Here’s the release. Here are my previous posts on Tellme and mobile local search. Bringing more usability to mobile search in particular — and differentiation to MSFT — is a key to this acquisition. But it remains strange because MSFT has considerable speech processing assets and conceivably could have built everything that Tellme is bringing …
I was at Topix last week chatting with Chris Tolles and CEO Rick Skrenta and they told me of their acquisition of the Topix.com domain from a Canadian firm. Under pain of torture I was sworn to secrecy. That news came out in Kevin Delaney’s WSJ article (sub req’d) today, which focused on SEO issues …
As I was driving all over “God’s creation” today, from meeting to meeting, there were a number of interesting developments and announcements. The first concerned the enhancements to the Google Local Business Center. Barry Schwartz has a terrific, thorough overview of each of the new features: Add photos to your Google Maps listing Add custom …
Never a dull moment in local these days as I learn of new sites almost daily. I spoke this morning with Ben Saren, CEO of Boston-based Citysquares, another “hyperlocal” site focused on building out neighborhood listings and community. Right now the site only covers the Boston area but Saren envisions expansion and scaling. We discussed …
Here’s a detailed post (widely picked up) by Simeon Simeonov about Google developing a mobile phone. Here’s the reported strategy: Apparently, Google is planning to build distribution relationships with multiple carriers by allowing them to minimize subscription and marketing costs. In other words, Google will market the phone online and carriers will fulfill. How fast …
Netscape is synonymous in my mind with missed opportunity. After AOL bought the company it totally neglected it and IE ate all its remaining market share. Since that time the Netscape brand has been “reinvented” several times, as a low-cost ISP, a Digg clone and now a personalized start page. Indeed, a new My.Netscape is …
VentureBeat reports that Citysearch/IAC is the mystery buyer of InsiderPages — purchase price not disclosed. I would guess it wasn’t more than 2x what the investors put in, given that the company was being shopped from a position of weakness. IAC as a buyer is both appropriate and fascinating. Question: Will InsiderPages just be swallowed …
TechCrunch is reporting that voice services and automated directory assistance (DA) provider TellMe, which I’ve written about several times recently, is being acquired by Microsoft. If that’s true it would be both strange and a potentially big deal. Why strange? It would be strange because Microsoft already has its own considerable speech processing assets. But …
The NY Times reports (via LostRemote) on how Google is boosting video content syndication from major media partners like Dow Jones: Google is working with Dow Jones & Company, Condé Nast, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and other large content companies to syndicate their video content on other Web sites. The videos appear inside Google ad …
I had the honor of being a panelist for the 2nd (now) Annual Yahoo! Searchlight Awards. Also on the panel were Brad Berens, iMedia Communications, Jon Fine, BusinessWeek and Brian Morrissey, Adweek. The four finalists were: Sprint-Talladega Nights, presented by NeoSearch Special K, presented by Starcom Lexus All-new LS Launch, presented by TeamOne Chase Freedom, …
