Ceiling Cam

Product Pulse – October 3, 2008

Posted October 3rd, 2008 at 5:07 pm by Nicki Dugan, Blog Editor

Number of Comments 3 Comments / Filed in: Product Pulse

Bless the pocket protector — it’s National Techies Day! A time to thank your favorite geeks for everything they do for you — whether it’s ridding your laptop of foul vectors, building super cool products you couldn’t live without, or helping you find the “any” key. You’d be staring at the blue screen of death without them. Here’s what our beloved nerds contributed to the world this week:

  • Searching for a president: With just 32 days to go until the next POTUS is decided, there’s no time to mess around. That’s why Yahoo! Search has launched a series of elections shortcuts. Want the latest on a particular candidate? Type in “Obama” or “McCain” and you’ll find links to the latest news, videos, photos, discussions, and poll results. Or type in “presidential election” for general updates as well as a link to register to vote. Curious about the contest from a state’s perspective? Type in “Iowa presidential election” and get the latest headlines and polling info for that state. More here.
  • Mad dash to the finish line: Speaking of election polls and whatnot, Yahoo! News just updated its political dashboard. Just in time for the election’s home stretch, you can now see how the average poll numbers have trended over time, on a national and state-by-state basis. How has Obama fared in Ohio to date? Is McCain tracking up or down in Florida? Check it out and see if this race will be a photo finish.
  • Cut to the chase: If there’s one thing we can thank the Internet for, it’s a short attention span. That’s why the new Yahoo! News beta, launched as an opt-in today, gives you just the first five paragraphs of a news story. Want more? It’s just a click away, although most people seem to drive on — proving the value of the news pyramid. (NB: If you’re a newshound getting your fix via news.yahoo.com, you’ll always get the full article.) You’ll also find relevant links to other stories and videos much higher on the page. And Yahoo! News is getting more and more open, providing links to outside sources like local newspapers, other news providers and bloggers through the Buzztracker tool. Was that short enough for you?
  • Flickr’s mobile makeover: Attention iPhone-toting photographers: The new and improved mobile Flickr site (http://m.flickr.com) is now especially gorgeous for you too-cool-for-skool types. The site’s been refreshed with clearer navigation controls and puts your recent activity front and center. You can also browse sets more efficiently, thanks to arrow-topped thumbnails that help you move back and forth between photos. Trust me — it’s worth making room to your home screen.

Subscribe to the RSS feed (or add it to My Yahoo!) to get this Product Pulse every week.

Tagged: , , , ,

Rate: 1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (Average: 4.23 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

Post a commentPost a Comment Bookmark ThisBookmark This Digg ThisDigg This

3 Comments Add your own

Comment pankaj | October 3rd, 2008 at 8:32 pm

I am so happy about flickr’s mobile makeover. Awesome!! Being a pro user, i have been waiting for this to happen for a long time. Thanks for making the website a great place on my iPhone. There can be still some more features added like slide shows but its a great start. Thanks Yahoo Flickr.

Comment niqh | October 7th, 2008 at 4:22 am

Using BOSS can someone please create a search engine around media ads. Ex: I see a television ad and then search for the same at BOSS, then i get everything related to the ad like actors, media company, company and other products they have, past ads, related ads.

Comment Bernard Ryan | October 29th, 2008 at 7:26 pm

About your political dashboard: interesting of note is how the poll numbers change and yet only next to McCain’s percentage do you insert a “down arrow” and the percentage down. Evidently this is there to indicate that McCain’s percentage has fallen. Yet so has Obama’s, who according to your poll was at one point above 50%. Why then no red “down arrow” next to Obama’s current %?

No wonder Yahoo is down the tubes. Your news editors are still popping zits and don’t know the first thing about objectivity in journalism.

I’m so over Yahoo. Goodbye.

Post a Comment:

Notes: Please note that Yahoo! may, in our sole discretion, reject comments for any reason we deem appropriate. Links of value to readers are welcome, but please use them sparingly - wield spam and you're banished forever.

This is a moderated site and comments will appear if and when they are approved. We will review the queue several times daily, so please don't resubmit if your comment doesn't appear immediately.

Greatest Hits

The stuff you dug the most

Getting our house in order
February 26, 2009

Backstage at our homepage
November 25, 2008

And now we dance
August 4, 2008

There’s no winning the Yahoo! lottery
July 8, 2007

Yahoo! Cycling TeamCarol and KaraYahoo! Kimo Wretch Fun Party (Taiwan)Yahoo! Kimo Wretch Fun Party (Taiwan)Yahoo! Kimo Fun Party (Wretch in Taiwan)Yahoo! Kimo Wretch Fun Party

View Yahoo! on Flickr

Recent Readers: Provided by MyBlogLog

About Yodel Anecdotal

A look inside the big purple house of Yahoo!, where we'll provide insights into our company, our people, our culture, and the things we think about in the shower. Learn more.

Write to Us

Have a great story to tell about how you've used Yahoo!? Or have a story you'd like us to tell? Drop us a line.

Comment Policy

Give us your $.02. We encourage your comments, quibbles, questions, and suggestions. But please mind your manners. You know the drill... stay on topic, be respectful, and avoid spam, profanity, or anything that violates our Terms of Service.
Learn more about our comment policy.

Shameless Self-Promotion

The Latest News From Yahoo!
Company Info
Become a Yahoo
Yahoo! For Good
All Yahoo! Services