Samsung’s iMessage, Gtalk and other IM service competitor, ChatON, is already available for Bada, BlackBerry, Android and iOS but now it has gained a new platform – the desktop.
Available to use now, ChatON now has a web-based client which can be accessed from the desktop, giving users a way to keep in touch with their friends who use the service while on their computers. Until now, the ChatON service has been a mobile-only platform.
All the usual features have found their way into the desktop version of the service, with multimedia messages being available alongside group chat and the obligatory one-on-one chat options that we all expect from such services.
The web app also allows users to link ChatON to its mobile counterpart, meaning conversations can be had across multiple devices and they will be kept in sync, too.
The one downside of ChatON on the web, and one that we are surprised to be in effect, is the fact that users will need to have the mobile version of the app installed in order to be able to receive the verification code that is required to get things up and running. While the chances are anyone using ChatON in a web browser already uses it on a phone, we don’t see why the code couldn’t be sent to a registered email address instead. It’s a strange decision on Samsung’s part, that’s for sure.
The cross-platform instant messaging space is currently seeing growth, with ChatON going up against existing services that have been around a lot longer. Throw Apple’s iOS-only iMessage and RIM’s BlackBerry-only BBM and things get very interesting.
While there may not need to be any clear winner in this battle, one thing is for certain – the real loser is always going to be the carrier thanks to a drop in the number of SMS messages being sent by customers.
The app stores of all the major smartphone platforms are already filled with instant messaging clients, and we’re not sure Samsung really offers anything to make people move away from their existing services, even with this new web-based client.
Head over to this link to get started with ChatON.
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