300 by 600, which other sites like AOL have shifted toward. Such a change will not be without controversy for marketers.

It will also present a fresh selling challenge for new COO Henrique De Castro, who arrives at Yahoo from Google next week, and who will be helming sales efforts. (Hey, Henrique — get ready for my upcoming 360-degree profile of you!)

The latest redo is now being iterated under the regime of new CEO Marissa Mayer, under an awfully confident codename, Project Homerun. We’ll see if it is San Francisco Giant’s Panda-worthy, but sources said it is set to be released widely within the next two months.

But, while some new designs that have surfaced have been closer to the current version of Yahoo, the latest design is a more significant shift that would clearly lend itself well to mobile touchscreens, especially on increasingly popular tablets.

Along with Pinterest, Flipboard and Windows 8, other sites have done this, of course, most particularly pioneering content design done several years ago by BermanBraun’s Wonderwall for Microsoft’s MSN portal.

That’s no surprise, since Mayer declared in a recent earnings call — articulating what many desktop-trapped Silicon Valley Internet giants have also done recently — that Yahoo was going to also veer toward a “mobile first” sensibility.

“Yahoo will have to be a predominantly mobile company,” she said in the third-quarter earnings call.

Here’s what that seems to mean for Yahoo, with the new homepage images, as well as one of the current one to compare:

On Wednesday, Apple was finally granted the trademark to Apple Corps’ Granny Smith logo, after fending off an attack from a company named Apple Box Production. News of the transfer was first reported by Patently Apple.

So, after more than 20 years of on-and-off legal sparring over trademark issues, Apple finally has complete ownership of the Apple Corps trademark and logo. And that’s something that would have made the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs quite happy. As he said at the time of the 2007 settlement, “We love the Beatles, and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks. It feels great to resolve this in a positive manner, and in a way that should remove the potential of further disagreements in the future.”

Jobs’s words do seem to have proven true. Apple’s exclusive deal to sell the Beatles catalog on iTunes is now well into its second year, something my colleague Peter Kafka notes is unprecedented.

Unveiled at the Boston opening of the company’s 23rd Microsoft store this morning, the new mark retains the same color scheme as its predecessor, but swaps out its wavy edges for the straight lines of a simple four-pane colored window, reminiscent of the tiled look of its new Windows Phone and Windows 8 operating systems.

“From Windows 8 to Windows Phone 8 to Xbox services to the next version of Office, you will see a common look and feel across these products providing a familiar and seamless experience on PCs, phones, tablets and TVs,” Microsoft exec Jeffrey Meisner said in a company blog post. “This wave of new releases is not only a reimagining of our most popular products, but also represents a new era for Microsoft, so our logo should evolve to visually accentuate this new beginning.”

I am here at Yahoo HQ in Sunnyvale, Calif., to check out “Product Runway,” which is the Silicon Valley Internet giant’s attempt to show that it can still innovate.

First and foremost is the launch of Livestand, a personalized news reader that is similar to Flipboard and a variety of other rivals, including — soon — Google.

It’s Yahoo’s attempt to present a business-as-usual feel — amidst a long and agonizing and very public strategic overview that might also include the sale of the company (or not!), in the wake of the recent firing of its last CEO, Carol Bartz.

It has caused a lot of trauma inside Yahoo, which can’t help with innovation.

But we press on!

In other words, despite the three-ring circus going on outside, Yahoo wants you to know it is still hard at work.

We begin:

10:35 am: As the strains of U2 die out, Yahoo Chief Product Officer Blake Irving takes the stage, which is actually set up in the company’s cafeteria. I can smell lunch being made nearby and I am hungry.

Apt — Yahoo certainly needs to show off a lot of cool stuff or its fate will be cooked.

No pressure, Blake!

“Personally, I am more bullish on Yahoo today,” he said. “What is Yahoo? Simple. It’s the premier digital media company. Period. Stop.”

Oh, if it were only that easy.

10:46 am: Irving pulls out his favorite slide, which looks like a chemistry test. It lists the various elements of the product strategy, with things like personalization, mobile, premium.

Now to Livestand, which is available on the Apple iTunes app store right now.

Don’t all rush at once!

Irving notes that Livestand is more than just an app — it is a platform.

In other words, Yahoo wants to help publishers publish online. Kind of a Facebook of content.

If Yahoo can pull it off, that is. (And, of course, unless Facebook decides to do the same.)

10:50 am: Livestand is an HTML5 “personalized living magazine.”

“This is the way Web pages are going to look,” declares Irving. Which is to say, heavy on photos, swoopy navigation, a television screen-like interface.

Irving uses the example of Surfer magazine, which is a good idea since waves always look pretty. Especially in a video-in-frame with Kelly Slater in Hawaii.

But, in essence, for anyone who has used Flipboard for years now, none of this is entirely different.

10:54 am: The look of what would be the Yahoo News page is actually much more interesting, since it is clearly a whole lot better than the Web page.

Irving also shows off a “living ad” — in this case, an unusually snuggly couple on a couch. It is cool, but creepy.

When launched, the ad has tap points. Irving — naughtily declaring about what is an ad, “I’ll tap that” — taps the lady’s butt, which would also have been my move. We learn about the jeans, of course.

10:58 am: Irving then shows off the ability to add feeds.

Next, something called “Cocktails.” First up, a developer tool called Yahoo Mojito and Yahoo Manhattan, which is a hosting service. The company will open-source both the technologies in 2012.

Irving brings up Mike Kerns, VP of Personalization & Social, who came to Yahoo when it bought the innovative sports fan site called Citizen Sports.

“We like to ship sh#t,” he notes. I like Mike Kerns immediately.

Kerns intros C.O.R.E. No, it is not a secret government organization that takes out fussy bloggers, who might be more critical than Yahoo execs would like.

In fact, it stands for “content optimization relevance engine.” Of course it does.

Simply put, C.O.R.E. is trying to link the right content or whatever to the right consumers and who likes what. Ladies like this, dudes like this. Apparently, “men of multiple ages” enjoy stories about golden chicken.

11:11 am: Kerns is moving on to social, especially its integration with Facebook. While much touted, sources tell me it has gone slower than expected in terms of use, but that it is improving.

Kerns talks about the idea of matching content to conversations to interests and, well, you know — the now exhausting world of modern media consumption.

The world in which you can no longer simply read an article and enjoy it — you must comment, share, discuss, parse, tweet.

Does anyone remember when you read something cool and just kept it to yourself?

Forget it, pal! It is a full-information society now and you better get on board and start poking your friends about every little thing.

(Personally, I plan on becoming a hermit in 3 … 2 … 1.)

11:18 am: Now Tim Parsey, who is Yahoo’s design head. He is hands down the most delightful exec the company has had in a while, mostly because he loves to smirk adorkably.

He shows off Yahoo’s first original design, which was a dull list. And then another really bad logo. But Parsey loves it! It’s kitschy!

Smirk attack!

Parsey moves into what has to happen now, which is to deliver a much more emotional experience and a much better designed one. He uses words like “humanism.”

Say what? He is right — Yahoo has for too long completely ignored design as an important part of the experience.

That’s why Flipboard was so quickly touted — it was pretty and fun. And it is why everyone is simply forced to love Apple products.

11:22 am: Parsey even has a code for it, called REM — for rational, emotional and meaningful.

He shows off a weather app. People take photos and they can be used in the app. Then Yahoo Mail for the iPad, whic is also handsome with photos and video. Livestand, also pretty.

“Great way to differentiate,” says Parsey. He calls it “one Yahoo!” Indeed.

11:35 am: I’ll admit it. After Parsey-fest, I zoned out for a sec when IntoNow dude, Adam Cahan, comes up.

Donut emergency!

Back to IntoNow, it’s the television indexing service that Yahoo bought in April.

Essentially, more ways to watch the media — in this case, video — and do 53 other things at the very same time. Memo to humanity: We will all be paying continuous partial attention for the rest of eternity.

Like I said: Hermitage!

11:41 am: Product dude Irving is back, making a point that, despite all the public mishegas, Yahoo has been busy at innovating.

A redo of email, better search, social “Facebar” with Facebook, Flickr for Google Android.

Irving is correct — Yahoo’s engineers have been hard at work and deserve kudos for doing so, even with attrition issues, stock declines and questions about the company’s very future being debated daily.

The problem is that too many of these improvements are mostly incremental and essentially table stakes for tech companies, most of whom have introed many more significant innovations in the same time frame as Yahoo has.

Google did Android, Google+ (as well as some notable failures). Microsoft did Kinect, Windows Phone, Windows 8. Amazon did Kindle Fire. Facebook did a range of major updates, as it has grown like a weed.

And there’s Apple. You might have heard of the iPhone and the iPad.

You get my point. Yahoo’s Product Runway today is well done, but what it really needs to be is just the beginning of a take-off.

11:48 am: Now Q&A time.

The first question is what took so long to get Livestand out, the second is why should people use Livestand since Flipboard and others have already been around for a dog’s age.

I ask about design — mostly because I want Parsey to use the word “delicious” a lot — and also about all the turmoil around the company and its impact on product creation. (I decide not to mention that Yahoo blew its acquisition of the bookmarking site, Delicious, and then sold it.)

Parsey delivers on the delicious scale, noting that Yahoo must have one design experience and yet has a lot of different interfaces. In other words, it cannot be Apple, but it can feel a lot more cohesive.

Irving talks a little bit around the obvious elephant in the room — the future of Yahoo — noting that the product staff was trying to focus and forget the storm going on outside.

“We have dreams about what this company can be,” says Irving.

You and me both, brother.

12:04 pm: More questions that are too detailed for my tastes, since they have delivered lunch and I can see it and I am ravenous.

As Parsey might say: It looks deliiiiiccccious.

Now, let’s hope Yahoo can do even more tasty stuff.

And you thought former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz could lay into the Yahoo board with some zingers, including the not-used-enough “doofuses” insult.

Time to meet Third Point’s Daniel Loeb, the smack-tastic hedge fund manager who has bought up a 5.1 percent stake in the Silicon Valley Internet giant and has been hitting the company upside the head with those shares since last week, on a seemingly daily basis.

Actually, twice yesterday — in a morning letter he filed with regulators, and then at an afternoon investor conference.

After trying to entice Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang into throwing Chairman Roy Bostock under the bus, and noting in the letter that Bostock hung up on him in a recent phone call, Loeb told the attendees at the Delivering Alpha conference in New York that “no one wants to work with these clowns on the [Yahoo] board.”

Also that “Yahoo had one of the most horrendous management teams” that Loeb had “seen in 16 years.”

Also that Yahoo “has the same crappy interface and the same stupid logo” since 2004.

Other than that, Mr. Loeb, how is the Internet site?

Here is Loeb’s latest filing to see for yourself:

loebsec

In fact, the only place to really find the Palm brand these days is at the Palm.com domain, which, while festooned with HP branding, still includes “Palm USA” in its page titles. Evidently this is what HP meant when it said the Palm brand would “move into the background.”

Judging from Wednesday’s event, the storied Palm brand isn’t even a sub-brand of HP. It’s just a handle for a particular division of the company, though HP insists it’s keeping it around.

“Our future strategy is to continue to build the HP brand in the marketplace,” a company spokesman told me. “Palm is a great brand that is synonymous with mobile innovation and we are delighted to have it in our portfolio of brands allowing us future options.”

That’s a nice enough thought, though it’s hard to see HP ever reviving the Palm brand in the future–not after it’s rebranded the company’s products as its own and announced plans to use them to build “the largest installed base of connected users in the world.” If it succeeds at that, will Palm really be a future branding option? Doubtful.

In that sense, Wednesday’s event wasn’t just a showcase for some slick new webOS hardware, but a eulogy to the pioneering company that made it possible, the company that created the market for handheld devices and shaped that first early vision of mobile computing….

Eh, Oldsmobile was a great brand too, I suppose.

Previous rumors had the company building a phone with INQ Mobile. One of the challenges is that in addition to any true Facebook-designed phones, there are also a whole lot of phones with deep Facebook integration–including plenty of Android devices and the entire Windows Phone 7 product line. So it’s not clear where exactly the line is between a phone with good Facebook connections and a true “Facebook Phone.” However, I’d say if it is blue and bears the Facebook logo, that would count in my book. For its part, HTC declined comment.

First things first, for those emailing me frantically about getting into our D@CES onstage interview event later today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas: We’re sold out and have a very long wait list.

That said, people in Sin City tend to flake out, so if you show up at the Marcello Ballroom at the Venetian Hotel at 3 pm, you might snag a seat, as people did last year at the same event.

No guarantees, but it’s a betting town, so you might want to do so.

And, if you throw craps, our crack All Things Digital staff will be posting photos, reports and video quickly.

I am hoping there will be some juicy news for them to chew on, as we interview three fascinating subjects:

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, Nvidia co-founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang and Dean Hachamovitch, who heads the Internet Explorer browser team within the Windows unit at Microsoft.

Our latest event comes after our successful D: Dive Into Mobile conference, part of the D: All Things Digital juggernaut.

(Actually, it is more like a tiny red wagon, but it is really cool.)

This is our second D event at the CES, which is taking place this week.

Last year’s tech execs onstage were Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein, Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings and Google’s Android chief Andy Rubin.

As usual, our event will be focused on the consumer electronics arena, and the big trends impacting it.

The D@CES program is only this afternoon, with the new trio.

Costolo (pictured here), a longtime entrepreneur, took over from co-founder Evan Williams earlier this year and is charged with turning the microblogging service into a real, live boy, um, company.

Twitter is making a big push into the mainstream and also wants to be present for all the many devices shown at CES.

As noted before, I will be grilling Costolo. Well done, I hope!

Nvidia’s Huang (pictured here) is leading a big change for the company. Although known for its PC graphics chips, Nvidia is shifting an increasing amount of focus to other areas, such as mobile chips with its Tegra line.

Huang will be interviewed by Mobilized’s Ina Fried.

Walt Mossberg will take on Hachamovitch (pictured below), who heads the IE team at Microsoft.

Well known for sporting a different black shirt featuring a different saying made up of the IE logo and letters at every keynote speech, he has been at the software giant since 1990.

We thought bringing his voice was important, since Hachamovitch has been focusing on privacy using the browser, an increasingly key topic in tech.

So get ready for some fun–after all, it’s Vegas, baby.

The split has been a long time in the making. Owners of the old Motorola got one share of Motorola Mobility for each eight shares they owned and the remaining company then underwent a one-for-seven reverse stock split. The two halves had been trading separately on a “when issued” basis for a while now.

Both of the company’s leaders praised the move and promised that only good things will come of it.

“After more than two years of planning, today we begin operating as a financially strong, independent company trading on the New York Stock Exchange,” Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha said in a statement, touting the company’s smartphone and video business.

Motorola Solutions’ CEO Greg Brown sounded an equally optimistic note.

“With a purpose-driven brand and a strong balance sheet, we are very well positioned for the future,” Brown said.

For now, the two companies have joint custody of the name and logo. Motorola has also split its Web site in two (see below) with options pointing to each of the now separate Motorolas. Or would that be Motorolae, or perhaps Motoroli?

From there, Motorola starts taking swipes at the current competition, including the iPad, which it calls a “giant iPhone,” and the Galaxy Tab, which it says is “Android OS, but Android OS for a phone.”

As for Motorola’s tablet, it is shrouded, but a buzzing bee next to a Motorola logo would seem to confirm its use of Honeycomb, the version of Android being explicitly developed for tablets. The video ends with the text “CES 2011.”

Google’s Andy Rubin showed a prototype Honeycomb-based Motorola tablet at last month’s D: Dive Into Mobile conference. He said the device was based on an Nvidia Tegra processor, but shared few other technical details. (If you missed the talk, there’s a video of Rubin’s presentation here).

In a backstage interview with Mobilized, Rubin confirmed that Honeycomb is specifically aimed at tablets, tweaking the Android interface to be better suited to running on larger devices and take advantage of the added screen real estate.

After our successful D: Dive Into Mobile conference last week, the D: All Things Digital train keeps chugging away and is now headed to Las Vegas just after the new year.

There, we will do a second D event at the Consumer Electronics Show, which will take place from January 6 to 9, 2011.

It will, natch, be focused on the consumer electronics arena, and the big trends impacting it.

Unlike our other conferences, the D@CES program is only one afternoon, on Friday, January 7, at the Venetian’s Marcello ballroom, followed by a party at the hotel’s V Bar.

Last year’s tech execs onstage were Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein, Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings and Google’s Android chief Andy Rubin.

This year, the trio will be: Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, Nvidia co-founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang and Dean Hachamovitch, who heads the Internet Explorer team within the Windows unit at Microsoft.

Costolo (pictured here), a longtime entrepreneur, took over from co-founder Evan Williams earlier this year and is charged with turning the microblogging service into a real-live boy, um, company.

Twitter is making a big push into the mainstream and also wants to be present for all the many devices shown at CES.

BoomTown will be grilling Costolo. Well done, I hope!

Nvidia’s Huang (pictured here) is leading a big change for the company. Although known for its PC graphics chips, Nvidia is shifting an increasing amount of focus to other areas, such as mobile chips with its Tegra line.

Huang will be interviewed by Mobilized’s Ina Fried.

Walt Mossberg will take on Hachamovitch (pictured below), who heads the IE team at Microsoft.

Well known for sporting a different black shirt featuring a different saying made up of the IE logo and letters at every keynote speech, he has been at the software giant since 1990.

We thought bringing his voice was important, since Hachamovitch has been focusing on privacy using the browser, an increasingly key topic in tech.

D@CES is invitation only, but if you want to go, email me at Kara@AllThingsD.com and I will send an invite, as long as supplies last.

AOL reports its third-quarter earnings on Wednesday, and investors are not expecting much, as its core dial-up business dies and its weak advertising business continues to lag.

In fact, except for all the hubbub about the various–and unfulfilled–scenarios around a possible hook-up with Yahoo, Wall Street still has a big wait-and-see when it has to do with the long-suffering company.

But that has not stopped CEO Tim Armstrong from using his well-practiced jazz hands over and over, in what is a laudable effort to create a credible narrative for AOL’s future as a content hub.

That’s included everything from cost cuts and layoffs, to acquisitions and the shedding of assets, to new advertising initiatives with sassy names such as the recent “Project Devil,” to new management, to–this week–a new homepage to show off the content.

As I wrote Friday, as it rolled out:

“The new version–with a clean and spare design and a rotating logo–prominently features local news, video and content from AOL’s network of sites, such as Engadget.”

Here’s a video interview of Armstrong showing it off with another AOL exec–and please watch to the end, when I ask him about the Yahoo situation and he deftly shimmies out of answering:

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20101101/aol-ceo-tim-armstrong-talks-about-the-new-homepage-and-not-though-i-tried-about-yahoo/feed/ 1 http://allthingsd.com/20101029/heres-aol-now-live-new-homepage-and-welcome-back-lindsay-campbell/ http://allthingsd.com/20101029/heres-aol-now-live-new-homepage-and-welcome-back-lindsay-campbell/#comments Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:44:00 +0000 Kara Swisher http://kara.allthingsd.com/?p=36513

Today, BoomTown interviewed AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, along with NPR CEO Vivian Schiller, at the Online News Association Conference in Washington, D.C., about the future of journalism on the Web.

Afterward, I talked to him about the future of content on AOL, most particularly its new homepage revamp that focuses intently on editorial “curation,” rather than a more social direction being taken by rival Yahoo.

I also got a short demo of the new homepage, which is rolling out right now, instead of Monday as has been reported.

The new version–with a clean and spare design and a rotating logo–prominently features local news, video and content from AOL’s network of sites, such as Engadget.

It also launches three original video shows: A morning promotional feature called “You’ve Got”; a two-minute news program called “Daybreak,” with former “Wallstrip” host Lindsay Campbell–yay!–and produced by Ben Silverman’s Electus; and “The One,” an expert/opinion segment, done by Next New Networks.

The redo is yet another splashy move by AOL and Armstrong to push the company into a new direction of growth as its core access business declines.

It’s one wrapped almost completely around content, in hopes that creating premium branded content will attract lucrative advertising.

So far, not so good, as AOL’s ad revenues continue to lag in the midst of a difficult turnaround effort.

Presumably, Armstrong hopes a new look will help goose results in a better direction.

Here is a screenshot of the page, which is now available to users (click here to see the full image):

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20101029/heres-aol-now-live-new-homepage-and-welcome-back-lindsay-campbell/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20101026/the-my-fill-in-the-space-reset-is-here-as-social-network-morphs-into-entertainment-hub/ http://allthingsd.com/20101026/the-my-fill-in-the-space-reset-is-here-as-social-network-morphs-into-entertainment-hub/#comments Wed, 27 Oct 2010 05:56:52 +0000 Kara Swisher http://kara.allthingsd.com/?p=36209

Empty bracket or no empty bracket: Will it work?

That’s pretty much the big question at News Corp. tonight, as its much beleaguered social networking site, Myspace, rolls out a new beta version aimed at shifting its fortunes.

And how will it do that? By moving dramatically away from its roots as a social networking site–and far, far away from powerhouse Facebook–and becoming a “social entertainment” hub aimed directly at the Gen Y audience.

That means heavy emphasis on the sharing and discovery of music, television, movies, games, videos and photos from within Myspace and without. There is also an upcoming new mobile site and better apps for smartphones and tablets.

And it also includes a new logo that features “my” with an actual fill-in-the-space bracket after it.

By the way, it’s now “Myspace”–dropped second cap–rather than the old “MySpace,” and the new color palette is black, not blue.

It is a bold, if risky, move, which could result in a dramatic decline of users or–despite the grim reality of second acts on the Internet–reset Myspace to begin a new cycle of growth.

For sure, as you can see from the screenshots below, it is a cleaner, hipper and much more attractive offering, with a tile format, ridding Myspace of its longtime cheap and noisy feel.

You can still toggle to a list or video view of the homepage.

Still, Myspace continues with the irksome moving parts, such as continually updating live notifications and real-time rolling number tickers that move constantly as people share various content.

It sort of reminds me of that national-debt clock in Times Square in Manhattan, but not as riveting.

Amid the better ability for bands and artists to more easily attract fans and promote themselves on Myspace, regular users can also become social arbiters–called “curators”–by active and useful sharing of their tastes.

And, perhaps most important of all, you can bring in a lot of outside sources, broadcast out to Facebook and have a two-way feed with Twitter.

Behind the scenes, Myspace has also done a major overhaul of its tech structure, which has been much maligned. In fact, it was once described to me as being made of “bubblegum and baling wire.”

Here’s an appalling stat, for example: There have been 117 different Myspace logos created for the service.

We’ll see how it goes, but here are videos Myspace did about the launch, including a logo-ganza:

And here are more screenshots than you ever would want (click on the images to make them larger):

Finally, here is the official press release:

MEET THE NEW MYSPACE

Myspace Debuts New Brand, Beta Website and Suite of Products That Focus on Social Entertainment for Gen Y

Beverly Hills, October 27, 2010 – Today Myspace announced a new brand, beta website and a suite of products that together redefine the company as a social entertainment destination for Gen Y. Myspace is creating a rich, highly personalized experience for people to discover content and connect with other fans who share similar interests. The entertainment experience will span music, celebrities, movies, television and games and will be available through multiple platforms, including online, mobile devices and offline events.

“This marks the beginning of an exciting turning point for Myspace. Our new strategy expands on Myspace’s existing strengths–a deep understanding of social, a wealth of entertainment content and the ability to surface emerging cultural trends in real time through our users,” said Mike Jones, CEO of Myspace. “Myspace is unique in that it is powered by the passions of our users, who program the site by expressing interests, sharing tastes and knowledge around particular topics, and scouting out up-and-coming subcultures. This is the just the first step and there will be many more features, programs and improvements to come.:

Specifically, Myspace will provide people with the ability to:

• Discover and engage with Myspace’s broad array of programming, including originals, exclusives and content from around the Web.
• Express, collect, and display their creations and interests on their profiles and through sharing tools.
• Connect to other fans with similar tastes.

Myspace will also focus on promoting curators–a subset of its audience whose reputation and knowledge around particular entertainment topics and emerging cultural trends make them uniquely influential–by supporting them with the resources, tools and a platform to expand their reach within the Myspace community.

Newly Designed Beta Site

Myspace has completely rebuilt its website, with a new visual identity and product features that put content center stage. From the color palette to the way the site is organized to the improved navigation, everything has been redesigned to help people easily find relevant content.

The redesigned Myspace welcome page showcases fresh content as it bubbles up across the beta site in real time. Additionally, once a user logs in to Myspace, the page will instantly populate with content based on the individual’s interests, creating a unique, contextually relevant discovery experience.

Registered users can now also toggle between three different views of the homepage, each specifically designed to display their stream in the way that resonates most. These include:

• List view: Traditional view
• Grid view: A magazine-like format
• Play view: A video format that allows users to watch, forward and resize their updates to full screen

To complement the online experience, Myspace will soon release a mobile version of the beta site, accessible on any mobile browser. A new Myspace app for iPhone and Android devices will follow later this year.

New Products

Myspace has released a suite of initial features that empower people to discover, collect and display entertainment content, while also offering tailored recommendations. These features include:

Topics–Myspace features more than 20,000 entertainment-focused, dynamic pages organized around topics. These pages provide a centralized location to view aggregated information about specific subject matter from a wide variety of news sites and blogs including MTV, Los Angeles Times, Access Hollywood, New York Times, Village Voice and Just Jared.

Content Hubs–These comprehensive entertainment destinations are specifically dedicated to movies, television and celebrities. The pages combine programmed editorial with trending articles that feature news, videos and photos from various content partners. Additionally, each individual article within the hubs recommends related content and topics. Hubs focused on games, comedy, sports and fashion will be revealed in the coming months.

Personalized Stream–The new stream automatically learns what to feature based on a user’s preferences and habits, so they see more of what they love and less of what they don’t.

Recommendations–This feature recommends relevant topics and other fans based on algorithms that learn the type of content a user views, listens to or watches and from whom or where they discovered it.

‘Right now on Myspace’–This feature shows trending content in real time on Myspace, helps fans find recently added music and videos, and lets them listen or watch right from the interactive chart. Myspace uses these trends to inform recommendations that promote discovery and engagement.

Discovery Tab–This always accessible tab combines videos that friends are watching with what’s trending in real time on Myspace. Scroll to the top of any page and the new Discovery Tab drops down as a horizontal film strip.

My Stuff TabMy Stuff is an easy way to see all that’s personal to a user – their profile, photos, videos and uploaded content, structured as a drop-down menu with different content areas.

Badges–This feature recognizes and rewards curators and fans for their social activity around entertainment topics on the beta site and promotes them with badges – graphic icons that appear in a user’s stream.

New Brand Identity

Myspace has also introduced a new logo that captures its revamped brand identity and values. The bracket in the logo represents a space where people can express themselves, enabling users to personalize the logo and make it their own–just as they can throughout Myspace.

The newly-designed Myspace begins rolling out today in beta and will be available to all users worldwide by the end of November. New users will have immediate access to the beta site. For more information, please visit www.myspace.com/newmyspace

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20101026/the-my-fill-in-the-space-reset-is-here-as-social-network-morphs-into-entertainment-hub/feed/ 7 http://allthingsd.com/20101025/how-to-pay-google-without-buying-an-ad/ http://allthingsd.com/20101025/how-to-pay-google-without-buying-an-ad/#comments Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:50:40 +0000 Peter Kafka http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/?p=25027 Google makes all of its money selling your attention to advertisers. But if you, the ordinary consumer, wanted to give Larry, Sergey and company your money directly?

You can do that, too. Browse on over to the Google Store, where you can buy…things that have the Google logo. And if you’re in Mountain View, Calif., and can get into the Googleplex itself, there’s now a physical outpost, as well.

Louis Gray (via Barry Schwartz) provides an enthusiastic–”there’s really no way to tell you how awesome this is”–walk-through. And those Android figurines do look kinda cool, actually.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20101025/how-to-pay-google-without-buying-an-ad/feed/ 2 http://allthingsd.com/20100930/viral-artwork-meet-the-flintstones-google-style-plus-50-years/ http://allthingsd.com/20100930/viral-artwork-meet-the-flintstones-google-style-plus-50-years/#comments Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:33:32 +0000 Kara Swisher http://kara.allthingsd.com/?p=34525 Finally, a styllzed Google (GOOG) logo that BoomTown adores.

Here it is for the classic television cartoon “The Flintstones” on its 50th anniversary, as rendered by the Silicon Valley search giant.

Suddenly, I feel very old, but who doesn’t love that Wilma?

Enjoy:

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100930/viral-artwork-meet-the-flintstones-google-style-plus-50-years/feed/ 1 http://allthingsd.com/20100825/apples-annual-autumn-event-falls-on-sept-1/ http://allthingsd.com/20100825/apples-annual-autumn-event-falls-on-sept-1/#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:05:33 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=47265 The official word has finally come down from Cupertino: Apple has issued a typically cryptic invitation to a special press event at 10 am on September 1, at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. The only clue as to content is the invitation’s image of a guitar with a cutout of the Apple logo.

Apple (AAPL) has held an end-of-summer event each year since 2005, traditionally focused on the iPod, music and other entertainment-related developments, and it looks like that will be the case again. That still leaves plenty of room for speculation about possibilities, such as a streaming music service, the coming iTV device or a spruced-up iPod touch. Based on Yoko Ono’s recent comments, the traditional Beatles-to-iTunes chatter is likely to be muted this year.

As always, we’ll be there to cover the event live, so be sure to join us on Sept. 1.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100825/apples-annual-autumn-event-falls-on-sept-1/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20100713/atd-debuts-news-byte-a-tasty-and-nutritious-information-nugget/ http://allthingsd.com/20100713/atd-debuts-news-byte-a-tasty-and-nutritious-information-nugget/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:56:28 +0000 Kara Swisher http://kara.allthingsd.com/?p=30525

If you are a regular reader of All Things Digital, you might have noticed over the last week or so that we have been fiddling around with a new news posting we call “News Byte.”

Since we love to let readers know how we operate–check out our ethics disclosures, for example–here’s the deal on what News Byte is:

First, although we like to think of ourselves as mighty, we have a very small staff of writers, all of whom are working their hearts out (really, we’re often out of breath).

And while we get to a lot, along with breaking news and doing analysis of the digital sector, we can’t get to it all.

That said, we want to provide as much accurate and useful information to readers as we can, as fast as we can.

That’s the impetus behind News Byte, which is to get up important and interesting news that our regular reporters cannot do immediately.

While we might do a follow-up, these items, which appear in their entirety on the front page of ATD, stand alone and quickly sum up the news and also link to an original source.

To differentiate them, our Web genius, Adam Tow, has ginned up a special logo and a gray gradient design.

And because we think it important that every word we put up on the site is attributed to someone we endorse, there are bylines.

Right now, the News Bytes are mostly written by our terrific edit staffers, Beth Callaghan and John Murrell.

And that’s the skinny on News Byte, short and sweet, as they are meant to be.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100713/atd-debuts-news-byte-a-tasty-and-nutritious-information-nugget/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20100505/google-now-a-bit-more-bing-like/ http://allthingsd.com/20100505/google-now-a-bit-more-bing-like/#comments Wed, 05 May 2010 16:56:27 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=39859 Google has finally caved in and added a permanent menu of search-refinement options to the left-hand rail of its results pages. The feature is being rolled out today, along with a new logo, as part of the company’s most significant redesign in years.

While it might seem a simple tweak, adding permanent contextually relevant left-hand navigation to its results pages is a noteworthy move for Google, which is adopting a design element first implemented by its rivals.

Ask.com debuted it in 2007. Microsoft’s (MSFT) Bing launched with it last June and Yahoo (YHOO) added it a few months later.

Not that the company will admit to copping the left-hand refinement menu from any of them. Asked by VentureBeat if its redesign was inspired by the competition, Google (GOOG) senior user experience designer Jon Wiley said it wasn’t.

“I think really the biggest changes and sources of innovation really come from an analysis of what our users need,” Wiley said. “We spend a lot of time just going back to search options or universal search. The way that people have been using those particular tools and features gives us a lot of insight.”

Hmm…

And what of the changes to Google’s logo? They’re largely unremarkable: The elimination of drop shadows and a punching up of its colors. Said a company spokesman: “The refined logo exemplifies our thinking and our design process. We took the very best qualities–personality and playfulness–and distilled them into brighter colors, simpler shapes and softer gradients.”

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100505/google-now-a-bit-more-bing-like/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20100212/google-knockoffs-face-obstacles-in-china/ http://allthingsd.com/20100212/google-knockoffs-face-obstacles-in-china/#comments Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:05:36 +0000 Sky Canaves http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=21311 Recently we reported on a pair of Google (GOOG) knockoff sites–Goojje.com and Youtubecn.com–that sprang up in the days following the U.S. Internet giant’s announcement that it might withdraw from the Chinese market.

The sites, and the savvy Chinese Web users behind them, have garnered a lot of attention from domestic and foreign media, which isn’t necessarily a plus.

Google has sent a “cease-and-desist” letter to the folks behind the shanzhai-style Goojje site, asking them to stop copying Google’s trademarked logo, said a Google spokeswoman, and the company may choose to take legal action if they do not comply.

Goojje appears to be defiant. A page-one story in the state-run Global Times this week reported that the site’s founder refused to bow to pressure from the Internet giant, asserting that Chinese Internet users can clearly see the differences between the two sites.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100212/google-knockoffs-face-obstacles-in-china/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20100129/in-china-imitation-is-the-sincerest-form-of-flattering-google/ http://allthingsd.com/20100129/in-china-imitation-is-the-sincerest-form-of-flattering-google/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:08:53 +0000 Sky Canaves http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=20742 In case you’ve missed it, China’s irrepressible shanzhai enthusiasts have been at it again, using imitation to pay tribute to Google (GOOG).

Since Google’s Jan. 12 announcement that it might withdraw from the Chinese market, two knockoff Web sites have appeared in China bearing an intentionally uncanny resemblance to Google sites.

Goojje.com, a spoof of Google’s Chinese site, was founded by a female college student in Guangdong and put together by a group of about 20 people around the country, according to Chinese media. Its Chinese name (??, whose Mandarin pronunciation is Romanized as “gujie”) is a pun that can be translated as either “Google’s big sister” or “valley girl.” (Google’s Chinese name translates as “valley song,” and it also sounds like “valley big brother.”)

On the Goojje home page, the lettering of the logo features nearly identical font and coloring as Google’s main search page, but with the addition of a blue pawprint that nods to Baidu’s similar logo. The home page features a slogan in support of the site that obviously inspired it: “When older brother stayed for older sister, sister was delighted as before.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100129/in-china-imitation-is-the-sincerest-form-of-flattering-google/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20091215/comcast-launches-its-tv-everywhere-nationwide-with-an-awful-name-say-hello-to-xfinity/ http://allthingsd.com/20091215/comcast-launches-its-tv-everywhere-nationwide-with-an-awful-name-say-hello-to-xfinity/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:18:17 +0000 Peter Kafka http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/?p=13997 As promised, Comcast is opening up the trial of its “TV Everywhere” program, which gives its subscribers–but only its subscribers–access to extra TV programming, streamed via the Web.

Comcast (CMCSA) will be holding a press conference shortly to walk reporters through this. But if you’re a Comcast customer who is paying for both digital cable and broadband–that’s something less than 14 15.7 million people nationwide–you should be able to check this out now, by heading to either Comcast.net or Fancast.

If things are working right, you’ll notice that Comcast has added an “xfinity TV” logo, which is the new service’s unwieldy new name. If you try to watch a show that’s included in the test, you’ll be guided through a download process that will install both a Move player and an Adobe (ADBE) AIR app, which the cable company says you’ll need to deal with only once to watch this stuff.

Once that’s done, you’ll actually watch the show via your Web browser. The login process I went through told me that I could authorize up three computers for the service.

I’ve played around briefly with the service, via a side door, and can confirm that it does indeed work. Hard to get a good grip on what the new service is offering subscribers, though, since the Fancast menu doesn’t really delineate what’s only available to subs instead of freeloaders.

But I was able to watch some of the last episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which is only available to subs who have Comcast digital cable and broadband and are paying for Time Warner’s (TWX) HBO–and it looked pretty good (as long you don’t fast-forward).

Comcast is starting its press conference now. I’ll update here if there’s anything of note:

• The cable operator says that once you’ve logged in, you’ll be getting a “personalized” homepage that knows what shows/movies different subscribers have access to.
• One important point: Sometime in the next year, Comcast says that simply being a Comcast subscriber will be enough to qualify you for the service, i.e., you won’t have to get your broadband from Comcast in order to watch this stuff. It’s a “dual-play” offering right now, the company, says, because that was the easiest way for it figure out the “authentication”/security element.
• Mobile device access? Nope. Maybe next year. International? Nope. But do note that you don’t actually have to be on a Comcast connection to watch the programming–as long as your computer is authorized, you can see it anywhere you can connect (in the U.S.).
• Key unanswered question: When will Nielsen (or someone else) figure out how to treat online views in the same way that it counts “regular” ratings–and convince advertisers to do the same? Because until that happens, you’re unlikely to see a whole lot of authorized TV on the Web, period.

And here’s the release (warning: Not much info here):

COMCAST MAKES ON DEMAND ONLINE VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE AVAILABLE NATIONALLY

Comcast Brings Top Cable Television, Movie and Independent Programming to Customers At Home and On-the-Go for No Additional Cost

Philadelphia, PA, December 15, 2009 — Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), one of the nation’s leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services, announced today that it has made its On Demand Online experience available nationally in beta at no additional cost to customers. The innovative new service now called Fancast XFINITY TV, gives customers an “anytime anywhere” entertainment experience–at home and on-the-go–and expands the video content customers can watch online by giving them quick and easy access to thousands of hours of cable TV shows, movies and independently produced content.

“Fancast XFINITY TV is a win for consumers and content producers. We’re giving customers access to content they love in new ways and opening up new opportunities for established and independent producers to make their content available on-demand” said Matt Bond, Executive Vice President of Content Acquisition. “This new service brings consumers many movies and TV shows that have never been available online before.”

Both Comcast customers and non-Comcast customers across the nation currently have access to over 12,000 hours of great online content through Fancast.com–the company’s online TV site and a top TV destination on the web–for free. Now, as a benefit of their cable subscription, Comcast customers will enjoy even more access to thousands of titles from the cable channels in their subscription packages at no additional cost through Fancast XFINITY TV.

“This is a beta product only, but the consumer feedback has been great so far. We look forward to more feedback as we make it available to even more customers” said Amy Banse, President of Comcast Interactive Media. “We think Fancast XFINITY TV gets us one step closer to our multiplatform goal and is just the beginning of delivering an entirely new TV viewing experience.”

Beginning today, any Comcast customer with a digital cable and Internet subscription can visit www.comcast.net or www.fancast.com, sign-in with their Comcast email user name and password and watch their favorite subscription content at no charge.

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