Verizon is buying Yahoo for US$4.83 billion, marking the end of an era for an independent company that once defined the internet.

It is the second time in as many years that Verizon, extending its digital reach, has snapped up the remnants of a fallen internet star. The nation’s largest wireless carrier paid US$4.4 billion for AOL last year.

Farewell to VCRs

The clunky video cassette recorder (VCR) is going the way of floppy disks, eight-track tapes and camera film as the world’s last manufacturer —Japan’s Funai Electric — ends production this month of the once-booming, home-video technology.

Demand appears largely driven by consumers who have large videotape collections that must still be played on VCRs. A Gallup poll several years ago found that 58 per cent of Americans still had one in their home.

Facebook Messenger hits one billion users

Facebook last week said the number of users of its Messenger application had topped one billion, a key milestone as it seeks to expand the platform to new services. The growth in Messenger gives greater reach to Facebook, which is moving to create a “family” of applications beyond the social network.