Yahoo on Wednesday confirmed plans to lay off more than 2,000 employees as part of new cost-cutting efforts. The Internet giant currently employs approximately 14,000 full-time workers and several thousand more contractors. The workforce reductions will be spread across a number of units within Yahoo including its product division, local business unit, marketing division and research and development division. “Today’s actions are an important next step toward a bold, new Yahoo! — smaller, nimbler, more profitable and better equipped to innovate as fast as our customers and our industry require. We are intensifying our efforts on our core businesses and redeploying resources to our most urgent priorities. Our goal is to get back to our core purpose — putting our users and advertisers first — and we are moving aggressively to achieve that goal,” said Scott Thompson, CEO of Yahoo!. “Unfortunately, reaching that goal requires the tough decision to eliminate positions. We deeply value our people and all they’ve contributed to Yahoo!.” Yahoo plans further cuts in the coming months, and the company’s full statement on the layoffs follows below.

Yahoo! Statement

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Yahoo! today confirmed that it is taking important next steps to reshape the company for the future.

“Today’s actions are an important next step toward a bold, new Yahoo! — smaller, nimbler, more profitable and better equipped to innovate as fast as our customers and our industry require. We are intensifying our efforts on our core businesses and redeploying resources to our most urgent priorities. Our goal is to get back to our core purpose — putting our users and advertisers first — and we are moving aggressively to achieve that goal,� said Scott Thompson, CEO of Yahoo!. “Unfortunately, reaching that goal requires the tough decision to eliminate positions. We deeply value our people and all they’ve contributed to Yahoo!.�

Yahoo! has a solid foundation — nearly 700 million users and thousands of advertisers that engage with Yahoo! properties regularly and trust the company with their data and their business. Through its restructuring efforts, Yahoo! intends to grow by responding more quickly to customer needs and competing more effectively in areas where it can win. Yahoo! has identified key parts of the business — a select group of core businesses, the platforms that support those core businesses, and the data that drives deep personalization for users and ROI for advertisers — where the company will intensify efforts and redeploy resources globally, all focused on increasing shareholder value. With a clear focus on profitability and growth, the company will be disciplined in its investments and radically simplify how it builds, launches and maintains many of its properties and products.

Today, the company will begin the process of informing employees about these changes. As part of that effort, approximately 2,000 people will be notified of job elimination or phased transition.

Yahoo! expects to realize approximately $375 million of annualized savings upon completion of all employee transitions. The company currently expects to recognize the majority of an estimated $125 to $145 million pretax cash charge relating to employee severance in its second quarter financial results. The company may incur additional charges in connection with this action. More information will be provided about Yahoo!’s future direction in conjunction with the release of its first quarter financial results on April 17, 2012.

Earlier this weak, Australian regulators claimed that Apple was misleading consumers with false promotions and advertisements for its new “4G” iPad tablet. While the new iPad supports some 4G LTE networks, users in most regions are stuck with HSPA and HSPA+ 3G networks. After the allegation, Apple began to offer refunds to Australian iPad owners who felt duped by the company’s 4G claims. Now, regulators in the U.K. have confirmed that they are looking into various complaints regarding the new iPad, Pocket-lint reports. The Wall Street Journal is also reporting that Sweden’s Consumer Agency is considering an investigation into whether Apple’s “4G” marketing is misleading as well. Apple has not addressed the matter publicly.

Read [Pocket-lint] Read [WSJ]

While the launch date has shifted several times over the past two months, BGR reported in January that the Lumia 900 would become available from AT&T at a shocking $99.99 price point — the lowest launch price for a flagship phone in recent history. The handset’s release will be accompanied by a marketing and advertising blitz aiming to familiarize the U.S. with Windows Phone, but educating the sales staff at AT&T stores and encouraging them to pitch the handset is a crucial piece of the puzzle that could lead to the device’s success. Nokia is reportedly taking things one step further — wpcentral on Friday reports that Nokia will finance a program allowing AT&T sales staff to trade in their current handsets for a brand new Lumia 900 at no cost. The program, which will see AT&T employees turn in iPhones and Android handsets for the Lumia 900, will reportedly cost Nokia as much as $25 million. BGR took a hands-on look at the AT&T’s upcoming flagship Windows Phone during the annual Consumer Electronics Show, and we described it as a gorgeous handset that improves upon the already-great Lumia 800.

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The original Optimus LTE caught our eye with its 4.5-inch, 326ppi AH-IPS display, but now LG is throwing something else into the mix: an NFC-equipped version that communicates with "special stickers" that automatically switch its settings to suit a particular location. Put a sticker on your dash and you can set it to switch on the handset's Bluetooth and GPS, for example, as well as boost the volume. It's hardly a new concept, but LG's marketing mavens reckon it merits a full relaunch in Korea under the name "Optimus LTE Tag," and who are we to tell them otherwise? Read on the full specs in the PR.

Continue reading LG's Optimus LTE gets NFC variant, wants to be known as Optimus LTE Tag

LG's Optimus LTE gets NFC variant, wants to be known as Optimus LTE Tag originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After losing a trade mark lawsuit last year against a Chinese company, Apple may have to pay a fine and stop selling and marketing the iPad in China. An ironic outcome in the Counterfeit Republic of China, if it finally goes through. More »

It's a common human trait that, when faced with a series of calamities, the brain will retreat into a fantasy world in which everything is the exact opposite of reality. Could this be the inspiration for RIM's four new cartoon characters, which the company hopes will spread its "Be Bold" marketing message? The pattern certainly seems to fit. From left to right: there's GoGo Girl, who "saves the day with a brilliant strategy" (translation: we don't have a strategy). Then comes Justin Steele, who's "always ready to stick up for his friends" (translation: we don't have friends). Trudy Foreal "isn't afraid to call it as she sees it" (translation: our shareholders are complaining). Finally, the adventurous Max Stone is "able to jump out of a plane" (translation: we're going to crash).

RIM: It's okay, we have superheroes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft will reportedly not launch the highly anticipated follow-up to the Xbox 360 this year. Cedrick Delma, Microsoft’s marketing director in France, recently told Le Point that he was “certain” the Redmond-based company would not release a new Xbox this year. Gamers shouldn’t give up all hope on at least getting a glimpse at Microsoft’s next-generation console this year, though. BGR exclusively reported last June that Microsoft has plans to unveil its Xbox 360 successor during this year’s E3 gaming show in Los Angeles. A few Microsoft patents recently suggested that the “Xbox 720″ might double as a set-top box complete with DVR functionality, and a rumor last week also suggested that the new console will be six times more powerful than the Xbox 360.

[Via The Verge]

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How would you change HTC's Rhyme? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon Wireless covers 190 markets and 200 million people with the its 4G LTE network. It is the largest and most advanced 4G network in the United States, and possibly the world, no matter what other companies may claim. The carrier plans on going all in on LTE, having it become a “hard requirement” for future devices. Whether it is smartphones, tablet, or mobile hotspots, all future devices will feature 4G LTE connectivity. Read on for more.

When talking with CNET, Keith Lampron, Verizon’s associate director of device marketing, said that Verizon isn’t just an Android and iPhone carrier. The company has every intention of further supporting BlackBerry and adding more Windows Phones to its lineup, however they must meet the 4G LTE requirement moving forward. The only devices omitted from the new LTE standards are phones that run on Verizon’s push-to-talk network, which will remain 3G-only for the time being.

The carrier is on track to complete its LTE network by the end of 2013, according to Lampron. While Verizon may have the largest and most advanced network, it has not been the most stable, with three nationwide 4G LTE outages in the month of December. However, Verizon remains optimistic and claims the outages were the result of inevitable growing pains. ”We’re paving the way here for the rest of the world on LTE,” said Lampron.

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Microsoft has moved Andy Lees, the head of its Windows Phone division, to a new position within the firm. AllThingsD broke the news but did not name Lees’s successor. Instead, several of Lees’s responsibilities, including marketing and business development, will be handled by Microsoft corporate vice president Terry Myerson. Lees will remain a president within Microsoft and will still report directly to CEO Steve Ballmer. “I have asked Andy Lees to move to a new role working for me on a time-critical opportunity focused on driving maximum impact in 2012 with Windows Phone and Windows 8,” Ballmer said in a purported internal memo that was obtained by AllThingsD. “We have tremendous potential with Windows Phone and Windows 8, and this move sets us up to really deliver against that potential. In the three years Andy has been leading the phone group, we’ve come a long way,” he added. “We reset our strategy, built a strong team that delivered [Windows Phone 7] and [Windows Phone 7.5 Mango] and created critical new partnerships and ecosystem around Windows Phone. That is a ton of progress in a brief period of time, and I’m excited for Terry and team to keep driving forward and for Andy to dig into a new challenge.”

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There are many, many things to recommend Steve Jobs: his brilliance. His commitment to excellence. His marketing savvy. And apparently, among a whole swath of CEOs, the fact that he could be a colossal jerk. But not so fast! More »

There are many, many things to recommend Steve Jobs: his brilliance. His commitment to excellence. His marketing savvy. And apparently, among a whole swath of CEOs, the fact that he could be a colossal jerk. But not so fast! More »

It worked. 4G has been marketed so well by wireless carriers and vendors that people want it even if they don’t quite know why. A recent survey conducted by market research and intelligence firm In-Stat found that 75% of respondents listed 4G as one of the features their ideal phone would include. When asked which carrier offered the fastest 4G speeds, most respondents were left stymied. “Although 4G is an important feature for handset buyers, there is a lot of confusion surrounding 4G,” In-Stat analyst Greg Potter said in a statement. Read on for more.

Potter continued, “When survey respondents were asked which carrier offered the fastest 4G speeds, the majority of the respondents either didn’t know or felt they were the same across carriers.” A new bill presented to the U.S. Senate earlier this month suggests that wireless carriers should be forced to clarify what kind of speeds their 4G networks afford in marketing and advertising, but it is not expected to be made law.

The survey of 1,208 consumers was part of the In-Stat’s Next-Generation Phones: Consumer Insights Drive Future Handset Designs report, which also found that 36% of consumers plan to stay loyal to their current smartphone operating system compared to just 23% last year. The firm also found that 20% of T-Mobile subscribers plan to switch carriers in the next 12 months.

Nokia will aggressively pursue the teenage market with its next batch of phones, head of marketing for U.K. and Ireland John Nichols said recently. The Finnish smartphone maker will join forces with celebrities and increase its social media presence in an effort to catch the attention of a younger, tech savvy crowd, MarketingWeek explained following an interview with the executive. “This isn’t a standing start, we already have a huge youth market but for teenagers we need to ensure that we create the content and partnerships that matter,” Nichols said. “As a teenager, the brands I loved had an opinion and told me whether to engage with them or not. The trick is to remember not to just wade in; otherwise our personality could look like the drunken uncle dancing at the wedding.” Nokia will further discuss its strategy during its October 26th Nokia World press conference, when it is also expected to unveil its first Windows Phone-powered devices.

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Verizon's got a couple of loose ends to tie up. It's nothing important, you understand, just a tweak to its privacy policy that will allow the carrier to monitor your physical movements and browsing activities. It actually did much the same thing back in 2007 to monitor phone calls. The aim, of course, is to tailor ads to your interests, while also gathering information about your habits that it can sell on to others in the form of "business and marketing reports." Oh, one more thing: VZW promises not to share any information about you "personally" and it also gives you the option to opt out. (Opt out.)

Verizon wants to know where you go, what you look at, that's all originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following rumors that Samsung was considering a purchase of Hewlett-Packard’s PC business — rumors that Samsung would later deny — DigiTimes is having another go at this potential unholy union. This time around, however, the site claims Samsung is eying HP’s webOS platform instead of its PC business. DigiTimes on Monday reported that Samsung has hired HP’s ex-vice president of PSG marketing Raymond Wah to head up Samsung’s PC business. The report goes on to claim that Samsung is also “considering purchasing webOS to compete head on against Apple and Google, according to sources from notebook players.” The South Korea-based electronics giant is clearly having issues with Android right now. Despite Google’s OS having helped Samsung climb to the No. 2 spot among global smartphone vendors, it also brought with it a flurry of patent-related lawsuits from Apple and other companies. Google just announced its intention to acquire Motorola for $12.5 billion, however, and this purchase is intended in part to help the company defend itself and Android partners against patent complaints from Apple, Microsoft and other combatants in the patent wars. Beyond that, Samsung also has its own in-house smartphone platform, bada, which is seeing success in the Asian market. Samsung declined to comment.

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Serious gaming requires serious gear, and by the looks of this latest Call of Duty marketing tie-in, you should be decked out in your Modern Warfare finest when that third installment hits stores. Publisher Activision and Gunnar Optiks have teamed up to bring the eyewear company's fatigue-reducing i-AMP lens tech to a branded line of limited edition gaming specs. The $99 glasses, designed with "venting details inspired by... military machinery," are set to hit stores worldwide on November 8th, and can be found stateside as a Best Buy exclusive. Sound like your kind of late-night gaming accessory? Then click past the break for a 20/20 look at the official PR.

Continue reading Gunnar Optiks crafts limited edition Modern Warfare 3 specs, keeps the bad guys in clear sight

Gunnar Optiks crafts limited edition Modern Warfare 3 specs, keeps the bad guys in clear sight originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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