Chat

Facebook will reportedly allow brands to send ads as messages within Messenger

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 19, 2016

According to a document Facebook has sent to some of its biggest advertisers, a copy of which was obtained by TechCrunch, the social network may start injecting ads into people's conversations on Messenger in the second quarter of 2016. Specifically, Facebook currently plans to allow businesses to send ads as messages to users who previously interacted with that company using the Messenger service.

The leaked document advises that businesses “get consumers to start message threads with them now so they’ll be able to send them ads when the feature launches,” as per TechCrunch.

Google reportedly working on a brand new messaging app to take on Facebook

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 24, 2015

As reported on by The Wall Street Journal two days ago, citing people familiar with the matter, the Internet giant Google is allegedly working on a brand new messaging app to take on the growing popularity of apps for keeping in touch, namely Facebook-owned Messenger and WhatsApp.

In addition to messaging capability, the app is said to put a big emphasis on so-called chatbots, smart personal assistants that will scour the web and other sources to answer a question.

WhatsApp picks up 3D Touch Peek and Pop, redesigned settings and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 16, 2015

Facebook-owned WhatsApp today issued a new update to its iPhone application in the App Store which brings extended support for 3D Touch on the iPhone6s and iPhone 6s Plus with Peek and Pop gestures for previewing chats without actually opening them.

The app's also gained a redesigned settings interface, the ability to browse your starred messages in one place and optionally include rich previews when sharing links.

Skype for iPhone gains link previews, Apple Watch app adds replying with dictation and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 2, 2015

Microsoft-owned Skype today issued an update to its free-of-charge iPhone application in the App Store, adding a few enhancements related to chatting on both your handset and the Apple Watch.

Web link previews are now available in your chat, courtesy of Skype 5.13 for iPhone. When you paste a URL into the chat window, the mobile application will now provide a preview of the website similar to Facebook.

Previews are available when you send or receive a web link and support video content, blogs, news websites and many other types of web content.

Google Hangouts gains smart location sharing, statuses, deeper Voice integration and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 6, 2015

Google on Tuesday added new features to its Hangouts app for the iPhone and iPad, namely deeper integration with its Voice telephony service, a pretty smart way to share your location with others, the ability to tell your friends what you're up to via status messages and more.

Today's refresh follows last month's Android app update which introduced a similar set of enhancements. These newly introduced features are available on iOS right now so go ahead and download Hangouts free in the App Store and take the app for a spin.

How to set up Facebook Chat in Messages app for OS X

Lory Gil ∙ January 17, 2014

About a week ago, we reviewed Astro, which is a third-party Facebook chat client for OS X that features native options that most other chat clients don’t offer. Some of our readers commented on the fact that you can just use Messages to chat with Facebook friends. A few others noted that they did not realize it was possible to connect to Facebook through Messages, so we thought we’d explain it with a quick how-to guide…

New ‘Spin’ iOS chatting app does full HD 60FPS video and Wideband 44kHz audio

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

Doesn't it bother you that popular mobile video chatting solutions draw from pedestrian video compression technology (maxing out at 720p, at best) and rarely provide acceptable audio quality?

Case in point: Microsoft-owned Skype, which bragged about its recent iOS client update bringing high-definition video calling - though it's limited to 720p. Spin, a brand new free of charge iOS mobile together experience, is unlike any chat you've experienced before.

Three years in the making, Skype's hot new competitor is exclusive to the iPhone and iPad and capable of delivering cinematic experiences with full HD 1080p video (1,920-by-1,080 pixel resolution, to be precise) at sixty frames per second, along with crisp Wideband 44kHz audio.

You and your parents should immediately download Spin. Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

Apple rolls out revamped AppleCare support website with 24/7 live chat

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 29, 2016

Earlier this month a reliable blogger asserted Apple would be making changes to its support website. The new experience was to be focused on a simpler and cleaner design that's iOS-friendly so customers could access the many support materials and browse the various sections comfortably from their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Sure enough, and right on cue, Apple this morning has started rolling out a redesigned Apple Support website with non-stop live chat support.

The redesign calls for large thumbnails providing easy access to the product hubs, such as Macs, iTunes, iPods, iPhones, iPads and more, with each section containing a wealth of related support materials, like downloads, manuals, frequently asked questions and lots more...

HipChat iOS app revamped as Mac client exits beta

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 25, 2013

Atlassian's cross-platform group messaging HipChat app launched in January 2010 following a one-month beta period. The Mac app, originally developed using Adobe AIR and in beta since Valentine's Day, is now finally ready for prime time.

If you hate AIR as much as I do, you'll be delighted that the team has now dropped Adobe's sluggish technology (good riddance) in favor of the native OS X experience.

And in addition to the rebuilt HipChat 2.0 for Mac, the company has also given its iOS client some much-needed love, pushing a major 2.0 update that's leaner, faster and includes many new features. Here's what's new in both HipChat for Mac and iOS...

Google’s new Babel chat platform includes ‘first class iOS experience’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

More details are trickling in on what to expect of Google's upcoming unified messaging platform called Babel. Google's internal documentation and code snippets discovered Wednesday indicate the Babel thing will support media transfers during chat sessions and group chatting ability. More importantly, the service will be available as a native app on both Apple's iOS and Google's own Android platform.

Of course, Babel is also going to be available on the web, as a Chrome web app and inside Gmail. The upcoming messaging platform should solve Google's instant messaging conundrum that confuses users with nearly a doze different chat service that include Talk, Gmail, Google+ Hangout, Google Voice and Chat for Drive.

Even if way overdue, Babel will unify Google's many messaging platforms into a single service. The Internet giant is likely to formally announce Babel at its upcoming Google I/O conference, which runs May 15-17 in San Francisco...

iMessage beware, Google Babble is coming

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 18, 2013

The Internet giant Google, reportedly adamant to solve its instant messaging conundrum, is working on consolidating its many chat services and folding them under a new brand name - Google Babble. Not sure whether Babble is just a code-name, but I'd definitely chose a different moniker because the term 'babble' doesn't just denote chatter, it also means "to utter a meaningless confusion of words" and "talk foolishly or idly".

Be that as it may, a new report Monday claims knowledge of an all-new IM solution from Google designed around organizing chats by conversation rather than by people, no matter what chat service they happen to be using. It's said to support video, audio, file transfers and threaded conversations across all the existing services. Go right past the break for more tidbits...