We have gone from communicating primarily with our voices to using our fingers to text on glass.
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The app uses your cell phone’s WiFi or data connection to start one-on-one conversations and is not designed for group messaging.
The app went live earlier this month, and to bring something a little different to the table, it introduces a unique form of video texting that combines traditional text messages with video that doesn’t include an audio feed. Well, apparently folks over at Yahoo believe that’s something users would enjoy instead of the plain text + emoticon messages.
Yahoo says that Livetext isn’t an alternative to the built-in mobile apps of the smartphone but is a new way altogether for people to keep in touch.
The app is now only available in Hong Kong. So… perhaps not the most natural way to have real conversations after all. Livetext looks like an effort to build a messaging app that will resonate with a younger audience, though not including the audio portion of the video call seems counterintuitive. The app puts your words as well as the real-time reactions of your friend’s right in the middle of your interaction. The way it works is that one user begins texting a friend, and then when the message recipient joins the chat session, the originator immediately sees him or her on the screen.
So, if you’re planning on using Livetext when or if it releases worldwide, make sure to manage those emoticons well to match your actual reaction, because eyes will be on you. Sessions can last as long as needed.
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The company has not released an official statement about the app, only mentioning that Yahoo! is always looking for new ways of engaging their users into delightful experiences. “We have nothing further to share at this time”, said a Yahoo spokesperson in a statement provided to TechCrunch. Accepting its defeat, Yahoo Messenger was removed from the App Store ultimately. All the major social networks rely heavily on messaging to provide services, of course, and other IT providers, such as Microsoft (with Yammer), Cisco Systems, Intel, RingCentral, Verizon, AT&T, VMware, and dozens more have added the functionality for customers.
