Beginning of the end for SMS as Whatsapp and co take over

29.04.2013, 12:04

The trusty old text message has been eclipsed by instant-messaging through chat apps like Whatsapp for the first time.

The statisticians over at Informa say that app-based IM-ing saw over 19 billion messages sent per day in 2012, while we managed only 17.6 billion texts per day between us.

This isn’t exactly stellar news for the phone networks who are losing out on all that juicy text messaging revenue – chat apps use up tiny amounts of your data allowance, while SMSes are a proven income stream of yore.

Informa’s research was a little selective when it came to messaging clients – Whatsapp, BBM, Viber, Nimbuzz, iMessage and KakaoTalk made the cut, but others didn’t – so the volume is likely to be higher. Facebook Messenger, for example, seems a glaring omission.

The research house reckons that data-based messaging is set only to grow, predicting that nearly 50 billion messages will be sent daily via app by 2014, while it sees only 21 billion SMSs going out per day in the same year.

So is it the end for the text message? Informa says not – “There is a lot of life still in SMS,” Informa’s Pamela Clark-Dickson said, citing the fact that billions of people are still on app-less feature phones rather than smartphones, particularly in developing countries.

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Apple says ‘stick with iMessage’ after SMS security hole exposed

20.08.2012, 7:32

Apple has issued a statement urging iPhone owners to use only iOS iMessage service after a SMS security flaw was uncovered within iOS.

Late last week a hacker discovered that it was possible to send texts to an iPhone and convince the device and the user that they were from someone else.

The spoofing attack manipulates the ‘reply to’ address within the header section of the SMS app so the number or contact the user thinks they are replying to could be something different altogether.

Now Apple, after themselves being urged to plug the hole, says iMessage is a safer option as it does what the mobile carriers do not as verifies the address from which the message is sent.

“Apple takes security very seriously,” the statement obtained by Engadget read. “When using iMessage instead of SMS, addresses are verified which protects against these kinds of spoofing attacks.

“One of the limitations of SMS is that it allows messages to be sent with spoofed addresses to any phone, so we urge customers to be extremely careful if they’re directed to an unknown website or address over SMS.”

Of course, there’s one caveat to that. Although iMessage is completely free over Wi-Fi and 3G, it’s only available for use between iOS and Mac OS X users.

So, if 50 per cent of your pals are on Android, you’re vulnerable to a spoof calamity.

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Samsung ChatOn hits BlackBerry – takes BBM HeadOn

13.04.2012, 12:45

Samsung is looking to become the top dog in the world of multi-platform messaging as it rolls out its ChatOn service to BlackBerry devices.

Launched back in August 2011, ChatOn is pre-loaded onto Samsung’s own Android and Bada devices, and the ChatOn app is available to download from Google Play and the Apple App Store.

A quick look at the ChatOn app page in Google Play tells us it’s been downloaded over 500,000 times – still some way to go then to match the daddy for the multi-platform chat Whatsapp then, which has clocked over 10 million Android downloads alone.

Letting you ChatOn and on and on

However with Samsung checking off a fourth operating system for ChatOn, there’s just Windows Phone left for the full set and the realisation of its multi-platform claim.

In an already crowded market including big hitters WhatsApp, iMessage and BBM, Samsung certainly has its work cut out if it wants ChatOn to become the big success it’s hoping it will.

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Facebook announces Messenger mobile app

10.08.2011, 8:08

Facebook has introduced a new Messenger app for iPhone and Android aimed at making sure your friends receive your correspondence with greater speed.

The new Messenger app, which will rival BlackBerry Messenger and Apple’s forthcoming iMessage service, exists separately from the main Facebook app.

Messenger will allow users to contact both Facebook friends and phone contacts with the recipient receiving notifications and texts to inform them of your message.

Facebook thinks the service, which is yet to arrive on either platform’s app store, will mean friends will see your messages sooner.

Easier

In a post on the company blog, Facebook engineer Lucy Zhang wrote: “It isn’t always easy to know the best way to reach someone on their phone.

“Should you send an email or text? Which will they check first? Did they even get your last message?

“We think messaging should be easier than that. You should be able to write a message, click “Send” and know that you will reach the person right away.

“So today, we’re introducing Messenger, a new mobile app that simplifies how messaging works, and gives you a faster way to message friends and small groups.”

Good for groups

Facebook reckons the new solution will be perfect for users who are arranging to meet a group of friends and need to contact the group at short notice.

“When you’re on the go, coordinating a bunch of people can be tricky, especially if plans change at the last minute. With Messenger, you can quickly start a group conversation and message everyone at once.

“If you choose to add your location, the people you’re messaging with can easily find each other on the map. You can also attach photos, so everyone else can see and comment on what you’re looking at.”

Facebook’s service will have an instant advantage over BBM, iMessage and Google’s Gtalk, thanks to its multi-platform compatibility. Users will be able to exchange free messages regardless of their mobile operating system.

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RIM shaken by iMessage as stocks tumble

08.06.2011, 8:00

BlackBerry maker RIM’s stocks fell to a four-year low yesterday after the announcement of Apple’s iMessage.

It seems that investors have got the jitters as Apple nabs yet another key BlackBerry USP; iMessage is an instant messaging service for Apple devices on iOS 5, just as BlackBerry Messenger is for BlackBerry users.

On Tuesday, RIM’s stock fell to below $37 for the first time since 2007, a tumble of around 3 per cent.

Grim RIM

What’s more, over the course of this year RIM’s stock has fallen over 35 per cent.

Until Monday, BlackBerry Messenger was the only IM service of its kind and had proven very popular with the teenage market.

Rumours that BlackBerry would release and iOS and Android Messenger app have so far come to nought, but RIM could yet claw back kudos by opening BBM up so that Apple, Android and BlackBerry users could all IM each other… that’s a utopian dream we can’t see coming to pass though, if we’re honest.

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