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Yahoo unveils silent video chat app

AFP - July 29, 2015

Yahoo unveils Livetext, a new messaging app that lets people communicate through
video, but without audio.

NEW YORK (AFP) -- On July 29, Yahoo unveiled a new mobile application allowing users
to exchange live video, text and emoticons, without audio.

"We wanted to find that new and expressive way of communicating," Yahoo senior vice
president Adam Cahan said at a New York media event for the app called Livetext.

Cahan said the Yahoo team chose to focus on video without audio to encourage people to
use the app in a variety of situations.

"We wanted to make sure there is no inhibition of answering or connecting," he said.

With audio, he said, Yahoo found that in many situations, people "are not willing to
engage."

At the event, product manager Arjun Sethi demonstrated "conversations" over smartphone
connections that showed live facial expressions accompanied by text and emoticons.

"We see video as a way to make your conversations more authentic, and we see text as a
way to connect that's quick and non-intrusive," Sethi said.

The application is being made available for Apple and Android devices in the United States,
Britain, Canada, Germany and France.

It has already been tested and is available in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Ireland.

The move comes with Yahoo aiming to refocus its business on mobile and video after
losing leadership in Web search.

The tech industry already has a number of messaging apps ranging from Facebook-owned
WhatsApp to Snapchat, which features disappearing video messages.

"Every platform shift leads to new forms of communication, driven by our desire to connect
and interact in richer ways," Cahan said in a statement

"We wanted to create a new way to communicate, blending the simplicity of texting with the
emotion and immediacy of live video, to make your experience spontaneous and real."

Sethi came to Yahoo from the mobile messaging application MessageMe, acquired by
Yahoo last year.

inhibition
self-consciousness that prevents someone from performing an action

Bob's inhibitions prevented him from trying extreme sports.

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engage
to focus on or commit to something

He wanted to engage in leadership training in order to prepare himself for a promotion.

intrusive
disturbing to the privacy of people

The reporters did not ask intrusive questions during the interview in order to respect the
politician's privacy.

shift
a change from one thing, position or place to another

The unpredictable shift in the weather made it difficult for farmers to harvest crops.

richer
more complex or meaningful

The tour gives visitors a richer experience of the city's culture.

immediacy
the quality of happening instantly

The immediacy of live reporting brings credibility to a news program.

spontaneous
done or said without much planning or thought

He is a very spontaneous comedian. He can think up jokes based on his audience and
setting.

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