Yelp Receives Bad Reviews for 2017 Guidance
Shares of Yelp Inc. (NYSE: YELP) were down 13.1% in afternoon trading on Friday and are slightly down in early morning trading today. Why the 1-Star review for the local business review specialist? They released strong fourth-quarter 2016 results but followed with disappointing guidance. Yelp co-founder and CEO, Jeremy Stoppelman, called 2016 an “outstanding” year for his company, adding, “In 2017, we look forward to increasing engagement on the app, expanding transactions and broadening our sales strategy.” Stoppleman is right. Yelp, by all accounts, had a great year, but with the stock up 135% over the year the guidance wasn’t what investors hoped for and are only taking money off the table. (Source: CNBC | Motley Fool).
Verizon Is Unlimited
Verizon has unveiled their new unlimited data, talk, and text plan. The plan begins at $80/month for the first line and $45/month for lines after that. It is the last of all the leading phone companies to offer unlimited data. Verizon is maintaining all their current plans and offering additional unlimited plans. Unlike Sprint and T-Mobile, Verizon’s plans will include high definition streaming and have upgraded their network to handle the incoming data traffic. Can you hear me now, oh wait, that pitch guy went to Sprint (more here on that). (Source: CNET)
Cassie Bipedal Robot
Agility Robotics unveiled a bipedal robot called Cassie this week. Cassie was built using a 16-month, $1million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Cassie’s design mimics an animal’s morphology and behavior. Cassie can squat, stand, balance and even take a fall like a champ. This bot will one day be able to assist soldiers, offer emergency services, deliver food, and more. To learn more about Cassie watch this video. For all you Alexa parents out there, the name Cassie is now off the table. (Source: Mashable)
