Yahoo's summer shopping spree has claimed another company. This time it's former social browser turned Flipboard clone, Rockmelt.
Maybe you remember Rockmelt. OK, you probably don't. Here's the skinny.
In 2010, it seemed like a good idea to create a desktop social media browser. Rockmelt soon found out that it was not a good idea. Like the other social media browser Flock, it failed to unseat your default browser with all its whiz-bang social features.
Then in 2012, the company pivoted toward mobile browsers that resembled Flipboard and Pinterest. The idea was that the touchscreen interface of your tablet and smartphone would be the perfect match for browsing social media posts with lots of images. Individual stories, photos and other items were presented as tiles. But, this still meant that folks would have to use something other than their default browser or favorite social app. Like the desktop browser, it never really took off.
In April 2013, Rockmelt returned to the desktop. But, instead of building yet another client, Rockmelt created a website that resembled Flipboard. The newly launched site pulled in feeds from your social networks, gathering items around subjects related to your interests and displaying them as tiles. It resembled the mobile apps the company had released the year before. Unfortunately, like the previous products, it never reached mass acceptance.
You may have noticed a pattern here.
But, even though Rockmelt's products never really hit the level of acceptance the company had hoped for, it seems that the technology behind those apps and web-based experiences got the attention of Yahoo. According to All Things D, Yahoo paid $60 to $70 million for the technology that powers Rockmelt and will scrap the browser (also, read Ryan Tate's report here on WIRED).
The Rockmelt app has already been pulled from the iTunes App Store and the Rockmelt site says it's no longer accepting new sign-ups. So you probably won't hear the name Rockmelt much in the future, but you may see some new features coming out of Yahoo. You know, once Marissa puts the checkbook down.
