Ok, for today’s post I wanted to mix things up a bit and take a break from our Digital Home Products.  Just down the hall from us are a few of our colleagues who work on desktop Widgets. 

I decided to talk to them about what they’re up to in the wonderful world of Widgets.  I think you’ll appreciate what they had to say.

In their own words……

 ”Yahoo! Widgets help you save time and stay current by bringing an always-updated, at-a-glance view of your favorite Internet services right to your desktop.

Almost all Yahoo! Widgets were dreamed up, designed, and built by members of our bustling developer community. Authors range from professional software designers and developers, to hobbyists, and from major media outlets, to Madison Avenue ad agencies. If there’s a Widget or have feedback for, find that Widget in the Gallery and make sure to leave a comment for the author. “

If you want to learn more or even start building your own Widget, visit the Widget’s site at http://widgets.yahoo.com . Personally I am a huge fan of the Flickr Widget.

Have a good weekend!

-The Digital Home Guru

There are two great ways you can get to Yahoo! on your Wii.

Go to the Internet channel and select Search and type in Yahoo! or go to favorites and click on the Yahoo! logo.  From there, you can access the Yahoo! homepage.

This ability is especially useful if you want to look up additional gaming tips, find a local restaurant or have the urge to visit any of your favorite Yahoo! sites.  So pick up your remote and start surfing away!

Here’s a quick product tip for the week. 

If you want to access more original Web video content on your Sony Bravia Internet Vieo Link (Bivl) click on Options on your television remote control. Then select the category that you are interested in.

On the BIVL you will have access to various categories including sports, cooking shows, news clips, original videos from Yahoo! Video Search and more.

The great thing is that the video in these categories is constantly updated.  One of the shows I like to watch is SNAP, which provides tips on how enhancing your digitral photo taking skills.

My summer marketing internship with Yahoo! Digital Home is coming to an end and I’d like to share this great experience with you.

Yahoo! Digital Home is at the forefront of the interactive TV industry and it’s been amazing to be a part of it. The team is creative, intelligent and passionate and I’ve learned so much from them over the last three months.

Although I was new to marketing and the interactive TV category, I was immediately welcomed to the team and entrusted to market the innovative Yahoo! Sports for TV application. I was empowered to develop a comprehensive marketing plan and worked closely with other Yahoo! properties to execute marketing campaigns. Along the way, I met a lot of wonderful people who went out of their way to help me. I’m happy to say that I was able to successfully execute several campaigns and saw a significant increase in our product user base.

My favorite campaign was creating the Sports for TV demo video. It was a fun and collaborative project and I learned a lot from it. I worked with the Yodel Anecdotal team to produce the video, which starred some of our very own Yahoos. I was involved in every step of the production process, from creating the story board to sitting in the editing room, and I was really happy with our cool end product.

To sum it up, I had an awesome internship. I met a lot of great people and it’s been challenging, fun and extremely rewarding. The tons of food, drinks and intern events didn’t hurt either J Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way – I couldn’t have done it without you!

Sandy
Product Marketing Intern
Columbia Business School
MBA 2008

In what resembled a sold-out rock concert at Yahoo’s! Sunnyvale campus, the Yahoo! Digital Home team showed the latest gadgets and services in development. There were three demos in total, one of which was a sneak peek at what the plans are for next year.

As I chomped down on my free Coldstone Ice Cream I visited the various lounges for demonstrations of current products. The Digital Home team showed My Channel, Yahoo! Sports for TV and more (Please refer to other entries for other Digital Home Products).

At the end of the event, the group raffled off a Nintendo Wii gaming console (which actually has Yahoo! on it as well, but I’ll write about that later). The lucky winner was….not me.

However, I did manage to get a snapshot of the Yahoo! Digital Home Team before I left. Enjoy!

-The Digital Home Guru

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wanted to program my own television channel. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a product that would allow me to select the subjects I want to see and click to the TV shows that I want?

Yahoo! My Channel is one of the first products that takes us a step closer to making this a reality. Yahoo! My Channel is currently on MCE (Windows Media Center Edition).  After playing around with it for a little while,  I have to admit I was hooked.

Here is how it works.

When you first login to the application with your Yahoo! ID you can select which categories that interest you. For example you can watch documentaries, news clips — even the latest movie trailers.

Yes, I am a video nut, but the application offers other cool features, as well, including the ability to get a personal stock ticker and favorite sports scores on a scroll bar at the bottom of the screen.

Pretty cool for your first customized channel.

-The Digital Home Guru

Ok, not quite.  But later this year our Digital Home Site will have a brand new look. In the meantime, feel free to look at our temporary home.

Go into one of the leading elextronics stores these days, and you’ll see Yahoo! content on Sony Bravia teleivsion sets. How cool is that?

Yesterday, the Digital Home Guru had the chance to talk to Ed, product marketig manager for Yahoo! Digital Home, about what Yahoo! is doing with Sony.

Digital Home Guru: Ed, it’s good to see you. So what’s going on with Yahoo! and Sony?

Ed: Hey, Guru.  It’s good to see you too. I’m more than happy to talk to you about this exciting initiative. Yahoo! is Sony’s premier partner on one of the industry’s first IP connected TVs. We’re providing original Yahoo! Internet video content and some of the most popular Yahoo! information like news, weather, and traffic.

Digital Home Guru: Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Did you say Internet connected TVs? Are you saying that I just plug my ethernet cable into a Sony television set and I’m up and running?

Ed: Not quite. The connection is a separate device–the Sony Bravia Internet Video link (BIVL).  You attache it to your Sony Bravia TV.  There are 37 models available!  Turn on your TV, and you’ll have access to the great Yahoo! content.

Digital Home Guru: Cool, but how much does this all cost?

Ed: The Sony BIVL, costs $299, but there is no monthly fee. I know, you’re probably thinking “$299!”. But keep in mind that’s there’s no monthly fee, and the content on the device is constantly updated. So you get a wide variety of Yahoo! videos—-more than 2,300 clips to be exact.

Digital Home Guru: Ok. I’m almost sold.  But what’s this about the news, weather and traffic?

Ed: I’m glad you asked. In addition to the Internet video, Yahoo! delivers news clips, weather, and traffic content to My Page. My Page is a channel on the BIVL that lets you get up-to-date local information with a click of your remote control. This feature is especially convenient if you’re in a rush to check out the latest traffic or weather, so you know what to expect -and what to wear!

Digital Home Guru: Alright, one last question, because I know you need to go. What else can we expect from the Digital Home Team?

Ed: (Laughs) I had a feeling you’d ask that question. Let’s just say that we’ve got a lot going on.

Digital Home Guru: Well, it sounds like I’ll have to keep on coming back to the Yahoo! Digital Home blog for updates. Ed, it was nice catching up with you.