Multiprotocol instant messaging app imo.im is getting more vocal. The new iPhone app now supports VoIP calls over cellular and Wi-Fi between imo users. Voice is a tricky business for a startup with no established customer base, but luckily imo already has 700,000 daily users. Read more »
Nimbuzz didn’t impress when it launched its VoIP and instant messaging app, but thanks to the evolution of mobile, the company crossed a new milestone: 100 million users. Now that we want to choose where, how and on what device to communicate Nimbuzz’s future sounds good. Read more »
In this busy new world of multiple social networks and recommendations tools, the discovery process itself is being disrupted by innovation and by the changing ways in which consumers now interact online. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
With more and more business leaders now turning to this topic, the questions — and confusion — are multiplying. With so much to consider, we’ve broken down the cloud discussion to help companies decide which strategy is right for their business. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Your Facebook or LinkedIn account doesn’t have a phone number, but one day it might if Tyntec has anything to say about it. The German company wants to build a virtual mobile phone into any Web 2.0 service, bridging the gap between over-the-top apps and mobile. Read more »
SMS is getting a facelift at Mobile World Congress. Mavenir Systems is launching a messaging platform that could turn carriers’ staid old SMS into a much more vibrant platform on par with Apple’s iMessage. But most importantly, the technology preserves SMS’s most valuable asset: its ubiquity. Read more »
Twitter has made the world faster with its real-time messaging. But what if it’s not actually real-time enough? Enter Bonfire, a new browser plugin that promises to bring IM-style chat and presence into Twitter itself. Read more »
In a connected workplace, the conference call is a necessary tool, albeit one that is often used in unnecessary ways. Here are a few tips to help you make them more efficient, more collaborative, and actually productive. Read more »
Google+ users can under some circumstances access IM conversations of other Google users. The bug seems to be related to the way Google Talk is integrated within Google+. Google has said that it is addressing the issue, which only affects users of shared machines. Read more »
Skype quietly added some XMPP support to its most recentbeta last week. Adopting the open protocol helps Sype to integrate with Facebook, but it could also be used for interoperability with other IM platforms. Just don’t expect to call your Gtalk friends any time soon. Read more »
Looking at the previous two Tales from the Trenches, a reader could get the impression that all web workers are employed by small firms or as independent contractors. But large organizations are putting the advantages of wired working to use as well, including global telecom giant Orange. Read more »
Pinger, a San Jose, Calif.-based startup that initially dealt in web-based voice messaging, has launched a free service for sending texts over a web browser. The new feature, dubbed Textfree Web, could well bridge the gap between traditional SMS and the quickly growing mobile messaging market. Read more »
Most of the time what I say on iChat is unimportant and would bore any eavesdropper, but on occasion I need to communicate some sensitive info, and I feel uncomfortable doing that over an unsecured connection. Luckily, with MobileMe there’s a way to make it secure. Read more »
VoxOx, the all-in-one phone, fax, instant-messaging, text-messaging, and file-sending application, is now offering an app for iOS. While the mobile app doesn’t have all of the features of the desktop application, it may be useful for those who juggle lots of communication channels. Read more »
iChat is a great little chat client, especially considering it’s included in OS X. However, a common complaint is that it doesn’t support IM networks such as MSN or Facebook chat. Here’s a way to chat to friends on networks which aren’t technically supported by iChat. Read more »
As most of the world is aware, Facebook launched its Social Inbox feature last week. The unified messaging system pipes online and mobile communication functions people use — SMS, instant messaging, Facebook chat messages — into a single inbox. On the face of it, having just ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Adium, the open-source IM client, has been updated to version 1.4. I’ve been using it in beta for what seems like an eternity, but the delay in its release is hardly surprising, given the huge number of new features included in the new version. Read more »
While the proportion of the time that Britons spend on social networking sites is up (now taking 25 percent, from seven percent in 2007), IM usage has decreased quite markedly, taking just 5 percent of online time, compared to 14 percent three years ago. Read more »
I spend a lot of time each day communicating with colleagues and clients, by phone, email, on social networks, and via the occasional fax. But when I need to have a short conversation and get an answer right away, instant messaging is hard to beat. Unfortunately, […] Read more »
There was a flurry of activity this week in the over-the-top video space as Samsung announced that its HDTVs will start streaming content from both Amazon VOD and Blockbuster (which will also be available on select Samsung Blu-ray players). This follows on the heels of Blockbuster […] Read more »
