Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Android
    • Android
    • Applications
    • Cloud
    • Development
    • Mobile

    Facebook Messenger Comes to iPhone, Android Via Beluga

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    August 9, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Facebook on Aug. 9 launched a new messaging application for Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android smartphones, a program that extends Facebook Messages from the desktop and adds some of the functionality from group chat specialist Beluga.

      Available free for download in the United States and Canada from Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store and Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android Market, Facebook Messenger lets users send messages, including relevant context such as their location and photos, to contacts and small groups of Facebook users from their iPhone or Android smartphone.

      Once users download the app and sign into it with their Facebook credentials, they can trigger messages simply by typing a contact name or group name from their contacts. The messages are delivered via notifications and texts to reach recipients faster.

      Messenger is an extension of Facebook Messages for the desktop, so each text, chat, email and message a user sends exist in one place within the app and is also saved as part of any ongoing conversations on Facebook. To wit, users can see the full history of their Facebook Messages whether they’re on their phone or computer.

      Facebook launched Messages last November with a mind to cut down on some of the messaging clutter on Facebook by streamlining SMS texting, email, chat and regular messages.

      Lucy Zhang, a Facebook engineer and co-founder of Beluga, which Facebook bought in March, explained the reason she and her team created Messenger in a blog post. Zhang said that 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?” Zhang wrote. “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.”

      The ability to add location and photos will be especially helpful for ad-hoc group meet-ups for coffee or movies, allowing users to provide more info regarding their location to the group.

      With Messenger, Facebook proved true to its word. When Facebook acquired the beloved Beluga, it promised to preserve the company’s capabilities to let users conduct chat sessions via SMS from their mobile phones, and append locations and photos, in its own products. It has clearly done so with this Messenger app.

      This also likely means that Beluga, which has remained open, will be winding down.

      Messenger will also compete with Google’s Huddle group chat application for the mobile version of Google+. And Messenger will eventually support Research In Motion’s (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry platform, competing with the BlackBerry Messenger app.

      Clint Boulton

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×