messaging

Nokia have had this one baking in the labs for some time but there still seems no sign that it’s about to leave beta and be made publicly available to all. The app and accompanying service bills itself as “Messaging, now with location”.

Nokia Pulse and its documentation do not seem to have been updated with any changes but essentially it looks as though the bump was to bring it to Windows Phone, as was previously reported.

The popular Windows Phone messaging app GroupMe has made the move to Windows Phone. The version 4.1 adds Windows Phone 8 support, a brand new start screen with animated tiles, and a few under the hood tweaks to give the app a little more speed.

Lo and behold, WhatsApp for Windows Phone has returned. The popular messenger app vanished from view just over a week ago and has remained "private" since. We got in touch with the WhatsApp team in attempt to withdraw information detailing the reasons why it was hidden from consumers who may be looking to download (or reinstall) the app, but had no luck with replies received from employees.

We later relayed the news that WhatsApp for Windows Phone was possibly removed because of security concerns and vulnerabilities. A German website reported an Android WhatsApp sniffing tool was able to intercept messages sent using the messaging app over a WiFi connection. WhatsApp later denied this as the cause for the app pull and assured Windows Phone Central that this was not a security related incident.

Telefonica introducing a cross-platform mobile messaging service

Tuenti (official website) has announced an upcoming Windows Phone app, as well as a solution for iOS. Currently the service is available for both Android and BlackBerry (as beta - launched today), with the remaining two apps coming in the next few weeks. So what's the deal with Tuenti and should you be interested?

On June 14th, rumors were circulating that Microsoft was poised to buy Yammer, a social-network and messaging service for enterprise, for at least $1 billion dollars. Speculation cooled down a bit as Microsoft intended to focus on the Surface and Windows Phone 8 announcements but a new week is upon us and so the deal is now official.

Microsoft has now purchased Yammer (www.yammer.com) for a massive $1.2 billion in cash and it will be folded into the Microsoft Office Division, led by division President Kurt DelBene. The team will continue to report to current CEO David Sacks to maintain continuity, at least for the near future.

A statement from Microsoft on the acquisition states

“The acquisition of Yammer underscores our commitment to deliver technology that businesses need and people love. Yammer adds a best-in-class enterprise social networking service to Microsoft’s growing portfolio of complementary cloud services.”

Yammer is only four years old but has nearly 5 million users including employees at 85 percent of the Fortune 500, making it an interesting and strategic purchase. So why the acquisition even though Microsoft has Lync and Sharepoint already? Mary Jo Foley (ZDNet) ruminates that Microsoft "...needed a cooler brand and wanted the cross-platform support" which sounds about right to us.

Here's to hopefully seeing Yammer built into Windows Phone 8.

Full press release after the break...

We'll be honest here, LINE messenger by a company called Naver is not something we're familiar with but our audience certainly is. Boasting about being in 230 countries, LINE is a VOIP/chat service that is evidently popular in a lot of Asian markets so it's great to see it come to Windows Phone.

Available already on iOS, Android, PC and Mac, LINE is actually a well done app with a snazzy Metro UI and decent enough features to make us take a look at it. Of course none of our friends use it so it's hard for us to take it for a spin on such short notice, but loading up the app was a refreshing change from some other chat programs out there.

The app doesn't have a killer feature per se but it does contain the usual fare: send messages, photos, videos, voice messages, as well as location info. It also has a thing called "stickers" for conveying emotion which we suppose is a bit quaint. Note at least with this release there is no VOIP just chat.

Like all messaging apps, your usage is completely dependent upon your social circle and if they use it. Having said that, LINE is actually quite nice and we're a bit jealous that we don't have an immediate need for it---with Kik, WhatsApp, TalkBox, OctroTalk, GroupMe and IM+ already available, it's tough to find a spot for LINE. But for those that need or use said service, it looks like there's a winner here for you.

Pick up LINE by Naver for Windows Phone here in the Marketplace. Thanks, PsycheBlue, for the tip

The mobile messaging service TalkBox had a nice little launch last week and has since racked up some solid reviews grabbing 4.5 stars out of 5. Not bad for a version 1.0 though clearly the app can use some fixes and features e.g. landscape for typing, Toast notifications that take you directly to the message, perhaps pinnable contacts, etc.

The good news is an updated version should be coming this week. We're not entirely sure on the changes but we'll get you that list as soon as possible. One thing we're certain of, the TalkBox team seems set on delivering a rock-solid experience on Windows Phone, which leads us to Windows 8...

As you can see below, the TalkBox team is evidently working on a a desktop application for their push-to-talk messaging service, which will allow you chat via texting or voice clips to all of your contacts on Windows Phone, iOS, Android and eventually even BlackBerry.

No word on specific features but as you can see from the images, it looks to support everything the mobile clients handle. The design also looks bright and minimal which should keep the Metro-peeps happy out there.

It's great to see developers taking the ability to co-develop for Windows Phone and Windows 8 seriously as we can only imagine such a strategy will be very helpful to their brand. We'll keep you posted on any more info that we get, so stay tuned.

Pick up TalkBox for Windows Phone for free here in the Marketplace.

We've chatted up TalkBox for Windows Phone now for a few weeks. The popular messaging app is already on iOS and Android and now thanks to an excellent beta program, the tried and tested version for Windows Phone is here.

What's TalkBox? It's more than a messaging app because it sends short voice clips in addition to straight text messaging to your contacts, making it a virtually hands free experience. Here are a few other key features that may interest you:

• Push to talk - The signature PTT feature arrives Windows Phone. No more typing hassle; no more uploading and downloading voice notes. TalkBox saves your time.
• Group Chat - TalkBox is now bringing the collaborative experience to Windows Phone users. Experience the power group chat to engage up to 9 people in a single conversation.
• Geo-location and photo sharing - Want to share your current location with your friends when you are heading to a party or to share a snapshot after party? Now you can do it easily through TalkBox!
• Text Integration - What if I can’t talk at the moment? You can easily switch to text mode by 1 click and connect with your friend quietly.
• Mark as favorite - In Windows Phone, you can mark any important TalkBox message as favorite by 1 click so you will be able to view the important messages faster.
• Customized Live Tile - The customized TalkBox Live Tile allows users to preview any unread messages and contact information without launching the app. It is real live and instant.
• Change layout color - You might have seen different Windows Phone handsets displaying different colored tiles. For instance, TalkBox comes with 12 theme colors that you can use to match with your phone background.

We're big fans of the app due to the care in its design--it's very Metro and well thought out for Windows Phone instead of just another port. Will it be as good as Kik or WhatsApp? As far as features go, we'd say this is in many ways better but really, the big determinant is whether or not your friends use TalkBox. Seeing as it's a popular app on iOS and Android, you stand a good chance of getting friend-parity.

At the very least though, you should give it a whirl. Heck, if you like it enough no reason you can't get others to switch around you.

Pick up TalkBox on Windows Phone for free in the Marketplace right here. Hit us up in comments and let us know what you think. [We have at least one report that German users may have issues with this app]

We've mentioned that popular messaging app TalkBox a few times here at WPCentral. The service is not only a way to send messages and photos to your contacts on the go but it also allows you to send those popular voice-clips, you know for those too lazy to type.

That'd be us, actually.

Speaking into your phone and sending the message, especially if you're like us and bathing in AT&T 4G LTE speeds, seems like the next logical step in instant messaging. TalkBox has that service down pat and what's more, it's cross-platform meaning you stand a good chance of your non-Windows Phone friends being able to use the service (it's available on iPhone and Android).

The app went into a public beta a few weeks ago and the developers behind it are putting on the final touches as we speak. Tonight they've released this teaser vid which shows you what to expect.

So should you be excited? Yeah, you should. We've been using it off and on for weeks now (going back to the alpha days) and the app is fast and sharp looking. It's just pretty. Plus it works well.

We'll keep you posted when the app is finally available on the Windows Phone Marketplace for all, which should only be a few weeks at most. Or if you wish, sign up at the TalkBox site to register your interest.