Android News
Google working on its own BBM clone for Android [Rumor]
June 9, 2011 | by Andrew Kameka
Android Apps, Commmunication
Following Apple’s promise to deliver an iOS 5 messaging platform that mirrors the functionality of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), The Wall Street Journal reports that Google has been hard at work doing the same. Before you say, “Duh, Android already has GTalk,” that is not the same. BBM is more advanced because it has file and location sharing, groups, and other features that are all optimized for the mobile experience.
“A person familiar with the matter” claims that Google is making its own BBM-like communication service for Android, but there’s no word on when that would arrive. Carriers are a little uneasy about this development because a popular messaging system built directly into the OS or a freely-available Android app would eat into their profits from SMS text messages. It was bad enough when BBM exploded in popularity among BlackBerry users, but similar features among Android and iPhone would lead to a long-term drop in revenue. The only reason to text someone would be if that person didn’t have the same platform as you, so carriers couldn’t collect fees or push users into inflated data plans that include SMS.
There’s already a large number of BBM for Android clones available that also work across platforms. Heck, even RIM is rumored to be working on adding limited BBM support for Android and iOS users. But while users may see cross-platform support as a more desirable way to message friends, Google may make its own BBM clone to keep up with the Jones’s and make sure that Android remains in-line with the competition.
Is there really any point to that line of thinking? Why limit your communication to only the inner circle of friends and family who share your desire to use Android? Google could really do something special if its Google Messenger (unofficial name that I will use until corrected) worked across platforms. Eliminate the appeal of BBM and iMessage by creating an advanced messaging system that works as good on a BlackBerry Torch or iPhone as it does on Inspire 4G. Google is always trumpeting the power of the cloud because it frees users from the confines of a specific device. Doing the same for messaging just makes sense.
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Wasn't it called disco? Didn't techcrunch report on this several times?
Don't always believe what you read on TC
If Google do exactly as you say (cross-platform messaging) and do it with the usual Google awesomeness, then this would be amazing. Preinstalled on Android devices, but available for other OS'? Come on G, we need this!
All I can say is I saw it oming, IOS just announced it and RIM's had it forever
I think acquiring a app like ping chat which already has a large number of cross platform users would be a smart move by Google, but if they are already working on something hopefully it'll be better than anything that's already out there and not a me to iteration My recent post Ten Ways to Tell If You’re Addicted to Facebook
Why does no one realize that every android device comes with gtalk? All google needs to do is make gtalk clients for blackberry and iPhone. It's already available on the desktop…
GTalk doesn't have the same feature set as BBM. If Google chose to upgrade GTalk and make similar versions available on all platforms, that would be really cool. I mention it in the final paragraph.
Upgrading GTalk to do all of the aforementioned enhancements across all three platforms seems like a much better option than a new exclusive app.
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple kicks all messaging apps out of the app store the day they release iMessage.
Integration and more features is the point. If I have a talk with someone on Gchat and want to send files/location or communicate with others, I have to leave the app and go other places. Services like this enable more features to talk place in one app and make for a better experience, which is the advantage of building something new (or enhancing the existing GTalk client).
I'm with the majority here: Disco sucked, and this could be easily accomplished with a Google Talk upgrade.
If RIM has an exclusive messenger and now ios too…we android users deserve one as well…something better that makes you proud to own an android and something that makes people jump ship…why should only google make all the cross platform stuff? Why don't we keep the same expectations from apple and rim? We need exclusivity as well… Let rim and ios users feel left out… To chat with them we can use whatsapp or liveprofile… Exclusivity is a big factor people look for in smart phones…
I think not being exclusive is in Google's best interest. It will set them apart from the competition. The goal is to get people using Google services, while Apple and RIM want people using Apple/RIM (physical) products. Google can still be successful by delivering superior software that makes its services and Android more appealing. If I'm a BlackBerry user who loves BBM but then discovers that I can only reach the shrinking number of BlackBerry users, I'd be disappointed. When I learn that Google has a similar feature that lets me talk to people on any platform, I will switch to that app, and possibly switch to Android when it's time to upgrade to my next phone.
I say just UPGRADE GOOGLE TALK! with better features… simple
Just use Gtalk…
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