Yahoo acquires Snapchat-style messaging app Blink, though it’ll close it in coming weeks

By Trevor Mogg May 14, 2014

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Yahoo is continuing with its push into mobile with the acquisition of messaging app Blink. The move has been made to snag the developer talent behind the software, with the seven-member team on Tuesday announcing that the Snapchat-style app will be closed in the coming weeks.

Blink is the work of Meh Labs, a start-up created by two former Google employees, Kevin Stephens and Michelle Norgan. The cross-platform app allows users to send texts and media files to friends, though the messages are only viewable for a certain amount of time before ‘self-destructing’.

In a post announcing Yahoo’s buyout, the pair said they were looking forward to “the possibilities that will come from bringing the Blink vision to Yahoo.”

Yahoo has been in the process of acquiring start-ups ever since Marissa Mayer took the reins in July 2012, with the company having snapped up around 40 so far. The CEO sees mobile and the ad revenue it generates as key to getting the company back on its feet following a torrid few years prior to her arrival.

Most of the acquisitions have been for the talent and technology behind the products, with Mayer giving incoming hires the opportunity to work on new or existing mobile software at the Sunnyvale, California company.

Yahoo isn’t the only major Internet company to get its hands on apps in the messaging space in recent times. Facebook put down a colossal $19 billion for WhatsApp back in February, while the social networking giant apparently also offered several billion dollars for Snapchat in 2013. The offer was declined.

The terms of the Yahoo-Blink deal haven’t been disclosed.

Editors' Recommendations

WhatsApp beta suggests disappearing messages are coming

Topics

Social Media

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Mobile

Nomi is one of the most unsettling (and amazing) apps I’ve ever used

“Welp, just got back from the doctor. Marissa is pregnant with twins” “Owen did something bad and then gave me flowers.” “Zoey with our new daughter Zara.” “I am in love, but also feel guilty.”

These are some of the conversations shared by human users on Reddit. The people described, however, are not real. The statements are about robotic companions created in an app. Everything here sounds perversely disturbing and amazingly dystopian, yet experts have a different opinion.

Mobile

Best Verizon Fios new customer deals: Get 2GB/s internet in your home

Fios TV Package

Whether you surf the web for work or you subscribe to one of the best live TV streaming services, the experience can be made better with blazing fast internet. Fiber optic internet service is the future, and with Verizon Fios you can get some of the fastest internet service around. This service would pair well with any of the best TVs and home theater setups, but it’s also something to consider if you're into online gamine or do work that requires large file uploads and downloads. We’re currently seeing some of the lowest prices on Fios home internet service we’ve ever seen, with Verizon putting some super impressive deals out there. We’ve rounded up all of the best Verizon Fios deals available right now, and they include low monthly costs, waived setup charges, and a number of freebies like Target gift cards.
2 Gigabit Verizon Fios connection -- $85 per month + free extras
One of the fastest internet speeds you can get, and the fastest speed that Verizon offers, this is the sort of subscription you should grab if all the members of your family are essentially watching 4k content all the time. It's also great for those who want to host their own media server to share with friends or family while not impacting anybody else in the home. You also get a lot of great freebies included here, such as the choice of either a $300 Target gift card or a $350 value Samsung Chromebook Go, which is admittedly an entry-level device, but it's not bad to use for just streaming content. On top of that, you can choose between 2TB of Verizon cloud storage and 12 months of Disney+ with no ads or a MoCA Ethernet Adapter for gaming and a $50 Xbox eGift Card. You could also get both of these if you add an extra $10/month, although it's probably not worth it at that point.

1 Gigabit Verizon Fios connection -- $65 per month + free extras
If the super-fast speeds aren't necessarily needed, especially if you're in a smaller household without too many folks watching content, then the 1 Gigabit version is the way to go. It is $20 cheaper, so it's a lot of money that you're saving over the course of the year, and you still get quite a few extra benefits, even at this level. You get to choose either a $200 Target gift card or the same sort of Samsung Chromebook Go that's worth $350 that's great for streaming content. You also get a similar choice as the 2 Gigabit connection, which includes either 2TB of Verizon cloud storage and six months of Disney+ without ads, or a MoCA Ethernet Adapter for gaming and a $50 Xbox eGift Card.

Mobile

Best prepaid phone deals: Android, iPhone, flip phone

episode 209 https cdn cnn com cnnnext dam assets 190910135448 20190910 apple event iphone 11 02

Buying some of the best phones on the market can be expensive, especially if you don't really need anything that fancy. Of course, you could always take advantage of some great phone deals, but even those can sometimes cost hundreds of dollars, and that's not even taking into account the cost of the plan you're locked into. As such, prepaid phones are a great alternative since you can get cheap phones at a very budget-friendly price while not locking yourself in a particular plan.

There are, of course, some downsides, and we do go into that a bit at the end, but in the meantime, we've collected our favorite prepaid phone deals below. While these aren't the best phones you can get, quite a few of them come from the best Android phone brands out there.
Straight Talk Samsung Galaxy A03s -- $40, was $60