iMessage, BBM, and Android integration?

There are many platform independent messangers out there.

Jabber, WhatsApp......

andersonmattt said:

Firstly, I know that it's almost unreasonable to think that the three biggest mobile operating systems can all agree on a unified messaging system, but imagine the possibilities. With AT&T's new texting plans that screw consumers, it seems that more and more users would be interested in dropping texting plans all together. Does anybody think its possible that
1) Apple, Google, and RIM are even able to create a unified messaging system, and
2) Would it would be possible to survive with that service alone, no sms plans required?

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Whatsapp does it

lancastor said:

There are many platform independent messangers out there.

Jabber, WhatsApp......

Click to expand...

iisforiphone said:

Whatsapp does it

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here we go with ignorant posts..

while those apps are options, they are far from BBM. we need apps that are INTEGRATED, integrated into the OS. not something you download from the app store. people don't wanna download apps from the app store to text message, and that's why whatsapp, live profile, and all those other 3rd party apps have failed.

people download them, app gets buggy and people lose interest fast and revert back to BBM/texting.

if whatsapp was integrated into iOS, Blackberry and Android, then i would be more inclined to use it

acfusion29 said:

here we go with ignorant posts..

while those apps are options, they are far from BBM. we need apps that are INTEGRATED, integrated into the OS. not something you download from the app store. people don't wanna download apps from the app store to text message, and that's why whatsapp, live profile, and all those other 3rd party apps have failed.

people download them, app gets buggy and people lose interest fast and revert back to BBM/texting.

if whatsapp was integrated into iOS, Blackberry and Android, then i would be more inclined to use it

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Mmm people don't want to download apps, interesting and these are smartphone owners your talking about?

ive never used whatsapp but my experience with app store messengers is they are slow as molasses I dont even like texting people on prepaid phones because I get a response like 8 hours later sometimes days later.

The other downfall is I dont want to sign up for a screen name or some ridiculous number to remember. sending messages to phone numbers is fine with me. I have an unlimited plan and im hyped about imessage for the extra features but I dont see anyway to ditch the text plan anytime soon unless everyone I know and work with gets iphones. They will never come up with something that works perfectly like imessage but spans android and rim. not to mention youd still need a text plan for people with cheap dumb phones.

andersonmattt said:

while I'm sure that those third party apps work, the unification of iMessage is the breakthrough that separates it from the pack. those apps don't have the same integration with sms that apple created. If instead of checking that the message is being sent to an ios5 device, it should be able to tell if it's a BBM number, or some sort of future Android system, and send it though the data connection.

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But if they did manage to do it, you wouldn't need to pay $20 for AT&T's messaging plan, because the number of texts you'd send to dumb phones is probably low

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im some people could get by without it if that were to happen but I wouldnt be able too. I do alot of business thru text messages. have 270 sep convos on my iphone right now. im willing to bet alot of of those people dont have one of those 3 smart phones and at .20 and .30 cents a pop id be over $20 a month in no time.

lancastor said:

Jabber, WhatsApp......

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, there's a certain reality that these apps face...



In short: Jabber and WhatsApp aren't really the answer, since apps are required. This isn't to say smartphone users won't download apps in general. But, some may resent buying a new app that duplicates something their phone already does, be it BBM, iMessage, etc. having an app available doesn't guarantee universal adoption. And so, like it or not, the fragmentation will continue. Even if you think WhatsApp is the best thing in the world, that doesn't mean everyone will see it your way and use it.

And they don't solve the problem: they just proliferate more standards that don't talk to the other standards. And the BBMs and iMessages of the world see no reason to interoperate because they're perceived as exclusive to their respective platforms... therefore, reasons to draw people TO those platforms. To get BBM, you must buy a BlackBerry. To get iMessage, you MUST buy Apple hardware.

So, what's the standard that's ubiquitous, interoperable, and built in to all of these devices? That's still SMS. Even if you gotta pay $20 a month for it.

CrAkD said:

ive never used whatsapp but my experience with app store messengers is they are slow as molasses I dont even like texting people on prepaid phones because I get a response like 8 hours later sometimes days later.

The other downfall is I dont want to sign up for a screen name or some ridiculous number to remember. sending messages to phone numbers is fine with me. I have an unlimited plan and im hyped about imessage for the extra features but I dont see anyway to ditch the text plan anytime soon unless everyone I know and work with gets iphones. They will never come up with something that works perfectly like imessage but spans android and rim. not to mention youd still need a text plan for people with cheap dumb phones.

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Whatsapp uses phone number if they are in your contacts and have whatsapp they are added to your favorites, very reliable

andersonmattt said:

But it has nowhere near the market penetration to justify canceling an sms plan. Unfortunately, you will never get every person you want to text to download the same app just to communicate.

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Agreed not everyone has smart phones but a whatsapp could help some to not need unlimited

I don't see the big deal with these BBM type of messaging, it's the same as a text. If you really can't afford $10-20 a month for texting then you don't need a smartphone. And, if you don't text often just pay the per text cost. My sister-in-law/father/mother texts less than 20 texts a month - if that.

Not everyone needs texting, but for most $20 isn't that much. You're already paying $199 for most phones and around $100 total a month.

iisforiphone said:

Mmm people don't want to download apps, interesting and these are smartphone owners your talking about?

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read what i said again, and respond accordingly...

i never said people don't want to download apps, i said people don't want to download apps to text.. ala, communicate, talk, message, etc.

go to someone and say "hey download whatsapp so we can talk" 99% of the time you'll get this response: "just text me, it's easier" -- WHICH IT IS. now if the app was integrated into the phone (BBM, iMessage), then it would be more ideal for everyone. now just make those two programs into one program, and make them on all platforms and we're talking.

The odds of this happening are RIM to NIM, Shnapple to Apple, or Oogle to Google. Or NIM Shnapple Oogle.

I was able to get a small circle of my friends and I using Kik Messenger for a while in an effort to cut down on text plans. Unfortunately, all it took was one Sunday afternoon of Kik's servers going down and our messages over a three or four hour period heading into the void to move everybody back to regular messaging.

That is definitely the advantage of a native solution. At least with iMessage, if it can't send it via iMessage it sends it as a normal text.

andersonmattt said:

Does anybody think its possible that
1) Apple, Google, and RIM are even able to create a unified messaging system, and
2) Would it would be possible to survive with that service alone, no sms plans required?

Click to expand...

Possible? Sure, anything is possible. Likely? No.

acfusion29 said:

we need apps that are INTEGRATED, integrated into the OS. not something you download from the app store. people don't wanna download apps from the app store to text message, and that's why whatsapp, live profile, and all those other 3rd party apps have failed.

Click to expand...

You want != we need. Speak for yourself. I have no such need. If I did need a cross platform messaging solution I'd use one of the ones currently available.

acfusion29 said:

read what i said again, and respond accordingly...

i never said people don't want to download apps, i said people don't want to download apps to text.. ala, communicate, talk, message, etc.

go to someone and say "hey download whatsapp so we can talk" 99% of the time you'll get this response: "just text me, it's easier" -- WHICH IT IS. now if the app was integrated into the phone (BBM, iMessage), then it would be more ideal for everyone. now just make those two programs into one program, and make them on all platforms and we're talking.

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oh i understood what you said i think thats a BS reason to give, if my friend says download this app so i can text for free becasue i have limited text plan then i would do it, if i didnt im not to interested in sending recieving texts from them

everyone will moan and groan for intergration but why not use whats available for the time being?

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takeshi74 said:

Possible? Sure, anything is possible. Likely? No.


You want != we need. Speak for yourself. I have no such need. If I did need a cross platform messaging solution I'd use one of the ones currently available.

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maybe you havnt heard, but people dont download apps to text

email

an email app comes preloaded on every platform out there, all can use push and you can choose which provider you want and they all work together, on all platforms it's as easy to set up as push a button (though for push on hotmail and gmail on iOS you would have to use exchange)
but the point stands once set up it just works.
I for one will carry using email over IM for the cross platform compatibility

simples