THE PURCHASE: CNN has acquired Zite. It’s an iPad service that learns about readers’ tastes and customizes a digital magazine with stories from hundreds of different websites.
WHAT’S CHANGING: CNN isn’t changing Zite’s format, though it may use the technology to customize its news on the iPad and other mobile devices.
COMPETITION: It has been overshadowed so far by Flipboard, another iPad magazine that customizes editions by analyzing the links shared within readers’ networks on Facebook and Twitter. Yahoo Inc. also is trying to personalize the news for tablet computers with a service to be ready by year’s end.
