BUSINESS
May 11, 2013 | By Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times
SAN FRANCISCO - WhatsApp is one of Silicon Valley's most buzzed-about companies, yet it actively avoids the spotlight, operating out of a small office in Mountain View, Calif., with no sign on the building entrance or on the office door. Unlike most start-ups eager for media attention, WhatsApp Inc. says it doesn't want or need it. Its popular mobile messaging app has spread so quickly by word of mouth that in just four years it has amassed hundreds of millions of users who collectively send as many as 18 billion messages a day. WhatsApp belongs to a new generation of messaging services that are revolutionizing 20-year-old text messaging technology and escalating the mobile messaging wars.
BUSINESS
April 19, 2013 | By Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times
With cellular service in Boston jammed in the aftermath of the marathon explosions this week, many people were left scrambling for ways to let loved ones know they were safe and to search for information on family and friends. Social networks and other websites became the go-to solutions in many cases, as scores of people posted updates saying they were unharmed and offering firsthand accounts and photographs from the scene. Because the Internet wasn't affected, Boston residents used Facebook and Twitter to reach out to large numbers of people at once; they also turned to Apple Inc.'s iMessage, Skype and Google Inc.'s Voice.
BUSINESS
April 18, 2013 | By Jessica Guynn
SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Inc., which for years has dominated online advertising sales on personal computers, is showing signs that it's figuring out how to make money on mobile devices, too. Google's first-quarter profit jumped 16% as the Internet giant saw strong revenue growth in its advertising business. Marketers have begun to pay more for ads that Google places on smartphones and tablets, the results suggest. Google has been hounded by concerns over slowing ad revenue growth on desktops as more and more people turn to smartphones and tablets to access the Web. The prices paid for clicks was down about 4%. The average fee that Google gets for ads that run alongside search results, known as cost per click, has fallen compared with the previous year for five straight quarters.
BUSINESS
April 18, 2013 | By Salvador Rodriguez
LinkedIn wants to give its mobile app a spark, and the social network is doing so by simplifying and customizing it to individually fit each of its users. The business-focused social network rolled out the major app update late Wednesday night. The updated app features an overhauled design and minimized build that's intended to let users access as many features as possible with as few finger taps as necessary. "We designed with one key core principle in mind: having all the stuff you care about one tap away from you," said Tomer Cohen, a LinkedIn senior product manager and mobile phone lead.
BUSINESS
April 18, 2013 | By Jessica Guynn
SAN FRANCISCO -- Make no mistake about it, Larry Page has his sights set on the future. The Google co-founder and chief executive discussed his company's big bets such as YouTube, Android and Chrome, but focused on more speculative bets such as Google Glass and Google Fiber during a conference call with analysts to discuss first-quarter financial results. "Companies tend to get comfortable doing what they've always done, with only a few minor tweaks. It's only natural to work on the things you know," Page said.
BUSINESS
April 18, 2013 | By Salvador Rodriguez
The first buyers of Google Glass are starting to get the smartglasses in the mail, letting them shoot hands-free video, pull up GPS directions in the corner of their eye and even hold video chats with their friends while they walk. But they won't be allowed to let anyone else enjoy the device and its features. In its terms of service for the early "Explorer Edition" of the device, Google says it has the right to deactivate any device if it has been sold or lent to someone else.