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{update}  Just read a review on VentureBeat that explains this pretty well.  Still withholding judgement till I use this for a bit more.

Subject: Yahoo! Axis launches on May 23- Redefining what it means to search and browse

Hi team,

I am so excited to announce that tonight  at 9pm we will launch Yahoo! Axis! Since you are one of my most valued clients I am giving you first notification. Since this is not launching publically until tonight, we ask that you please keep this information confidential until tomorrow.

Yahoo! Axis is a new browser that redefines what it means to search and browse- enabling a seamless search experience on your iPhone, iPad, and even your desktop.  Here are some highlights of how Yahoo! Axis brings search to life in a whole new way:

·        Smarter, Faster Search with Rich Design: Get instant answers and visual previews so you can continuously discover and explore content without interruption. Never leave the page you are on to view your search results again.

·        Connected Experience: Move seamlessly across devices, picking up wherever you left off as you move across your desktop, iPhone, and iPad. Recently visited sites, searches, saved articles, and bookmarks are automatically accessible across all your devices.

·        Personal Home Page: Get direct access to your favorite sites and content across all your devices with the customizable Home Page.

Although initially there will not be paid opportunities for advertisers, we do plan to integrate this at a later time and will definitely keep you updated. However, our goal remains to grow our search base and traffic to you. We believe Axis will help accomplish this goal. It is a great opportunity to grow search volume on all devices, perhaps most importantly on phones and tablets.  The end result should be new users and greater search volume, translating into increased traffic and value for advertisers in the future.

Want to know more?

·        Visit axis.yahoo.com to watch a short video demonstrating how Axis is sure to wow, and woo, searchers. And more importantly, once there, download Axis or get the app! (After 9pm on 5/23)

This is SOOO  perfect of an example.  As you can see from the screenshot below, click on it to make it larger BTW, that this email SEEMS to come from yahoo.  However, Yahoo, or any other service would NEVER ask you for such information, especially within an email.  So here is a good general rule.  NEVER provide information to ANY service unless you know you have an account and FIRST log into that service.

As weak as the scam is; I’m sure at least 100+ people will fall for it.  Sigh….

Yahoo Muni Bus Stop

Several weeks ago I read that Yahoo was going to install 20 digital video 72-inch touch screens throughout the San Francisco downtown area as part of a limited time advertising campaign Bus Stop Derby. It wasn’t until I recently got back in town that I came across one of these at 4th and Howard.

The Bus Stop Derby pits 20 SF neighborhoods against each other. A player chooses a neighborhood, plays the games for points, and the neighborhood with the most points at the end of the promotion wins. Simple enough! The grand prize is a concert with OK Go that takes place in the neighborhood that won.

As one can see in this video, there are four games to choose from. The interface wasn’t the most intuitive or accurate I have experienced but I give it a 7 out of ten. The games offered the option for single or multi-player against those at other stops. Even though I wasn’t waiting for the bus, I did want to continue playing for my ‘hood’.

Given the fact that Muni is usually always late, I wish this wasn’t part of a limited time promotion. Well done Yahoo and the team that designed the interface and games.

Its a free app, so download it and play with it for a bit.  I plan to.