Yahoo to stop user access of services with Facebook, Google IDs

The Yahoo logo is shown at the company’s headquarters in Sunnyvale, California April 16, 2013.

CREDIT: REUTERS/ROBERT GALBRAITH

(Reuters) – Yahoo Inc will stop letting consumers access its various online services, including Fantasy Sports and photo-sharing site Flickr, by signing-in with their Facebook Inc orGoogle Inc credentials.

The change, which will be rolled out gradually according to a Yahoo spokeswoman, will require users to register for a Yahoo ID in order to use any of the Internet portal’s services.

The move marks the latest change to Yahoo by Chief Executive Marissa Mayer, who is striving to spark fresh interest in the company’s Web products and to revive its stagnant revenue.

"Yahoo is continually working on improving the user experience," the company said in a statement, noting that the new process "will allow us to offer the best personalized experience to everyone".

The first Yahoo service to require the new sign-in process is Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick’Em, a service focused on the NCAA college basketball tournament which begins later this month. News of the change to Yahoo’s Tourney Pick’Em sign-in process was first reported by the technology blog Betanews.

Since Mayer took the reins in 2012, the company has rolled out new versions of many of its key products, including Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Finance. Last year, Yahoo announced a program to recycle inactive Yahoo user IDs, letting new users claim email addresses that have not been used for more than 12 months.

In eliminating the Facebook and Google sign-in features, Mayer, a former Google executive, is effectively reversing a strategy that Yahoo adopted in 2010 and 2011 under then CEO Carol Bartz.

The change to the Tourney Pick’Em sign-in process began on Monday, the Yahoo spokeswoman said, noting that users could still access other services with Google or Facebook IDs.

The sign-in buttons for Facebook and Google will eventually be removed from all Yahoo properties, the Yahoo spokeswoman, though she declined to provide a timeframe.

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Microsoft Windows 7 Training

Device and Printers

How to start "Device and Printers" via command line on Windows:

The best devices from the Mobile World Congress

The world witnessed a buzz in the mobile industry with the launch of various new phones at the largest exhibition of the mobile world, Mobile World Congress. The curtains finally fell over this exhibition on February 27. This event, held in Barcelona witnessed a huge crowd of thousands of tech geeks. While the geeks have had their share of fun and explored various new gadgets, here’s a list of the top 5 launches at the event:

Samsung S5

The much-awaited smartphone and perhaps the South Korean tech giant’s biggest launch in 2014 occurred at the MWC, 2014. Samsung launched its much awaited Galaxy S5, which was one of the biggest attractions at the event. However, it was launched without any price tag. Now, the internet is abuzz with its expected price. It is rumored to be priced less than the Galaxy S4. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is set to hit the market on April 11, 2014.

Nokia X

This cell-com giant that was once the leader of the industry, before the wash over of android has now entered the android market as well. Nokia, has come out of the Symbian and Windows operating systems with the launch ofNokia X series at this event. It comes with a built in Android OS v4.1.2 (Jellybean), but it deviates from the typical android UI to a more Windows based UI. The Nokia X, X+ and XL have been priced for 89 euros, 99 euros and 109 euros respectively. Nokia has intentionally priced these phones towards the lower end of the spectrum keeping in mind that these phones shall target the developing markets such as that of India. Considering its price, Nokia’s X series is expected to create a dent in the sales of other brands such as Samsung, HTC and Sony.

Xperia Z2

This Japanese tech firm, Sony, turned thousands of heads with its flagship gadget for the first half of 2014, Xperia Z2. The Sony Xperia Z2 is set to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 5s. It sports the same 20.7 megapixel camera found in its predecessors, the Z1 and the Z1s. The Xperia Z2 is waterproof, like the Z1 phones, with 5.2-inch screen.

LG G PRO 2

LG’s massive 5 inch beast impressed us with its fun-yet-secure Knock Code unlock feature, which lets you use screen tapping patterns to unlock it. It’s post-shot picture focusing matches the Galaxy S5 too, and it brings OIS+ and 4K video recording to the imaging table to boot.

Blackberry Z3

BlackBerry Ltd unveiled a new, cheaper touchscreen smartphone and a “classic” model with a keyboard in the hope of stemming the losses and win back a once devoted following by security-conscious business and government users.The Z3 smart phone, which is to be priced at under $200, is being built under a partnership deal with FIH Mobile Ltd – the Hong Kong-listed unit of Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn.

Modified Date: March 02, 2014 1:27 AM