by Richard Nieva, CNET (Excerpt)

When Marissa Mayer became CEO of Yahoo three years ago, the former Google executive staked her reputation on one thing: bringing Yahoo, an ailing pioneer of the early Internet, into the smartphone age.

To that end, Mayer made one of her biggest moves just over a week ago, unveiling a mobile app called Livetext, a video-chatting service aimed at teens. It’s only the second brand-new mobile app the company has introduced during her tenure.

If Livetext is Yahoo’s play to win over young people, then their reaction is key. I decided to check personally with two of them: my nieces, ages 18 and 19. Both of them are avid Instagrammers and Snapchatters.

Analysts have taken a wait-and-see approach. “This could earn a place with teens,” said Brian Solis, a principal analyst at the research firm Altimeter Group. “It’s certainly clever, and we live in a world where cleverness is a commodity.”