Yahoo fires CEO, puts company up for sale

Following recent rumblings surrounding discontent atop Yahoo’s executive chain, the struggling Internet company fired its CEO Carol Bartz. In the same stroke, Yahoo! also revealed that it is for sale. News broke Tuesday night that former chief executive Carol Bartz sent an email to the entire Yahoo organization. In her brief note, she stated that Yahoo’s chairman of the board had fired her — over the phone, no less. Yahoo confirmed the news, stating that Chief Financial Officer Tim Morse would step in as interim CEO while the company searches for a new chief. Following the news, a Yahoo employee speaking with The Wall Street Journal also confirmed that the company would be open to selling itself. “Yahoo is open to selling itself to the right bidder,” the Journal wrote. No additional details were provided. Carol Bartz’s full email to Yahoo staff follows below.

From: “Carol Bartz”
To: “all-worldwide@yahoo-inc.com”

Subject: Goodbye

To all,

I am very sad to tell you that I’ve just been fired over the phone by Yahoo’s Chairman of the Board. It has been my pleasure to work with all of you and I wish you only the best going forward.

Carol

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BGR

 

Soocial Syncs Your Contacts Between Multiple Sources & Your BlackBerry

We mentioned Soocial a LONG time ago in November of 2008. Since then the service has come out of beta and really fleshed out. A friend asked me if there was a service that lets you sync your contacts between your BlackBerry, Gmail, Google Apps, and Outlook and I told him to look Soocial up. In that vein I thought it would also be worth mentioning it to all of you.

 

Soocial is a really slick service but the big problem is the cost. The service is free to sync up to 250 contacts between two sources. If you want to start synching more like Gmail, Outlook, Google Apps, Yahoo, Windows Live, and more you will have to pony up for a monthly plan starting at $4.99. Soocial is definitely worth a look if you need such a service for work or can live with the free plan at www.soocial.com. Otherwise check out Gist.

 

via:bbreview

IMO Launches Multi-Protocol Instant Messaging Client

 

Imo.im has launched their multi-protocol instant messaging app for BlackBerry. Also available on Android and iPhone, imo is a web-based communications service that enables users to hold text, voice and video chats across multiple instant messaging protocols.

The Beta app currently supports MSN, Skype, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Facebook, AIM/ICQ, Jabber, MySpace and Hyves with more features being added in the coming weeks. This web-based instant messanging suite supports concurrent sessions so you can be logged in on the desktop and on your phone simultaneously.

Appearing in BlackBerry App World soon,

imo is currently available as an over-the-air download.[qrcode pix=180]https://imo.im/blackberry[/qrcode]

via: bbcool

Multiprotocol IM client imo beta now available for BlackBerry

 

Today imo has announced a beta version of their multiprotocol IM client for BlackBerry. The app is free to download and features multiple services including AIM, Yahoo!, Gtalk, Skype, Jabber, MSN and more. The company has had a web app for quite some time, but this is the first release for BlackBerry Smartphones. While it’s still a bit rough around the edges, imo is a pretty decent client if you like the ability to use multiple IM services all in one place. There are plenty of features to keep most users happy, and pretty much all of the “big name” services are included. The app is free (for now) in it’s beta form and will soon be on the way to BlackBerry App World. Hit the link below from your device to download. Keep reading for some more screen shots.

Download imo OTA to your device[qrcode pix=150]https://imo.im/bb_app/imo.jad[/qrcode]
More information on imo for BlackBerry

List of .APK files for PlayBook's Android App Player

As we spoke about on last night Podcast that we were releasing this list with the release and assistance of the BBHTool and now you can get some Android apps to use on our PlayBooks. So where do we get the necessary .APK files to run these apps, you may ask? Well we have a pretty extensive list for everyone.

Check out the list below:

BlackBerry IM Clients v2.5.88 Leaked for OS 6.0 Devices

 

The fun continues with marginally updated versions of the BlackBerry IM clients. The latest were extracted by rr_yy and bring us up to v2.5.88 for those of us with OS 6.0 devices. Nobody is really noticing anything crazy different in these builds but it may be worth a shot if you absolutely have to have the latest version. Keep in mind they might also simply FUBAR your device so don’t say you were not warned!

Here are the links:

• Google Talk for BlackBerry v2.5.88 (OS6) Download[qrcode pix=150]http://rroyy.com/ota/GoogleTalk_v2.5.88_OS6/GoogleTalk.jad[/qrcode]
• WLM for BlackBerry v2.5.88 (OS6) Download[qrcode pix=150]http://rroyy.com/ota/WLM_v2.5.88_OS6/WindowsLiveMessenger.jad[/qrcode]
• Yahoo for BlackBerry v2.5.88 (OS6) Download[qrcode pix=150]http://rroyy.com/ota/YahooMessenger_v2.5.88_OS6/YahooMessenger.jad[/qrcode]

Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and Google Talk extracted from OS 7.0.0.176

Earlier today OS 7.0.0.176 leaked for the unreleased BlackBerry Bold 9900. While this OS as a whole isn’t useful for, well, anyone at this point, there are people out there that can dissect an OS and get useful bits out of it. As a result, we now have leaked versions of some popular IM apps, namely Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger. They are all v2.5.85, and only tested on BB6+. Here’s the deal… if you decide to try these out, backup your device first. Install these at your own risk, and if something goes wrong, don’t blame us. With that said, let us know how they work for you in the comments below or in the forums! Thanks for posting this in the forums lyricidal!

Download Windows Live Messenger v2.5.85 (OS6+)
Download Yahoo! Messenger v2.5.85 (OS6+)
Download Google Talk v2.5.85 (OS6+)

via:cb

5 Must-Have Applications for Your BlackBerry PlayBook

The PlayBook is coming along nicely. Lately, we’ve seen an upgrade to the Facebook application, as well as support for in-app purchases and charging improvements. The major updates that the general public are waiting for, such as local PIM applications, should be coming sometime this summer, and we think it’s really going to improve the overall PlayBook experience. As cool as the Bridge idea is, it’s sort of a pain to constantly connect your BlackBerry, and the Bridge Browser is pretty shoddy. For those of you who have a PlayBook, here are some apps we think you must have on your tablet (in no particular order):

A BlackBerry, an iPhone and an Android device go for a swim – what to do when your smartphone gets wet

 

Water and electricity do not mix. All those electrical components and doodads inside your BlackBerry are carefully insulated… with air. Air is a wonderful insulator; it doesn’t conduct electricity. Otherwise, we’d all get horribly shocked every time we went to unplug a lamp. Water conducts electricity; poorly, but it does. When your smartphone gets dunked in water, all those carefully insulated bits and pieces can short out and damage your BlackBerry.

So what is there to do if your BlackBerry (or other smartphone for that matter) gets wet? I’m not talking about a few sprinkles of rain; I’m talking full-on, dropped it in the river wet. Should you turn it on right away? Put it in the oven? Let it dry overnight? The folks over at Yahoo! News were wondering the same thing. Would any smartphone come back to life after going for a swim?

 

Yahoo! News tested an Android device, an iPhone, and our beloved BlackBerry by fully immersing the devices in water for a minute (I had to watch with my hand covering my eyes). The advice they give for what to do next is spot on. DON’T TURN ON YOUR BLACKBERRY. Sorry I had to go all caps lock on you there, but it’s important. Turning on your smartphone after it’s been in water could wreck it as all the water inside can create multiple short-circuits.

Allow the phone to air-dry, letting most of the water drain out. Pull your battery. Remember, that water is death to your powered BlackBerry. The potential for damage is greatly reduced if there’s no power in the device. Next comes a tip that has been around for ages: bury your BlackBerry (and battery, SIM card, battery door, etc.) in rice. Plain ol’ rice.

The idea is that the rice will draw out and wick away any moisture inside your device. Whether or not this is effective probably depends on a great number of factors, and may not work for all circumstances. What has never been in doubt is the build quality of your average BlackBerry. Of the three smartphones Yahoo! News tested, only one was able to power on after two nights in rice. Guess which one. (Hint: it was the BlackBerry).

Microsoft wants AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile USA approved

In a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission, Microsoft and other companies expressed their support for AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA. “Many policy-related efforts will not be able to quickly address near-term capacity needs,” the letter stated. “The FCC must seriously weigh the benefits of this merger and approve it.” Other big names, such as Facebook, Research in Motion, Oracle and Yahoo!, have also voiced support for the merger, while Sprint has been the most outspoken opponent of the deal, which would make it the smallest major carrier in the U.S. behind AT&T and Verizon Wireless. The FCC and DOJ are in the midst of a thorough review process that promises to scrutinize every aspect of the proposed merger.

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