Wait and see
Yahoo! is believed to be planning to develop a publishing platform for apps that would give users access to personalised content on their mobiles in a bid to make some money.
Yahoo's chief exec Carol Bartz is expected to announce the plans at Mobile World Congress according to sources speaking to The New York Times.
The Yahoo platform will apparently pick up on a user's preferences, social media, search items and other sources to give them the most relevant content. It is expected to be available via Yahoo's site and designed to work on tablets and smartphones.
Sources told the newspaper that a team of around 50 engineers have been working on the project known as Deadeye for the last few months and that Yahoo intends to work with external publishers to create 3rd party apps powered by the software engine.
Of course Yahoo is not completely new to personalised content and Ben Schachter, an analyst with Macquarie Capital reportedly noted that the firm's home page already lets users add favourite links, apps, meddle with layout and receive content based on their activity.
Yahoo also naturally wants to jump on the tablet bandwagon as more users are adopting and spending time on slates and smartphones.
Bartz, who is charged with reversing the company's fortunes, had reportedly told investors at Yahoo's last earnings report event that it was working on a new wave of mobile apps and focusing on reaching users "no matter what device or operating system they're on."
Aggarwal Sandeep, a Caris & Company analyst told the newspaper: "If Yahoo wants to be a key, global player, it needs to have a compelling mobile strategy. In our view, in the next three to five years, mobile activity will grow three to four times faster than PC-based internet activity."
However, Yahoo is still struggling to show it is relevant, as its unique users a month are reportedly falling (although Yahoo still attracts some 600m unique monthly visitors) while layoffs and a 12 percent decline in revenue are also no doubt affecting perception of the once mighty web-player.
Sandeep reportedly added: "We're glad to see that Yahoo views mobile as a priority, but Yahoo is still losing its audience, it's unclear how they will reignite interest."
