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Viber announces new desktop app, revamps Android and iOS versions

Along with claiming more than 200 million users worldwide, Viber's also taking this day to announce what it is referring to as the biggest update to the service yet. For starters, the Viber for Android and iOS applications have both been on the receiving end of a pretty meaningful refresh, following the recent introduction of VoIP calling on older versions of BlackBerry OS. An all-new desktop app will, as of today, also be available to Viber users on a Mac or PC (Linux coming soon, we're told), packing in most of the features the service is well-known for but in a less-mobile form.

Folks using Viber's iOS and Android apps will see many changes to the overall user experience in version 3.0, including added support for video messages, a novel voice engine to help improve call quality, the ability to check contacts' online status and a completely redesigned interface. Meanwhile, the newly minted Viber Desktop features video calling and seamlessly integrates / syncs with the mobile offerings -- which makes things like being able to transfer ongoing voice calls between devices possible. While chatting with the company's CEO, Talmon Marco, he told us development for BlackBerry 10 is in its "advanced stages," adding that the latest Viber apps were built from the ground up and are all part of the goal to be better than other competing platforms.%Gallery-187638%

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VIBER RELEASES DESKTOP VERSION – YOU'LL WANT TO SIT DOWN FOR THIS

Leading Free Messaging And VoIP Platform Unveils Windows And Mac Versions With Video Calls; Launches Version 3.0 Of Its Platform, Completely Redesigns Viber for Android, Supports Eight Additional Languages And Announces It Has 200 Million Users

LONDON – May 7, 2013, Viber, the leading mobile communications platform offering free messaging and HD-quality phone calls, announces today the release of Viber Desktop for PC and Mac. The new versions seamlessly integrate with existing mobile versions of the app and provide the same super-simple setup process that uses your phone number as your ID.

You can download Viber Desktop here: www.viber.com

The company also announced today that it has over 200 million users across the various platforms that it supports.

Viber has revolutionized free messaging and VoIP on mobile with its popular app for leading platforms including Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and others. Now with the release of Viber Desktop, users have one easy-to-use and always available solution for free messages and calls.

One of the strengths of Viber is its easy activation process. The company has replicated the same process with Viber Desktop. As soon as you enter your mobile number and a confirmation code which is sent to your mobile Viber app, you are ready to go! All of your mobile Viber contacts are instantly and continuously synced from your mobile Viber to Viber Desktop.

Viber Desktop and the latest versions of the Viber app were designed from the ground up for individuals using Viber on multiple devices, so you can always use the app that's right for you, whether at home, in school, at the office, or on the go. Viber offers far more flexibility than any similar product. Some of the key combined features include:

Seamlessly transfer calls between Viber Desktop and the Viber app with one click or tap
Received and Sent messages are shown on all devices, but will only "beep" on the device you are currently using
Messages and conversations you delete from one device will be removed from all devices
On top of this, Viber Desktop is Viber's first application to offer video calls. With this new beta feature, users can now make desktop-to-desktop video calls to other Viber users.

"People spend a substantial amount of time on their smartphones," said Talmon Marco, CEO of Viber. "However, a lot of that usage takes place at home or in the office, where they have laptops or desktops close by. With Viber Desktop you always get to use the most convenient device. You can seamlessly switch devices while messaging and even transfer calls between your mobile and desktop."

The release of Viber Desktop is part of the roll out of Viber 3.0, the next major version of the platform. The 3.0 release includes major updates to both the Android and iOS versions of the app, as well as a new version for BlackBerry that ensures voice calling as well as compatibility with Viber Desktop.

Viber for Android now features a completely redesigned "Holo" interface as well as numerous Android specific optimizations.

Both the Android and iOS versions were not only designed to ensure seamless communication with the new desktop version but also include a host of new features.

Key highlights of the new versions include:

Video messages
New stickers
Last online status
Enhanced photo experience
Performance improvements
New voice engine
Android version security fix
On top of this, Viber now speaks your language, with support for eight new languages and 20 languages overall. Supported languages include (new in Bold): Arabic, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

About Viber:

Viber is developed by Viber Media, a pioneering mobile messaging and VoIP company. Viber lets everyone in the world connect. Freely. Viber users can send free text messages, photo messages, share locations anywhere in the world, and make free, HD-quality calls on iPhone®, Android,™ Windows Phone, Blackberry®, Windows®, Mac, Symbian, Nokia S40 and Bada devices over 3G/4G or WiFi connections. With more than 200 million users in 193 countries, Viber is constantly innovating by introducing new platforms and adding fun new features including stickers and emoticons.