Yahoo redesigns its Messenger to let you take back messages

Yahoo launched a next-generation messaging platform Thursday in an ambitious bid to steal a march on a crowded field, as rumors swirled that the Internet pioneer is considering selling its core business.

New Yahoo Messenger apps were released in English for smartphones or tablets powered by Apple or Android software, as were versions of the service tailored for use on the Web or on desktop computers.

The updated instant messaging platform is replacing its predecessor in Yahoo's free email service, which boasts 225 million monthly users.

It is the first complete remake of Yahoo Messenger since it was introduced 17 years ago and comes as smartphone lifestyles have led to a booming trend of firing off digital missives or photos at nearly any opportunity.

Yahoo is up against some well-established rivals such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, iMessenger and Facebook Messenger.

'Yahoo decided it was time to build a ground-up rewrite of the platform that was completely modern and prepares Yahoo to ship really disruptive innovative features,' Yahoo Messenger senior director of product management, Austin Shoemaker, said while giving AFP a look at the platform.

The new messaging service integrates features from Yahoo-owned Flickr, Tumblr, and Xobni.

Yahoo Messenger lets people quickly share large batches of high-resolution images, and taps into the library at blogging platform Tumblr to let people add animated GIFs to conversations as easily as inserting emojis.

The ability to 'unsend' comments or images was also added to Yahoo Messenger. 

Posts that are 'unsent' vanish from conversation threads at the service.

'We are glad to be blending ephemeral messaging and persistent messaging in a novel way,' Shoemaker said.

'It's way better than having no control at all.'

New Yahoo Messenger also lets people 'mute' conversations to be spared from being bothered by notifications when they would rather focus their attention elsewhere.

Yahoo is smoothing the transition from the old to the new version of its messenger service, helping import contact lists and making sure people can connect with one another regardless of which they use.

The old version of Yahoo Messenger will be eventually phased out, according to Shoemaker.

He billed the redesigned service as a 'solid foundation' for creatively weaving messaging into other Yahoo online properties, apps or services.

There were no immediate plans to monetize Yahoo Messenger. But, Shoemaker noted, such services are proven to attract and engage users, which should lead to opportunities for generating revenue.

'The messaging space has grown dramatically, yet people ultimately want a fast and easy way to communicate with each other,' said Yahoo senior vice president of engineering Jeff Bonforte.

'The new Yahoo Messenger was designed first and foremost to meet those needs.

The transformed Yahoo Messenger arrived as reports circulated that members of the board at the Silicon Valley firm are mulling whether it should sell its core business instead of its Alibaba stake.

A hedge fund with a stake in Yahoo urged the Internet giant last month to drop its planned spinoff of its stake in China's Alibaba and instead sell the 'core' search business.

The hedge fund was worried about the plan to transfer the Alibaba stake to the new company and distributing stock in what could amount to a taxable gift of $30 billion to shareholders.

£130k Plane Could Be Perfect For Your Commute

An aviation firm says its new cut-price two-seater plane that can take off vertically could be your answer.

Most planes need runways to take off, ruling them out as an option for people with just a garden.

But Joby Aviation's S2 VTOL aircraft is fitted with 16 propellers that allow it to take off and land vertically.

Once it reaches cruising altitude and speed, they fold away into aerodynamic bullet shapes.

It can then reach 200mph using four cruise-optimised props on the backs of the wings.

It can reach 200mph using cruise-optimised props on the backs of the wings

The propellers are electric, meaning they are not as noisy as a helicopter takeoff, so you won't annoy your neighbours.

While private jets cost millions, Joby Aviation says it thinks it can produce the S2 for just $200,000 (£133,000) each.

Because the aircraft is powered by electricity rather than fuel, the firm says its economical to run.

It also needs five times less energy than traditional flight modes, meaning it is more environmentally friendly.

In an interview with ReadWrite, Joby Aviation founder JoeBen Bevrit said: "If we can build an aircraft which is quiet, safe, and efficient, and you get door-to-door at five times the speed of ground transport, it will radically change life.

"It will have a transformative effect.

European brands turn to South Africa, Nigeria for expansion

The South African market is a top priority among European brands planning entrance into Africa, according to a survey by real estate advisor CBRE. 

CBRE asked 115 brands and retailers for their expansion plans over the next five years, with 28 percent saying South Africa is a top-3 priority in that time frame. As Africa’s middle class continues to grow, proper timing will allow brands to capitalize on the new consumer segment.

“Many retailers want to enter but are also keen to mitigate the risk so the requirement for a strong franchise partner is high,” said Andrew Phipps, head of retail research and consulting, CBRE EMEA. “Africa will be as populous as Asia in a decade or so and brands want to ensure they are in front of the consumers; as consumers’ living standards increase they will want more of the brands they recognize via social media, traditional media and from the experience of their friends and peers.”

Looking to Lagos
The recent slowdown in China has helped bring into focus the significance of understanding the global market and reaching out to new consumers. Meanwhile, China’s investments in Africa have led to a growing middle class and an influx of UHNW individuals who have begun to spread a taste for luxury in various African markets.

The two in tandem have led many to see the MINT countries (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey) and Africa in general as the next big market. Nonetheless, questions linger over the infrastructure of the new markets, and timing of entry is uncertain.

After South Africa, Egypt was the most attractive African market with 19 percent, followed by Nigeria (16 percent), Morocco (13 percent) and Kenya (9 percent). Among respondents, 64 percent say that franchise stores are the preferred method, but infrastructure is delaying or turning away 22 percent and 21 percent see other markets as easier to enter.

Across Africa, retail space is expanding. April will see the opening of the 115,000-square-foot Mall of Africa in Midrand, South Africa, about 17 miles away from Johannesburg; Palms Shopping Mall in Lagos, Nigeria is twice that size, the even-larger Lekki Mall and the Circle Mall, about half as large as Palms, are in progress and the recently opened Festival Mall adds another 50,000+ square feet.

Nigeria and South Africa are vastly different markets. Wealth in Nigeria is concentrated in Lagos, where the population now exceeds 17 million, leaving barely 10 square feet of retail space per 200 people. By contrast, Johannesburg has the same retail area per person, and wealth in South Africa is spread more evenly across numerous cities.

“South Africa is likely to remain the number one choice of destination due to the presence of the elements retailers want to see: the infrastructure, number of quality shopping malls and the existing presence of brands being the strong indicators new entrants will look for,” Mr. Phipps said in a statement. “There is certainly appetite for international retailers to enter the market. The challenge is finding the right partner that understands the market as well as the retail brand.”

Lagos, by contrast, is an emerging market in part because high-end consumers have already brought desirable luxury brands to the country after shopping overseas.

“There is a belief in the future of Lagos – the sheer scale of the population and the growth in the affluence of some,” Mr. Phipps said. “The Nigerian consumer is very savvy and those with high levels of income are used to buying branded product from overseas. As this continues, and people see the brands that people bring back from overseas, the desire and interest in owning similar product increases.”

Other markets chosen by respondents include Ghana and Gabon (3 percent each) and Ethiopia and Tanzania (1 percent).

“Ethiopia should have been recognized by more people,” Mr. Phipps said. “There is a view held by many that Ethiopia is the same country it was 20 years ago when in fact it has changed greatly.

“Addis Ababa will be one of the big success stories of Africa as a whole,” he said. “The market will develop and is ranked by the IMF as being in the top five fastest growing economies in the world, [with] decade of continuous expansion with real GDP growth averaging 10.8 percent per annum.”

All-in Africa
Recent CBRE reports have also shown how spurted growth in China is leading to the emergence of new markets.

Lagos, Nigeria and Mumbai, India are poised to become major players in the luxury world, according to a November report by the real estate advisor.

Although nobody should expect another China, the residents of the Nigerian and Indian cities are already beginning to make their presence known to luxury brands. Continuing globalization ensures that the economy will remain a major factor in the luxury market, so brands must be attuned to economic patterns and shifts to stay ahead (see story).

Other research shows that the high-end of luxury consumers will experience rapid growth throughout Africa.

The global ultra-high-net-worth population is larger than ever and will continue to grow, according to a recent new report by Wealth-X and UBS.

While North America and Europe continue to perform well for UHNW individuals, the slowdown in Asia has had an effect at the top of the market. India continues to grow, but Japan and China underperformed compared to expectations, and China’s real estate market is slowing. Meanwhile, the Middle East and Africa were the fastest growing regions, although instability in particular countries or areas raises questions about the sustainability of such growth (see story).

Although many brands expressed a desire to enter the continent within the next five years, that instability may push those projections back a few more years.

“I still feel it is a market whose maturity is still to be reached, the timing of which might be in terms of a decade or more as opposed to in single years,” Mr. Phipps said. “It will require investment, confidence and patience to get the best out of the market.

“It also requires retailers to understand how consumers from these countries shop when they are overseas (a large proportion of spend on luxury in London comes from residents in Nigeria, for example). How do they shop, what do they buy and why?

“One area where they really are looking to expand is in the development of African manufacturing plants (the import duties being high for product made outside Africa). The option to engage with low cost labor and not avoid punitive tax levels is one area of high interest.”

Pam Anderson Bares All For Final Playboy Nude

Anderson has appeared on the Playboy cover 13 times since 1989

Anderson, 48, revealed she had been asked to pose nude for the publication in an interview with celebrity news show Entertainment Tonight.

Playboy has featured many famous names on its cover over the years

Playboy announced in October it was ending a more than 60-year tradition of publishing nude images of women, saying the practice had become "passe" due to the availability of free images online.

Anderson pictured with Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in 2003

No other celebrity has graced the Playboy cover more than Anderson, who was first photographed for the magazine in 1989.

The January/February 2016 issue, due out on 11 December, will be Anderson's 13th time on the cover.

"I got a call from (Hugh Hefner's) attorney who said, 'We don't want anybody else. There's nobody else, could you do the last cover of Playboy'?" she told ET.

Anderson added that she had to ask permission from her two teenage sons before agreeing to pose nude one last time.

She said the boys - now 19 and 17 - "were teased, and made fun of, and had a few fist fights over their mom" when they were growing up.

This time, however, they were very supportive, Anderson said.

"He was so excited," she said of her 19-year-old son, Brandon. "He may have high-fived me!"

Anderson told ET she made the most of the nude photo-shoot, which took place at various locations around the Playboy Mansion property.

She said: "I took off all my clothes, and I rolled down the hill as fast as I can."

Playboy's circulation has dropped from about 5.6 million in 1975 to around 800,000 in recent years.

The American edition, which has featured the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Madonna, now operates at a loss - although global copies still bring in a profit.

San Bernardino shooting and the politics of gun control

With every mass shooting, the political debate intensifies over gun control.

California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer has been one of the biggest proponents of new gun laws. She said Wednesday condolences aren't enough.

"It's heartbreaking to see another mass shooting in this great country," said Boxer of the San Bernardino shooting. "It looks like a war zone and it's not enough to keep lamenting these things. We have to take action."

Mass shootings have become so pervasive that Hillary Clinton was actually talking about guns in Orlando minutes before Wednesday's tragedy unfolded.

It is time for us to say we are going to have comprehensive background checks, we are gonna close the gun show loopholes," Clinton said.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to donate $45 billion in stock

Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and chief executive of Facebook, announced Tuesday he and his wife would give 99 percent of their Facebook shares “during our lives” — holdings currently worth more than $45 billion — to charitable purposes.

The pledge was made in an open letter to their newborn daughter, Max, who was born about a week ago.

Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, said they were forming an organization, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, to manage the money, through an unusual limited liability corporate structure.

“Our initial areas of focus will be personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people, and building strong communities,” they wrote.

Zuckerberg’s charitable plans are the latest indication of a growing interest in philanthropy among Silicon Valley’s young billionaires, who, unlike previous generations of business tycoons, appear eager to spread their wealth while they are still young. Zuckerberg is 31, and Chan is 30.

Yet they are entering largely uncharted waters with a charity effort of such scale. They have not yet detailed how the money will be spent, and the pace in which the money will be given out indicates they plan to take their time.

The couple have had mixed results in earlier charitable efforts. In 2010, Zuckerberg and Chan gave $100 million to improve the public schools in Newark, N.J. The money expanded high-performing charter schools but encountered fierce resistance from many parents, community activists, and unions. Zuckerberg has said he learned a lot from the experience.

Still, Larry Brilliant, who works on philanthropic issues with many Silicon Valley figures including Marc Benioff, the chief executive of Salesforce.com, and Jeff Skoll, the co-founder of eBay, said that both the scale and timing of Zuckerberg’s commitment, coming so early in his career, were rare.

“I hope this will be a model for Mark’s generation,” said Brilliant, a physician who previously ran Google’s charitable arm, Google.org.

The Silicon Valley way of philanthropy also demands more control over where the money is spent, although it remains to be seen if this hands-on formula will be successful.

“We must build technology to make change. Many institutions invest money in these challenges, but most progress comes from productivity gains through innovation,” they wrote in the letter to their daughter. “We must participate in policy and advocacy to shape debates. Many institutions are unwilling to do this, but progress must be supported by movements to be sustainable.”

In a securities filing, Facebook said Zuckerberg planned “to sell or gift no more than $1 billion of Facebook stock each year for the next three years.” He intends to retain his majority voting position in the company’s stock for the foreseeable future.

Earlier this week, Zuckerberg was one of the billionaires who signed on to the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, a group organized by the Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to contribute toward a multibillion-dollar clean energy fund. The announcement coincided with a Paris summit meeting intended to forge a global accord to cut planet-warming emissions.

Zuckerberg has referred to Gates as one of his childhood heroes for his zeal in building Microsoft into a colossus in the technology industry. Gates is the wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated worth of $85.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The index estimates that Zuckerberg’s total worth is $46.8 billion.

Zuckerberg has admired Gates’ philanthropic endeavors, too, becoming one of the first people to join the Giving Pledge, an initiative started by Gates and Warren E. Buffett to get wealthy individuals and their families to give away more than half of their wealth to charities during their lifetimes or after. Gates has pledged to give away at least 95 percent of his wealth.

“None of this would have happened without Bill Gates,” Brilliant said. 

In a statement, Gates and his wife, Melinda, congratulated Zuckerberg and Chan.

“The example you’re setting today is an inspiration to us and the world,” they said. “We can be confident of this: Max and every child born today will grow up in a world that is better than the one we know now. As you say, ‘seeds planted now will grow.’ Your work will bear fruit for many decades to come.”

Zuckerberg and Chan had previously pledged about $1.6 billion to charitable endeavors, according to a spokeswoman for the family. Their gifts benefited several kindergarten-through-high-school education projects and the San Francisco General Hospital, which was renamed in their honor after receiving $75 million.

“Having this child has made us think about all of the things that should be improved in the world for her whole generation,” Zuckerberg said in a video. “The only way that we reach our full human potential is if we’re able to unlock the gifts of every person around the world.”

Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York and a billionaire as well, also applauded Zuckerberg’s announcement and said he shared the Facebook executive’s interest in education and innovation.

“The only question now is: How many of his peers in Silicon Valley and beyond will join him?” Bloomberg said.

Missing Light Aircraft Search Suspended

The plane was travelling from the Isle of Man to Blackpool Airport with just the pilot on board, Lancashire Police said.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We got a call at 9.17am from police, the information given was that (there was) a light aircraft on route from the Isle of Man to Blackpool Airport with one person on board, obviously the pilot.

"The communications were lost with the air traffic control some three miles out at sea."

Matthew Mace, duty controller at the UK Coastguard, said: "There are reports of low visibility in the area so there is a strong likelihood that this aircraft may have ditched into the sea after contact was lost and it disappeared from the radar.

"We currently have a helicopter and several Coastguard teams out searching for this aircraft."

A spokesperson for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that crews from Lytham St Annes and Bispham were at the scene helping police and coastguard teams.

The Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Caernarfon is also involved.