Instant Messaging
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Get strangers to deliver the bad news with 'Somebody' messaging app
If you've ever sat back, stared into the sky and wonder would happen if WhatsApp was taken over by a singing telegram service, then boy, today is your lucky day. Film director and artist Miranda July has teamed up with Prada sub-brand Miu Miu (nope, us neither) to design a social messaging app / publicity stunt with a twist. Instead of simply letting two people swap messages, Somebody (for iOS) finds a person in the nearby vicinity to your contact, asking them to walk over and deliver the message, in person, on your behalf. You can even add stage directions like crying or whispering, and the recipient can rate their delivery with a star rating in the same vein as Uber.
China wants you to use your real name on social media
Social media's reputation for usurping the political classes means that it terrifies most some world leaders. That's probably the reasoning behind China's decision to pass a law mandating that users of internet-based communication services like IMs and social media must use their real name, or else. According to the state-run Xinhua News, users will now sign up to a service like WeChat, but won't gain access until they pass a background check. A spokesperson for the State Internet Information Office (SIIO) claims that "a few people" are using online chat services to spread dissent, slanders, rumors, terrorism, violence and pornography, which they claim is harming the overall health of China's leaders online population.
Brits will send 300 billion IMs in 2014, and it's all down to sexting
The traditional lull in news during the summer seasons means that throughout August, companies pump out swathes of research that would otherwise get ignored or drowned out. Coincidentally, Deloitte is claiming that the UK population is likely to send around 300 billion electronic instant messages this year, up from 160 billion in 2013. What's the cause of this sudden near-doubling of iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger chat? Sexting. At least that's what Paul Lee, Deloitte's media and telecoms chief, believes, saying that teenagers sending winky emoticons and Snapchatting pictures of their genitals pets is the biggest contributor to the rise. According to the firm, the average person sends just seven texts, but nearly 50 IMs in a single day, and that if the trend continues, 2014 will be the first year that text messaging numbers fall compared to its free rivals. Just think, it'll be September soon, so we can all go back to reading about actual developments in the world of technology.
Snapchat now does video chat and IM, with self-destruct still included
Snapchat, the photo messaging app beloved of cheeky monkeys everywhere, has just undergone a major transformation. Self-destructing messages are still at the core of what it does, but the iOS and Android apps are being updated today to also handle instant messaging and live video chats -- just swipe to the right from the main camera screen and you'll see a list of your friends, allowing you to chat with them using these more traditional methods.
Rounds updates video chat app, lets users browse the web together (video)
Rounds is doing the rounds (natch!) this morning with a significant update to its video calling and instant messaging app. The company teamed up with Channel.me to add co-browsing to an already broad list of features. Users can now browse the web together during a video chat and see / control the same page at the same time. In terms of security, the experience mimics two people surfing the web in the same location (usernames are visible but passwords are hidden. for example). While users can enter any URL, the app also includes an icon grid of compatible sites, such as Google (for search), Wikipedia, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, Amazon and eBay -- to name a few. As a refresher, Rounds lets friends watch YouTube videos and play games together during a video chat and even apply filters and scribble over each-others live video streams. It also supports instant messaging and photo sharing and ties it all together with Facebook Login. The app is available for most Android and iOS devices but is optimized to run on phones. Hit the break for the promo video and obligatory PR.
Microsoft to retire Messenger, begins migration to Skype
We've heard plenty of rumors about Microsoft's plans for Skype. Finally the company is laying its cards on the table. After working diligently to bridge the gap between Messenger and its VoIP purchase, its aging IM platform will indeed be retired and users migrated to the more video-focused property. Redmond hopes to complete the move during the first quarter of 2013, after which Messenger will be retired everywhere except in mainland China. Users of both services will be able to merge their accounts and combine their contacts, while those with only a Microsoft account will have to transition to a Skype one. Though, rest assured, your Messenger buddy list will automatically be transferred. With the imminent death of this MSN descendant, it's clear that Microsoft is positioning Skype not just as a VoIP client, but as an all-in-one messaging solution meant to take on the likes of Google Talk, with its Voice and Hangouts features.
Pressure-sensing PC technology knows when you're busy, blocks notifications accordingly
We know better than most that when you're working to a deadline, constant pop-ups, notifications and pings can be a real pain. Our frustrations might soon become a thing of the past, however, with some help from boffins at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan. They are working on technology which monitors keyboard pressure and silences those distractions until it deems you're not busy, showing over 80 percent accuracy during volunteer testing. Understanding that quiet time is also appreciated for other tasks, they plan to use similar techniques to spot when you're staring intently at that report or -- more importantly -- attending to a beverage. It's still early days for the project, but if the stress-saving tech ever spawns a product, we'll take two please. [Image Credit: Getty Images / Jean Louis Batt]
Imo rolls out free voice calling for iOS users, hopes you'll use it to talk about free voice calling
Imo has no doubt gotten a bit of boost in the last couple of months, when Meebo finally shuttered its Messenger offering ahead of its social-boosting Google integration, and now the service is getting a bit more robust for iOS users. The instant messaging aggregator (AIM, Google Talk, Facebook chat, et al.) is bringing free voice calling to iPhones running iOS version 3.1 and higher, a feature already available on its Android offering. Interested parties can check out a press release and not particularly informative video of the new feature after the break.
Naver's Skype rival Line arrives on Windows Phone
Japanese Skype rival Line is branching out from its iPhone and Android garden to visit Windows Phone. Whilst the app will initially arrive with free calls disabled, the company has promised to rectify that issue in the near future. Still, WP7 users can enjoy all of that free messaging as soon as they've downloaded the app, available at our source link.
BBM staying exclusive to BlackBerry, says WSJ source
Been looking forward to porting your BBM addiction to iOS or Android in hopes of finally kicking that Crackberry to the curb? Take a seat -- it looks like RIM's private messaging service isn't going anywhere. According to a Wall Street Journal source, the firm's new CEO has shut down rumors of a BlackBerry Messenger port. "It was not up for discussion," the WSJ was told. According to a person "familiar with the matter," CEO Thorsten Heins decided that RIM shouldn't be pursuing licensing deals. Heins' apparent house cleaning might be a deal breaker for BlackBerry veterans looking to jump ship, requiring users to stick with RIM to maintain their dwindling BBM contact lists. Bummer? Sure is, but at least your pals don't need a security clearance to ping you.
Facebook Messenger update makes it even harder to blow people off
Your friends just don't get it. While they're still bumming around in Nikes, dorms and doomed relationships, your life has recently become more serious. That's why you sometimes need to hide from their constant, mindless barrage of messages, and also why you probably won't install the newly updated Facebook Messenger app v1.7. In line with FB's "mobile first" strategy, it debuts key new functions on iOS and Android, including instant and compulsory "seen by" read receipts as well as optional "sent from" notifications. So, in addition to knowing how aloof you've become, they'll be able to track you down and slap your face.
ICQ seeks comeback with mobile app update, new iPad version
ICQ, the resilient David Hasselhoff of instant messaging, is updating its app for Android and iOS, as well as its new Windows Phone version. The app already integrates with other platforms like Facebook, AIM and GTalk, but now it'll bring photo and location sharing too, as well as better offline functions so you can read or compose messages without a connection. There's also a new iPad version, although we're not yet sure if it's resolutionary. Either way, ICQ already boasts two million new active users since it launched on mobile platforms four months ago, so perhaps there's room for another rockstar in this post-SMS world.
WhatsApp founder says he doesn't want to hurt carriers, much
Given how much the world has already noticed that instant messaging can be cheaper than SMS, it's surprising to see the founder of WhatsApp trying to persuade carriers that he's actually doing them a favor. In an interview with Reuters, Brian Acton said that his messaging service is "facilitating a broad movement to data plans," from which carriers "stand to benefit quite substantially." While it's certainly true that smartphones and data plans make nice margins for operators, Acton's thesis also slithers around some slightly inconvenient evidence. According to analysts at Ovum, carriers lost $13.9 billion in SMS revenues last year, and are set to lose another $23 billion this year. All the while, WhatsApp's traffic is growing rapidly, with total messages doubling from one billion in October 2011 to two billion in February. With data costs falling around the world, and with platforms like WhatsApp running on lower-priced handsets (such as those running Nokia S40), it's the consumer, not the carrier, who ought to be charmed.
Facebook Messenger for Windows app now officially official
The fact that Facebook had a dedicated messaging app up its sleeve for Windows will go down as one of the worst kept secrets in the history of techdom. In fact, after the client leaked back in December, Zuck and Co. unceremoniously dumped the executable on the web, opened up the help page and did so without an ounce of fanfare. Now the program is getting a proper launch, complete with a landing page and a press release (which you'll find at the source). There's not much here to shock or surprise -- Messenger for Windows allows you to chat with your Facebook friends in a simple tabbed interface, check your news feed and delivers notifications to your desktop. Hit up the source link to download it now.
Messages Beta now available for Mac OS X Lion
If you've read our OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion preview you know that the new Messages app is one of the spiciest new additions to the OS. And, good news for you, you can try it out right now -- if you've made the jump to 10.7 Lion, that is. It's available now for download, so get to clicking.
Microsoft Lync arrives on Windows Phone and Android, other mobile OSs still waiting in the queue
Microsoft can't release apps quick enough. Bolstering the cross-platform likes of SkyDrive, OneNote and Kinectimals, its Lync app is the latest addition to the app roster. The corporate communication app ties together instant messaging, audio conferencing and VoIP calls on both Windows Phone and Android devices, while the Symbian and iOS versions are still being vetted for approval. According to the official blog, the app will offer a similar experience across platforms, which makes sense for the enterprise-centric Lync -- and an increasingly fractured business phone market. Suits can grab both the Android and WinPho flavors below. Update: The iPhone version is now also up for grabs. [Thanks James]
PingChat! becomes Touch, delivers real-time social collaboration to Android, BlackBerry and iOS (video)
13 million PingChat! users will soon find their cross-platform instant messaging companion taking on a more social and interactive life. Today, Enflick is announcing a new platform for communication known simply as Touch. In addition to being available as a separate download, existing PingChat! users will be presented with an upgrade that maintains their existing user names and contacts. Rather than working from predefined lists or blasting messages to all contacts, Touch allows users to determine specifically who to share a message or photo with, and also bring new friends and family members into the conversation on-the-fly. The program also shows when someone is typing, and the push-style system allows users to see exactly when messages have been read. The free app will launch today for Android, BlackBerry and iOS users. Sorry, Windows Phone fans, Enflick has no immediate plans for your platform, although it promises to continue to monitor demand. Be sure to check out the full gallery below, along with a quick video and the full PR after the break. %Gallery-141033%
CEO bans email, encourages social networking
Who needs email when you have text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and a menagerie of alternative communication tools? Not Atos, a French IT firm that's planning to give email the boot. Over the course of the next eighteen months, CEO Thierry Breton hopes to ween 80,000 employees off of the old standby, pushing text messages, phone calls and face-to-face chats as alternatives. Breton strives to promote a collaborative social network similar to Facebook or Twitter to fill email's void and suffice as an easily accessible global network. Having himself been email sober at work for three years, Breton claims email is inefficient, and a burden to the workflow. Will this new social environment promote efficiency, or will pet photos and status updates become the new spam? If employees can't keep their social inclinations under wraps, Atos may have to resort to the Medieval carrier pigeon. Delivery estimates for long distance range from five days to never.
Crapgadget: BFF Gemz dilute the notion of a best friend (video)
If you want a charm that hangs 'round your neck and glows whenever your friend Missy tells you she loves Justin Bieber, then eMotion Inc has the gadget for you. The BFF Gemz sends pre-written coded messages to pals up to 450 feet away, which they can access the next time they're at a computer. You can add up to eight best friends (the BFF currency devalued to Weimar proportions) and four more if you buy some GPA: Girl Power Average points. It's not entirely private: Mom and Pop will get a weekly email, listing who you're messaging, so if you swap notes with that gal from the wrong end of town you'd better stick to paper airplanes. Those curious to see what the kids might be clamoring for instead of a new cellphone, check out the video after the break.
Microsoft Lync coming to Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone next month
Heads up, corporateers. Just like the company previously hinted, Microsoft Lync will soon make its smartphone debut. Currently, the enterprise instant messaging client (formerly known as Microsoft Office Communicator) has only been available to Mac and PC users, but all that is set to change next month when the software becomes available for Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone. Curiously, Microsoft's New Zealand outfit had formerly stated that Symbian would be among the mix, although its mention is entirely absent from this announcement. Granted, the news seems rather informal at this point, and there's only so much you can cram into 140 characters.
