17 July 2018 - Last Day For Yahoo Messenger!

The end has come for pioneer instant messaging app Yahoo Messenger. Verizon subsidiary Oath announced it is planning to shut down the messenger on July 17 – and is now redirecting users to its brand new group messaging app Squirrel.

“We know we have many loyal fans who have used Yahoo Messenger since its beginning as one of the first chat apps of its kind,” the statement reads. “As the communications landscape continues to change over, we’re focusing on building and introducing new, exciting communications tools that better fit consumer needs.”

In place, the company is encouraging users to sign up for Squirrel, which the company has been quietly beta-testing since May. Squirrel is currently invite-only, but hopefully the app will be open to the public by the time Yahoo Messenger gets shuttered.

Meanwhile, those interested in early access to Squirrel can sign up for an invite code by following the instructions on the app’s official website.

The announcement further notes that users will have six months to download their chat history from Yahoo Messenger; you can find more about this here. While users can download the data to your device, it appears that porting the history to another app won’t be an option.

Pulling the plug on Yahoo Messenger seems like a logical move in light of recent events. Shortly after acquiring Yahoo in 2016, Verizon revealed it is setting up a new division – now known as Oath – to consolidate the company with AOL. Today’s announcement follows the decision to kill off AIM, AOL’s messenger equivalent, in October 2017.

Resource Url: https://thenextweb.com/apps/2018/06/08/yahoo-messenger-dead-squirrel/

Amazon To Block Australians On Using USA store After New GST

Amazon won't ship overseas merchandise to Australian customers once new GST rules that focus on international retailers inherit impact in Gregorian calendar month.

Amazon’s new rule, proclaimed on Th, can stop Australians from shopping for from the Amazon United States store – or any international Amazon stores – which regularly have cheaper merchandise and a bigger vary compared with the Australian Amazon store.

From one Gregorian calendar month this year, Australian customers WHO visit a world Amazon store are going to be redirected to the Australian website, that has been running since late last year.

The move may be a response to a brand new GST policy that may apply ten tax to any or all overseas purchases beneath $1,000 proclaimed by the Turnbull government last year in an exceedingly bid to “level the enjoying field” between Australian and overseas retailers.

At the time, Amazon criticised the policy for being unfair.

Although it supports the new GST decree principle, it argues that delivery firms corresponding to Australia Post ought to be created to gather the tax, not the stores.

“We have had to assess the workability of the legislation as a world business with multiple international sites,” associate Amazon spokesperson same on Th. “From one Gregorian calendar month we'll be redirecting Australian customers from our international Amazon sites to amazon.com.au.”

Some international merchandise can still be accessible to Australians on a brand new platform known as the worldwide store, however the vary are going to be abundant smaller. the worldwide store presently has 4m things, compared with roughly 500m on the total yankee store.

Amazon’s ban applies to any or all shipments to Australian addresses, which implies that even customers with VPNs (virtual non-public networks) that hide their location are going to be ready to access a world website however not be ready to ship their merchandise home.

If they need international merchandise, Australians can have to be compelled to send their purchase to a far off address and organize for it to be forwarded.

Since its launch in Gregorian calendar month 2017, Australia’s Amazon store has not had the immediate impact that several foreseen. Initial costs were criticised for being so much too high compared with native competitors and international Amazon sites.

In Feb native retailers corresponding to JB Hi-Fi announce record profits, voice communication Amazon had nonetheless to supply serious competition within the trade.

An analyst, Kim Do, same Amazon’s underwhelming launch was thanks to associate undeveloped offer chain. the worldwide big has just one distribution centre, in Dandenong in Melbourne, however has proclaimed a second warehouse are going to be in-built state capital later this year.

A voice from competition eBay same the rival on-line store wouldn't block Australian customers, nor send them.

He same the corporate was functioning on an answer for one Gregorian calendar month that may “enable Aussies to still look from all eBay sites, whereas additionally capturing the desired GST”.

Labor MP Andrew Leigh same Amazon’s ban was “an utter embarrassment” for the money dealer, Scott Morrison. Like Amazon, the opposition supports the overall principle however takes issue with the government’s model.

“Less getting alternative suggests that higher costs for Australian shoppers at a time once they area unit scuffling with record low wages growth and price of living pressures,” Leigh same.

However, Morrison hit back at criticism in an exceedingly statement, voice communication it had been a problem of fairness.

“The government doesn’t apologise for guaranteeing multinationals pay a good quantity of tax here in Australia,” he said. “That government revenue is employed to fund essential services.”