Yahoo Buys E-Mail Search Startup

Yahoo Inc. continues its recent buying spree of e-mail startups with the acquisition of Stata Laboratories Inc.

Yahoo confirmed on Thursday that it had bought Stata Labs, the maker of search-based e-mail client Bloomba. Terms of the acquisition, completed on Wednesday, were not disclosed.

Stata Labs, based in San Mateo, Calif., released a new version of Bloomba in June in which it added more advanced calendaring and contact features and billed itself as a replacement for Microsoft Outlook. The company also sold spam-blocking software called SAproxy Pro.

Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako said Yahoo decided to buy Stata Labs for its “exceptional technological expertise.”

Stata Labs executives, including its founder Raymie Stata, were not available for comment, and inquiries were directed to Yahoo.

The Stata Labs purchase follows Yahoos acquisition in July of e-mail startup Oddpost Inc. San Francisco-based Oddpost had developed a Web-based e-mail service with an integrated RSS reader as well as an interface that mimicked actions common to desktop clients.

Yahoo has said that it is working to combine Oddposts technology across its properties, including in its Yahoo Mail service. But its plans for Stata Labs, which has focused on desktop applications, appear to differ.

“While we will evaluate opportunities to leverage Stata Labs across Yahoo, we have no immediate plans to integrate Stata Labs with Yahoo Mail,” Osako told eWEEK.com.

/zimages/2/28571.gifClick hereto read an eWEEK Labs review of Bloomba.

In a note to customers, Stata Labs said it has stopped selling its products and would refund customers for purchases of software made in the past 30 days. It will continue to support existing customers for one year from the date of purchase, the company said.

Stata Labs also said that there were no plans for Yahoo to sell Bloomba or SAproxy Pro or to offer upgrades of the software.

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