Microsoft made a bid for Yahoo last Friday. This move should prove beneficial for Yahoo if it can escape from the clutches of the Redmond behemoth. Yahoo has been wandering for a few years now, and it really needs to focus and execute again. Hopefully, this will accelerate their turn-around plans.
Yahoo used to be my #1 destination for news, e-mail and maps. Now, Google and Yahoo divide my attention equally for news and e-mail, and Google has completely taken over for maps. For me, the turning point for maps was Google’s introduction of draggable maps. That was when I switched over to using Google exclusively, even though Yahoo now offers something similar.
I still prefer My Yahoo over iGoogle, though it took me forever to switch over to the My Yahoo beta. I kept switching back-and-forth between the classic My Yahoo and the My Yahoo beta for the longest time. I simply didn’t feel that the beta was an improvement, hence the back-and-forth.
As bad as Yahoo is struggling right now, I think Microsoft is faring even worse. I still keep a hotmail account, but I really don’t check it all that often. I don’t visit any of Microsoft’s online properties, and I don’t know anyone else that does. If Microsoft took over Yahoo and imposed their kludginess on Yahoo, I might have to switch to Google exclusively.
I upgraded to Mac OS X Leopard last week and have been struggling with various “issues” that have come up. The latest involves Firefox. I’ve already come across two web sites that use drop-down menus; however, the menus don’t drop. Who wants to browse through a menu by hitting the up arrow / down arrow and viewing one item at a time? Back to Safari for those sites.
The Firefox release notes said, “On OS X 10.5 (Leopard), drop-down selection widgets on some websites may not function.”
So I just received my first wireless phone bill book from AT&T. Talk about not being able to teach an old dog new tricks. Despite all the time AT&T spent working with Apple, none of Apple’s minimalist design philosophy rubbed off. I mean a 35 page bill? I’m waiting for Greenpeace to ding Apple again for selecting such an environmentally unfriendly partner. A big chunk of the bill was the itemized list of all data transfers over the (lagging) EDGE network. Since the iPhone plan provides unlimited domestic data transfers, why itemize it? 8:41 AM – 1 KB. 8:49 AM – 24 KB. 9:08 AM – 23 KB. 9:23 AM – 49 KB. 9:42 AM – 23 KB. 10:00 AM – 31 KB. Talk about worthless information. Save a tree.
Yahoo! News / Reuters: Walmart.com to Let Customers Review Merchandise. Shoppers will be able to review and rate the merchandise sold on Wal-Mart Stores Inc’s Web site beginning on Thursday, as the retailer works to expand its online capabilities.
Finally. My two main sources of online reviews are Consumer Reports and Amazon.com. Consumer Reports offers authoritative, independent reviews based on objective product testing. Great for comparing across brands or product lines. Amazon.com offers more anecdotal reviews.
The weakness of online reviews is that they are online. Before I bought my Apple iPhone, if I spotted a product I was interested in at a retail store, I had to go home and look it up. Now, I can read the review while I am still inside the store. If only Wal-Mart will publish their online reviews INSIDE their retail stores, then all shoppers can benefit from our collective experience. That’s an idea!
When EDGE takes way too long to deliver a web page, I turn to Google (again). The Cached link has come in handy on more than one occasion when I got tired of seeing the page loading icon. Click back to the search results page and view the Google cached version. The next best thing to having lynx on the iPhone, I guess.
Honestly, I had my doubts about the Apple iPhone: slow data network speeds, no integrated GPS, and high cost. I tried to hold off until Apple released iPhone 2.0, presumably with a 3G chipset and other goodies, but I surrendered to frustration. And, I blame Google for it all.
Without a doubt, Google revolutionized the Internet. Suddenly, I could find anything on the Internet. Not just standard information like who is the First President of the United States, but really relatively obscure facts like who is the Second Emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty. And, the more useful I found Google, the more I used Google until I couldn’t part from Google. I needed to take Google along with me. And, that’s why I had to buy an iPhone. I just experienced too many instances where I encountered a problem while away from my computer where I realized that I could solve my problem in seconds with access to Google or the Internet.
- Dull EDGE. All the iPhone reviews noted that AT&T’s EDGE data network was slow. Unfortunately, the reviewers understated the problem. I could not use EDGE for regular web browsing; e.g., reading the New York Times or visiting other websites. I don’t like waiting in line. I don’t like waiting for pages to load. I don’t like waiting. Period. Safari is fine with Wi-Fi access, but seriously underwhelming on EDGE. Would love to see Lynx on an iPhone.
- Maps. I would certainly welcome faster network speeds, but EDGE is passable for Mail and Maps. Maps has already saved me on one occasion when I was lost in an area for which I did not have a paper map. If you commute at all and forget to check the traffic before you leave your house or place of work, Google Maps shines there as well.
- Google. While every other website features congested layouts and graphics, Google focuses on speed. Google is one web site that I can use even with EDGE. To quickly search another company’s website, I use the site:domain.com modifier on Google. I find that I can get instant results even on EDGE instead of waiting for someone else’s graphic-intensive website to load.
- Notes. Notes is good if you’re not taking a lot of notes. On my MacBook Pro, I take notes using Yojimbo and would welcome an iPhone version. Despite its counterintuitive name, Yojimbo is a fast and easy application that lets me store information and documents with password and tagging options. For example, I have one note where I keep the store hours for all the shops I visit frequently; i.e., Target, Costco, Home Depot, Farmers Market, etc. I look at that page most weekends. Why memorize store hours when all the data is just a few clicks away.
- Killer App. The true killer app on the iPhone for me is Google + Safari. When I’m out at some of the shops mentioned above, I can easily price shop. Oh, Target is selling this for $15? I wonder how much Costco, Crate and Barrel or some other retailer is charging? Now, I have the answer.
Our feelings were never mutual. The first time I received your unsolicited IM, I politely clicked “Decline.” I was just being sensitive and didn’t want to hurt your feelings. But, you didn’t get the message. Perhaps, you were coached by some marketer to show some perseverance. Surely, I would come around. But, I didn’t. However, your invitations still came…and were left unanswered. Then, I tried to “Block” you. But, you had no clue. You ignored my “Block.” Perhaps, if you tried harder, you must have thought. You did not realize that your insistence was what drove me further away. Now, I have grown to detest AIM Pages, even though I have never given it a try, just because of you aimpagesinvite. If you had respected my initial request instead of repeatedly stalking me and sending unsolicited messages, we would not have come to this stage. How many more times will I have to “Decline” or “Block” you before you realize that there is no future between us?
Microsoft made a bid for Yahoo last Friday. This move should prove beneficial for Yahoo if it can escape from the clutches of the Redmond behemoth. Yahoo has been wandering for a few years now, and it really needs to focus and execute again. Hopefully, this will accelerate their turn-around plans.