Here's What Top Yahoo Execs Really Think About AOL (YHOO, AOL)

We talked to a source close to top Yahoos the other day, and it was curious to hear what this person thinks of AOL – another major tech company going through a huge slump.

Our source told us:

• "HuffPo is a great consumer thing. It's a veneer on other people's content. Arianna is a great spiritual leader. "

• "Tim has done a great job at AOL. It's a f---ing pig on a stick. Most of their revenue comes from dial-up. I think he's done a decent job galvanizing the company around a mission. The day-to-day operations there are a disaster. Tim is finding his way as a CEO. He has single-handledly been able to save sales. Goes out on a bazillion calls, that's not what a CEO should be doing, but he's doing it to save the business."

• "Patch is strategic blunder."

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• THE MICROSOFT INVESTOR: Bing's Market Share Up 41% From Last Year, Not Enough To Justify The Billions Spent
• CHART OF THE DAY: This Is What Microsoft Is Getting For Its Big Bing Investment
• THE GOOGLE INVESTOR: Wall Street Weighs In On Google Earnings Before The Bell

Here's What Top Yahoo Execs Really Think About AOL (YHOO, AOL)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/ZREBjX3jfV0/heres-what-top-yahoo-execs-really-think-about-aol-2011-7

These Apps Will Make You Think Twice About Using FaceTime On Your iPhone Ever Again (AAPL)

Apple's videochat app FaceTime is reminiscient of that famous H.G. Wells-Jetsons kind of future that we were promised as kids. But it's certainly not the only videochat solution out there, and it's hardly the first.

As simple as it may be to use, it has its limitations. Most notably, it can only be used over wifi and it can't connect to Android devices.

There are third party apps out there that solve these problems quite elegantly. Here are our favorites.

ooVoo

Simply put, ooVoo rocks. This app supports video calling over wifi and 3G, and it has no trouble communicating with Android devices. The potential killer feature here is that it also allows for 6-way video chat.

If your friends don't have a supported mobile device, they can communicate with you through their web browser with a webcam.

Price: free

Skype

Skype has permeated the communication world, and a relatively recent update to its iOS app enabled video chat over 3G to anyone else running Skype (desktop users included).

The app also boasts near-CD quality audio.

Price: free

Tango

Tango offers free video calls over 3G and wifi from an iOS device to any other mobile device running the app as well. It's also been continually praised for its ease of use.

Price: free

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

For the latest gadget news, visit SAI: Tools. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

See Also:

• 10 Apps Apple Just Killed With iOS 5
• 9 Simple Steps To Making That iPhone App You've Always Wanted
• Here Are 10 Killer Features Coming To iOS 5

These Apps Will Make You Think Twice About Using FaceTime On Your iPhone Ever Again (AAPL)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/DghYIi5HSpQ/alternative-facetime-apps-2011-6

Still Think The Mouse Isn’t Dead?

We've been over this. But many of you felt the need to argue — passionately — about the fate of an input device we all use today: the mouse. I say it's dead. Well not dead, dead — yet. But the wheels are clearly in motion. Many disagree. And I thought it was worth bringing up again upon seeing the demo video that Microsoft put out there for Windows 8. I mean, does anyone still think the mouse isn't dead? I can understand that after Apple put a gun to the head of the mouse with the release of the Magic Trackpad, people were skeptical. "Apple has basically no market share!," was the basis of most of the basic arguments. The bigger point was that we're moving into a world where touch is king, lead by the smartphones and tablets. These devices are going to start influencing our more traditional computers, not the other way around.

Still Think The Mouse Isn’t Dead?

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/1P6SLycncGE/

Hey Foursquare, Why Didn't You Think Of This?

We intend to do much more than we actually do.

It's called procrastination and Matchbook, a New York startup, is planning to cash in on it.

Three weeks ago, Jason Schwartz launched an iPhone app, Matchbook, that allows people to bookmark places they intend to visit. Schwartz hopes the app will eliminate mental notes and scribbles on scraps of paper.

Users walking by a location, viewing a website, or simply recalling a place can add it to their automatically-organized Matchbook list by clicking a button.

Companies like Foursquare and SCVNGR have been banking on people actually going places, but Schwartz is betting that intending to visit is a more frequent occurrence that's equally beneficial to local advertisers.

"To advertise on a local basis, you need local activity," says Schwartz. " One of the ways [to generate local activity is to ask] Where's a user right now? That's the check-in space.  The other way is to ask, Where do they want to go?"

Schwartz says Matchbook is an aggregator of user intent. "Intent is a really powerful thing.  I can tell advertisers, 'I have 1,000 people that want to come to you.  What would you offer them as an incentive?'"

The local advertising market, he says, is worth $140 billion and $35 billion of that is digital. Schwartz hopes to snag a solid sliver of the market with intended visits and a future itinerary feature.

"When someone comes to New York they ask friends, 'Where are the best places to visit?' And friends send them back a list of places. We want to capture that existing behavior and make it available with the app," he says. "Like a best of New York list that can be shared among users."

For the latest tech news, visit SAI: Silicon Alley Insider. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• "The Age Of Social Sharing Has Reached Its End"
• Organizing Events Is Less Of A PITA With NY Startup Fridge
• THE APPLE INVESTOR: Is Apple Stock Price Being Illegally Manipulated?

Hey Foursquare, Why Didn't You Think Of This?

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/2mHxw70m174/matchbook-intend-to-check-in-business

Sprint Doesn't Think The PlayBook Is Ready To Launch Yet (RIMM, S)

Sprint has delayed the launch of the Blackberry PlayBook and has provided no new release date, Electronista reports.

The PlayBook was originally set to launch on Sprint April 18th, but the launch was pushed back to May 8th. Now, there are no signs of a new release date.

This was supposed to be the first launch for a cellular data-equipped PlayBook. The device will run over Sprint's 3G CDMA network.

The "internal documents" Electronista cited were originally posted on BriefMobile, and say that the "new launch date will be communicated as soon as it is available."

There is no official explanation for the delay, but there are no signs Sprint has abandoned the device. They have told retailers to hold onto marketing materials and "PlayBook Electronic Security Pedestals" until the device launches.

When that day will be, we have no idea.

This isn't the first problem with a 3G or 4G PlayBook. A few weeks ago, reports said Verizon was still evaluating the device, with the possibility of choosing not to release it at all.

Don't Miss: Everyone's Right: The Blackberry PlayBook Doesn't Stand A Chance

For the latest gadget news, visit SAI: Tools. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Finally! RIM Will Let You Send BBMs From Your PlayBook
• Here Are 8 New PlayBook Updates That Should've Been Available From Day One
• RIM Is Already Working On A 10-Inch BlackBerry PlayBook For The Holidays

Sprint Doesn't Think The PlayBook Is Ready To Launch Yet (RIMM, S)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/sHnl3yYDm9c/sprint-delays-playbook-launch-indefinitely-2011-5