Facebook Messages Attempts to Outflank Gmail, Yahoo Mail

by Clint Boulton

Zuckerberg explains Facebook Messages to reporters at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco ahead of the Web 2.0 Summit Nov. 15. He spoke hours before Google CEO Eric Schmidt unveiled near field communications on Android 2.3 smartphones.

Facebook users will soon receive their own @facebook.com e-mail addresses for Facebook Messages, which sort of cements its status as a real e-mail product. “This product isn’t e-mail, but it does allow people who do use e-mail to connect with the rest of us,” explained Facebook.

When users receive an invite to Facebook Messages, they click “okay” to accept it and see this screen.

Facebook explains that users’ e-mail alias will match their profile user name.

A more detailed explanation of how Messages works.

Facebook lets users set up Messages to receive SMS messages from mobile phones.

Facebook notes that users can send the letter F to the number provided and they will receive a confirmation code to trigger the service. Boom, you’re done setting up Messages. Message away!

Facebook details how SMS messages to Messages works.

Here is what Facebook Messages looks like on users’ mobile phones.

Just hours later in a media session at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Google CEO Eric Schmidt welcomed Messages as competition that is good for all on the Web. “It’s basically good to have more competition in the space,” Schmidt said. “They appear to be taking a different approach, which is good. Competition is positive” because it raises the bar for other products.