(FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 5/27/15)
Vox Media to Buy
Re/code Site
Vox Media said Tuesday it is acquiring Revere Digital, parent
company of the technology news website and conference business
Re/code.
Re/code will continue as its own entity under the Vox Media
umbrella, which encompasses seven other news sites that focus on
areas such as political news, sports, fashion, food and real
estate.
Vox Media said Re/code's coverage will complement The Verge, its
existing technology site. Vox also said it would focus on growing
Re/code's conference business.
"Vox Media has built some of the leading media brands of the
digital generation by empowering the most talented voices -- from
our beginnings as a network of sports bloggers at SB Nation,
through the launches of The Verge, Polygon and Vox.com, as well as
our successful integration of Eater, Curbed and Racked," said Jim
Bankoff, Vox's chief executive. He said the Re/code team embodies
"this same exceptional digital-first approach to journalism."
In a note to readers, Re/code founders Walt Mossberg and Kara
Swisher said the sale was "the next big step in our mission to
bring you quality tech journalism, because our work will now be
amplified and enhanced by Vox Media's deep and broad skill
set."
The companies didn't disclose terms of the deal. A person
familiar with the situation said it was an all-stock
transaction.
-- Lukas I. Alpert
Workday Shares Slide
On Larger Loss
Workday Inc., which provides cloud software for human resources
and finance, continued its pattern of strong revenue growth in the
April quarter, but its loss widened thanks to higher costs.
Shares fell 4.9% to $87.95 after hours.
The company has branched out from its original human-resource
service to recruiting, accounting, time tracking and purchasing. In
November, it announced new data analytics features including
predictive tools, helping companies gauge things like which
employees merit promotions or customers at risk of not paying their
bills.
For the quarter ended April 30, the company posted a loss of
$61.6 million, compared with a loss of $59.4 million a year
earlier.
Revenue rose 57% to $251 million. The company projected revenue
of $242 million to $245 million. Total costs and expenses increased
to $304.4 million from $211.8 million.
For the current quarter, Workday expects revenue of $270 million
to $274 million, while analysts polled by Thomson Reuters project
$272 million.
-- Josh Beckerman
Cortana Is Headed
To iPhones, Android
Microsoft Corp.'s quest to be a meaningful part of your mobile
life continues.
On Tuesday, the company said that Cortana, its smart personal
assistant for Windows 10 PCs and Windows phones, will be arriving
on Android phones at the end of June, hitting iPhones later this
year.
Cortana's arrival is part of a larger cross-platform mobile
strategy centered around the newly announced Phone Companion app
for iOS and Android, which will help users configure their phones
to work (and play) well with their Windows 10 computer.
The Cortana app will enable users to do most of what the
spirited assistant can do on a Windows computer or phone, including
track a flight, prompt you to leave for your next meeting based on
traffic conditions, even remind you to pick up gluten-free pasta
when you are at the supermarket. Similar to the Windows phone app,
you'll be able to specify what information the assistant can access
in Cortana's Notebook.
There are things the iPhone or Android versions of Cortana won't
be able to do, including access third-party apps and respond to
just the verbal "Hey Cortana," but once you've launched the app,
for all intents and purposes, you still get her smarts and
talents.
This passionate commitment to Android and iOS raises the
question: Why would I ever get a Windows phone now?
Windows 10 for phones, available later this year, will offer
unique features such as Continuum, which turns the phone into a PC
when hooked up to a monitor or docking station. Microsoft hopes to
bolster the platform by giving it the ability to run apps
originally created for iOS or Android.
But the release of Cortana on iOS and Android is an
acknowledgment that Windows phones will likely never be chosen by a
significant chunk of even the most die-hard Windows users.
As long as you're using Microsoft's apps and software instead of
Google's or Apple's, especially on that new Windows 10 PC you plan
to buy later this summer, then Microsoft may not even mind.
-- Joann Stern
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