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Facebook is quietly testing its own group video chat app
Facebook has been working on cloning Snapchat's features for awhile now, but that's not the only service the social media giant is looking to duplicate. The Verge reports that Facebook recently showed a Houseparty-style live group video chat app, called Bonfire, to its employees.
Meerkat team confirms it created the mysterious Houseparty app
Those rumors of Meerkat's creators quietly developing a group video chat app, Houseparty, were well-founded. The company (actually called Life on Air) has confirmed to The Verge that it built Houseparty under a pseudonym, Alexander Herzick, for about 10 months. The company even admits to creating fake Facebook and LinkedIn pages to maintain appearances. Meerkat's crew reportedly wanted to both avoid criticism for changing its strategy and to reduce the pressure after becoming a sensation, albeit a short-lived one after Twitter's Periscope invaded its turf.
Meerkat wants you to share polls and pictures in your stream
The Meerkat team isn't done envisioning features that might give its live streaming app an edge over Twitter's Periscope -- not by a long shot. It's rolling out updates for Android and iOS that let you both poll your viewers and share pictures, making it easy to ask a question (we can imagine a lot of "what should I do next?" streams) or recount some of your earlier adventures. You'll also see live hashtags that help you both widen your audience and keep tabs on what's trending. These additions probably won't have you ditching Periscope if you're a committed user, but they might just tip the balance if you're not sure what to use for your broadcasts. [Image credit: Matthias Hiekel/AFP/Getty Images]
