Yahoo Acquires Incredible Labs, Plans To Shut Down Personal Assistant App Donna
by Brent Dirks
January 30, 2014
Goodbye, Donna. We hardly knew you.
Yahoo has confirmed its acquisition of developer Incredible Labs, the team behind the interesting and unique personal assistant app Donna. And unfortunately, as part of the deal, Donna will soon be pulled from the App Store and shut down.
TechCrunch first reported the news and published a statement from Yahoo:
We have reached an agreement to acquire Incredible Labs, the team behind personal assistant app, Donna. In case you haven’t heard of her, Donna’s pretty amazing – she has an immense amount of intellect, she keeps you on time and gives you the information you need, when you need it. For her clients, she’s the ultimate daily habit. When we met with the team from Incredible Labs, it was an immediate fit. As we look to the future, our visions are aligned in that we think technology should be smart enough to think for us. Five team members will join the Communications team in Sunnyvale at deal close, where they will work on Yahoo Mail. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the next few days.Donna only survived for a little less than a year. Originally landing in the App Store last summer, we called the title promising and a capable rival to Apple’s own Siri. Named after assistants from TV series “Suits” and “The West Wing,” the app was designed to give users pertinent information when they needed it. For example, if you have a meeting to attend, Donna will let you know when to leave and directions to the destination. You can read our original review here. Version 2.0 arrived in November and featured an iOS 7 compatible design and a number of other enhancements. For other app news today, see: Evernote Update Brings Customization Options And More, See Your Calendar At A Glance With Peek's Clear-Like Gesture-Based Interface, and Facebook Announces Paper, A News Curation App Powered By Your News Feed.
