Home Weekly Wrapup: Microsoft-Yahoo Deal, Twitter Re-Design, Internet Fridges, And More…

Weekly Wrapup: Microsoft-Yahoo Deal, Twitter Re-Design, Internet Fridges, And More…

In this edition of the Weekly Wrapup – our newsletter summarizing the top stories of the week – we analyze the deal to bring Microsoft’s Bing search engine to Yahoo, check out the latest social media and Twitter statistics, investigate the state of RFID tags and Internet fridges, look at Apple’s “interactive album” concept, and more. We also check in on our two new channels: ReadWriteEnterprise (devoted to ‘enterprise 2.0’ trends and products) and ReadWriteStart (dedicated to profiling startups and entrepreneurs).

Note: this week ReadWriteWeb released our second premium report: our Q2 2009 VC Funding Report. Full details below…

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Purchase The ReadWriteWeb Q2 2009 VC Funding Report

Our Second Premium Report for Businesses

We’re excited to announce the availability of ReadWriteWeb’s Q2 2009 VC Funding Report, our second premium report powered by data from ChubbyBrain. We have been tracking early-stage investment in Internet, mobile and SaaS since the financial crisis in September 2008 and we believe that this report is unlike anything else you’ve seen. Investors, bankers and advisers involved in the funding of digital innovation will get the facts on the deal-by-deal basis that they need to make decisions.

Our Report gives you the facts on 240 deals closed in April, May and June – who invested, in what company, how much they invested and when. Read on to see what’s included in the guide and how to purchase it.

Web Trends

Yahoo’s Bing Deal Puts Delicious, BOSS & More at Risk

This week Microsoft and Yahoo announced a deal (details below) whereby Microsoft’s Bing will become the new Yahoo! search engine and Yahoo! will sell ads against those search results on its site. There’s a whole lot of money in play, but as users we don’t think that’s the most interesting part of this story. There may be some very interesting consequences, both positive and negative, for innovation – our favorite part of the online experience. Our guess is that it will be a net negative for forward-looking web users.

Report: Social Networks Growing while Other Social Media Sites Stagnate and Decline

Universal McCann has released a new report that looks at the state of social media today. Apparently, this trend is showing no sign of slowing down. In fact, it’s still growing. From posting photos to writing blogs, the desire to share has become a universal phenomenon. However, the latest report shows that internet users are beginning to now center their digital life around social networks like Facebook, MySpace, and Orkut, choosing to share their content within these sites instead of on services with a single focus, like Blogger or Flickr.

Internet Fridges

The Internet fridge is probably the most oft-quoted example of what the Internet of Things – when everyday objects are connected to the Internet – will enable. Imagine a refrigerator (so the story goes) that monitors the food inside it and notifies you when you’re low on, for example, milk. It also perhaps monitors all of the best food websites, gathering recipes for your dinners and adding the ingredients automatically to your shopping list. And that’s just part of the sci-fi story of the Internet fridge.

RFID: State of the Market

RFID is an emerging standard for identification and tracking of goods. It’s one of the key underlying technologies for the Internet of Things. Some big names in the retail industry have climbed on board the RFID freight train. Notably Wal-Mart, which has not only adopted RFID big time, but pressured its suppliers to do so too.

For Ask.com, Becoming #3 In Search Must Be Bittersweet

If Microsoft’s Bing takes all of Yahoo’s US search engine market share then it will be at 26% to Google’s 70%, according to traffic analysts Hitwise. Such consolidation would put the venerable Ask.com in third place, with a mere 2.46%. That would mean that the next spot on the ladder will have 10X as much market share as Ask. That can’t make the company happy.

SEE MORE WEB TRENDS COVERAGE IN OUR TRENDS CATEGORY

A Word from Our Sponsors

We’d like to thank ReadWriteWeb’s sponsors, without whom we couldn’t bring you all these stories every week!

  • Mashery is the leading provider of API management services.
  • WeeBiz, a business community where you can find and share new business opportunities.
  • Domain.ME, the official registry for all .ME Domains.
  • SiSense, Analytics, Reports and Filters
  • Mollom, stop comment spam and build your community.
  • Crowd Science gives you detailed visitor demographics.
  • hakia is a semantic search engine.
  • Rackspace provides dedicated server hosting.
  • Socialtext brings you 5 Best Practices for Enterprise Collaboration Success
  • Aplus provides web hosting services for small business hosting needs.
  • Wix, stunning Flash Websites for Free
  • MediaTemple provides hosting for RWW.
  • SixApart provides our publishing software MT4.


ReadWriteEnterprise

Our channel devoted to ‘enterprise 2.0’ and using social software inside organizations. Sponsored by Socialtext.

OpenID for Google Apps is Here, But Not Everybody’s Happy

Google announced this week that everyone using Google Apps enterprise or education editions can now use their organization’s domain as a federated single sign-on. That means that millions of schools, businesses and other organizations can now use their Apps accounts as an OpenID. However, a few prominent developers and advocates feel that Google’s approach is not entirely acceptable. They are critical of the use of vendor-specific extensions and APIs instead of the open standards that are so important to OpenID.

ReadWriteStart

Our channel ReadWriteStart, sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark, is dedicated to profiling startups and entrepreneurs.

BakeSpace: An Unlikely Startup Success Story from Twiistup

This post is part of our ReadWriteStart channel, which is dedicated to profiling startups and entrepreneurs. The channel is sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark. To sign up for BizSpark, click here.

BakeSpace might not be the sexiest concept on the startup block. A recipe swap community, said founder Babette Pepaj, strikes many in the tech community as “touchy feely” or “a chick site.” Nevertheless, the site was named a 2009 Webby Award Nominee for Best Social Network and continues to drive traffic and ad revenue with strong content and a great roadmap for mobile and offline integration.

SEE MORE STARTUPS COVERAGE IN OUR READWRITESTART CHANNEL

Web Products

It’s Official: Microsoft and Yahoo Announce Search Deal

A few months from now, Yahoo’s search engine will be “powered by Bing.” After months of back and forth between Microsoft and Yahoo, the two companies finally announced a deal this week that will bring Microsoft’s search engine to Yahoo’s properties, while Yahoo will become the sales force for both companies’ premium search advertisers. Barring any roadblocks from industry and government regulators, this deal will grant Microsoft an exclusive license to Yahoo’s core search technologies for 10 years. Yahoo expects that this deal will increase the company’s cash flow by about $275 million.

Apple Flip Flops on “Mature” iPhone App Policy

Last week, iPhone developers were taken by surprise when Apple unceremoniously removed their ability to promote their “mature” applications (ages 17+) using promo codes. These codes allow application creators to raise awareness about their work by sending out free copies of apps to select individuals, such as those working in the media, in the hopes of having their new app reviewed. Now it seems that Apple has reversed this earlier, controversial decision and is allowing promo codes once again. But we have to wonder: why were they ever removed to begin with?

Twitter Redesigns As Streaming Trends Site

Twitter announced this week its new home page redesign, complete with trending topics and search. Twitter has over the years evolved into a multifaceted real-time tool. The community has given timely updates on earthquakes, the Iran election and we’ve even seen professional poker players bluff in real-time Tweets. It has evolved into a community where users can discover breaking news and trends; and the new home page complements that.

Why Do You Tweet?

eMarketer reports that, according to the “Consumer Internet Barometer,” the majority of Twitter users (42%) use the service to communicate with their friends. About 29% use Twitter to update their status, 26% to find news, and 21% for work-related reasons. Oddly, only 0.3% said that they use Twitter for fun. Significantly more women use Twitter to keep in touch with friends than men (48.4% vs. 33.6%).

Will Apple’s “Interactive Album” Cocktail Inspire Better Bands?

In an unsurprising move, Apple is said to be working with major record labels to provide an “interactive album” to consumers. The company is rumored to be working with EMI, Sony, Warner and Universal to bundle photos, lyric sheets, liner notes and videos with album purchases in the iTunes store. According to the FInancial Times, the move is meant to increase album sales. Nevertheless, a number of critics have already argued that the attempt will be ill-fated.

SEE MORE WEB PRODUCTS COVERAGE IN OUR PRODUCTS CATEGORY

That’s a wrap for another week! Enjoy your weekend everyone.

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

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