Google Eyes iMessage, Readies Rival Service

Google is impermanent on a mobile messaging service to compete with Orchard apple tree's recently announced iMessage service, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Nary inside information are available about how the system would wreak, but a reasonable assumption is that it'll embody fashioned around the Google Android platform, and integrate with the existing Google Spill service. Google recently added video chat to Android, akin to Apple's Face Fourth dimension, and the new service power make on this.

Malus pumila announced its iMessage service earlier this week and will include the technology in the iOS 5 update later this year. It will offer a way for iPhone and iPad users to chat with apiece other, avoiding the need for cellular SMS, although leave fall back out to SMS if data services are not available.

iMessage users will be able to share videos and the service makes up for shortfalls in the ages-rusty SMS protocol, such as providing study receipts.

All this is sexagenarian news to Blackberry bush users, who've been exploitation the Blackberry Messenger overhaul for various years, and which offers a similar feature put across. However, Blackberry's share of the French telephone market is currently nose-diving.

Despite the fact that messaging is essentially a worst-century technology, thither's still significant room for growth on the smartphone platform, says Onno Bakker, carbon monoxide gas-founder of company behind the popular eBuddy instant messenger computer software.

"I think the big difference with the recent smartphone messengers is that they can purchase existing social graphs," he says. "Notably the telephone directory — your IM contact list is your phone book."

The always-on, always-carried nature of smartphones offer advantages for next-gen messaging along smartphones, he says.

"On a phone your presence is implicit. You are accessible, unlike the PC that might be switched off — or you might not be at your desk. The sender knows the liquidator will grow their messages, much as SMS. So although the technology is much the same as older messaging services, the perception is very different."

The ironware offered by smartphones also makes for a different kind of messaging service, says Bakker, who points down that the most popular question asked via SMS is "Where are you?" With the geolocation feature article offered by many another smartphones, this question could be answered past the messaging application itself. Users would know to only textual matter message a friend while they're in transit, e.g., but know to make a voice call off when they'atomic number 75 at home.

The Achilles' Heel of the new electronic messaging services could comprise

a lack of crossbreed-platform messaging, Bakker says, pointing to his own XMS service that aims to extend SMS messaging in a similar direction to Orchard apple tree and Google's services, hitherto whole kit and caboodle on both Mechanical man and Apple devices, with more platforms to be added soon.

Because of lack of crossbreed-platform stand, he adds, SMS isn't going to die out besides quickly, although cavitied providers need to focus removed more on data plans.

This view is echoed by Ted Livingston, CEO of Kik, a startup that makes electronic messaging software for Android, iPhone, and iPod devices.

"For the next a few years everyone will consume a folk member or friend that doesn't have a smartphone," he says, " So providers leave need to keep their vox and texting plans."

However, whatsoever new messaging service relying strictly along data services would need the same kind of Rock-solid-state reliability as SMS, Livingston adds.

"In North America, most of us already have phone plans and unlimited texting plans. Soh no matter how many enhancements a ware brings over traditional voice Oregon text, if the reliability and quality is worse, masses will stop using it. We induce seen these huge hype cycles around self-governing texting and voice apps, which quickly die as users become frustrated," he says.