Mobile Instant messaging is the engineering that allows instant messaging services to be accessed from a portable device, runing from criterion Mobile phones to smartphones. It is done two ways:
- Embedded clients – tailored IM client for every specific device.
- Clientless platform – a browser-based application that does non necessitate to download any package to the French telephone and enables all users and all devices from any web to link to their Internet IM service, ideally.
With newer app-frenzy smartphones come ining the market about every twenty-four hours and information battalions acquiring cheaper, SMS is progressively being replaced by such unrecorded messaging apps for text communicating, every bit good as multi-media sharing. The combination of presence consciousness and real-time messaging oi¬ered by instant messaging systems has proved to be the beginning of such applications in the Internet, garnering 100s of 1000000s of users.
The recent prohibition and subsequent limitations on majority SMS has left many ferocious, particularly childs who rely on it to remain connected with friends and household. Instantaneous Messaging nomadic applications rely on the cyberspace and are otherwise free of cost. Thus, even while going, if one can pull off to entree any internet connexion, be it Wi-Fi or 3G, one can remain connected to people through the agencies of these web based applications and can get away the heavy roaming rates.
These apps contain a batch of characteristics and offers that have attracted more and more users. For the intent of this study, we have used the following apps – Whatsapp, Viber, Hike, BBM, and Google+ Messenger and on popular Mobile platforms – Io, Android, Symbian, BlackBerry OS, Windows OS.
BlackBerry Messenger ( BBM )
It is an application downloaded entirely to BlackBerry units. It allows blackberry users to SMS/chat/share multimedia files all across the Earth ( every bit long as both have entree to the cyberspace ) with each other. Hence, long distance calls cost much lesser in BBM.
Personal Experience: We Used BBM on BlackBerry Bold. BBM is pre-installed on BlackBerry devices. Group communicating is n’t limited to merely messages, it can be used to portion exposures, lists, pictures, etc. It requires a separate BlackBerry pin/barcode of user you want to add to your contact list is required. Auto-sync characteristic ( with phone book contacts ) found in popular IM apps these yearss is losing. Its biggest drawback, nevertheless, is that its communicating is merely BlackBerry to BlackBerry.
It is a cross platform messaging service similar to BBM. It automatically scans your phone ‘s contacts to happen friends utilizing the service.
Personal Experience: We Used Whatsapp on Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo V, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Omnia W, Nokia 5233, iPhone 3GS & A ; 4S, BlackBerry Bold. It has a clean User Interface. If used specifically for messaging, Whatsapp is most recommended ( as per study conducted as good ) . Presentments in other applications ( Viber ) are non consistent. File sharing is speedy. From our experience, it is the lone app that worked systematically good on all the platforms/devices.
The app barely of all time clangs. It costs $ 0.99 on Io platform, $ 0.99 per twelvemonth on Android after initial 7 month free test. Though, most users have n’t yet been charged even after 1-2 old ages of usage. One would wish to utilize the app at the same time on assorted devices like check, Personal computer and phone, which is non possible as it can be used merely on one platform at a clip. Lapp is the instance for Hike and Viber. Whatsapp does n’t advise if an bing contact joins Whatsapp, it merely adds them to the favourites tab.
Hike
Hike is a peer-to-peer ( P2P ) messaging app that uses both informations and SMS to present messages. One of its cardinal characteristics is that those who do n’t hold Hike on their phones can have an IM as an SMS. You can besides react to it but have to pay normal SMS charges for that. Hike offers 100 free SMSes within India, after which the normal SMS charges will use. This is the cardinal discriminator since other apps ( like WhatsApp ) do n’t offer this.
Personal Experience: Used Hike on Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo V, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Omnia W, Nokia 5233, iPhone 3GS, BlackBerry Bold. The most dramatic characteristic of Hike is its UI. It has a soothing white and bluish combination and is simple to utilize. On Android platform, we were non able to play.mov files sent by iPhone users. It requires cosmopolitan file format. Emoticon were non wholly compatible on assorted platforms, particularly, iPhones. Android Hike app was unable to open the right image at times from a clicked thumbnail. For Android, the app works merely on v2.2 or subsequently.
Viber
This application supports free VOIP calls on your phone. It allows users to do free calls, send free messages and exposure messages to other Viber users. Viber includes text, image and picture messaging across all platforms, with voice naming available merely to iPhone, Android and Nokia ‘s Windows Phone.
Personal Experience: Used Viber on Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo V, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Omnia W, Nokia 5233, iPhone 3GS, BlackBerry Bold. Voice quality deteriorates with clip. Its best public presentation was obtained on iOS platform, and poorest on Symbian OS. Video and audio files can non be shared, though voice calls among viber users are allowed. The most recent, stable version of the app allows location sharing. Skype mobile a better option as it covers about all characteristics present in Viber ( except automatic contacts import ) and provides better voice quality.
Google + Messenger
Google offers video chew the fating on computing machines and nomadic devices with front-facing cameras via Google+ Hangouts. It contains all the basic characteristics of voice and picture call along screen reversal option similar to Skype Mobile. It can besides bridge the technological divide by allowing Android and iPhone users digitally hang out. Video quality is solid and clean.
Personal Experience: It automatically synchs with your Google plus web. Image sharing is allowed while picture sharing has n’t yet been enabled. Video quality is better than Skype Mobile.
Survey Analysis
We conducted a study of 67 pupils of IIIT-D to happen out which was the most popular IM Mobile app used. ( Refer to Appendix for graphical analysis of the study )
The followers were the consequences of the study:
- The consequences revealed Whatsapp to be the clear victor among the apps surveyed.
- It got the highest evaluation across all nomadic platforms.
- Its file-sharing and automatic phone book contacts synchronism were the most liked characteristics.
- Peoples by and large tend to utilize this app as it is more normally used by their friends and contacts.
Decision
IM Mobile Apps have become the most outstanding tools of communicating and amusement these yearss particularly among childs. SMS is progressively being replaced by such unrecorded messaging apps for text communicating, every bit good as multi-media sharing due to decreased informations battalion rates, limitation on majority SMS, increased grasp for existent clip messaging and decreased cost outgo particularly for long distance communcation.
From we conclude that Google+ Messenger is the most feature rich application, chiefly due to its first-class voice and picture call capablenesss. The study consequences reveal that Whatsapp is the most popular nomadic application. While, most of these apps integrated rather good with the popular Mobile Operating Systems, Whatsapp was most compatible among all applications while BBM being restricted to BlackBerry OS is at the other extreme. Android and Io showed better compatibility with most of the apps while Symbian was least compatible. Whatsapp proved to be most dependable as it barely clangs, while Viber proved to be to the lowest degree dependable as the application frequently tends to hang.
Mentions
- hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_instant_messaging
- hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhatsApp
- hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viber
- hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry_Messenger
- hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Talk # Mobile_device_compatibility
- hypertext transfer protocol: //www.guardian.co.uk/technology/shortcuts/2012/dec/04/whatsapp-new-text-messaging
- hypertext transfer protocol: //developer.blackberry.com/devzone/blackberryworld/bbm/
- hypertext transfer protocol: //firstteck.blogspot.in/2013/01/hike-for-android-update-128-bit-ssl.html
- hypertext transfer protocol: //www.brighthub.com/mobile/iphone/reviews/86901.aspx
- hypertext transfer protocol: //thomas.do/post/22506567966/viber-vs-whatsapp
- hypertext transfer protocol: //dailyappblogger.com/viber-review-ios/
