Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve heard rumblings of Google‘s new unified chat service in the past, called Babel, but it seems the company is expected to announce the new service at Google I/O next week. However, before they do that, it’s been reported that Babel is being rebranded as Google Hangouts, and will merge with the company’s current Google+ Hangouts video chat feature.

TechRadar reports that their sources at Google have confirmed that the company is ditching the Babel moniker and will be going with “Hangouts” for its official launch. New screenshots also suggest that the new chat service has been rebranded as Hangouts, showing menu items that say “Sign out of Hangouts” and “add people to this hangout.”

This means that not only will Google+ Hangouts receive the new name that it pretty much already has, Google Talk will also be operating under the Hangouts name as well. Since this is an effort from Google to unify all of its chat services, it should definitely clear up any confusion between Google’s various chat services (like the confusing difference between Gmail Chat and Google Talk, which are essentially the same but operate under different names).

We started to hear babblings about a possible unified chat service from Google last month, when initial screenshots were also leaked by TechRadar. The images showed what the chat interface looks like, as well as some of the emoticons that would be available. However, the photos were taken at close range, so we aren’t able to get a good look at the big picture (pun intended).

As for how the new unified chat service will be implemented into Google’s various web services, that’s still up in the air, and we should take these rumors with a grain of salt anyway, but it’s possible that Google will simply incorporate Hangouts in all of their services with an icon that shows up in the bottom-right corner or something. We could also see a Hangouts mobile app from Google as well, which would get rid of the need for the Google Talk app. We’ll be at Google I/O 2013 next week, and we’ll keep our eyes and ears open for any discussions on a new chat service.

[Source: TechRadar]

Google Babel to rebrand as Google Hangouts, could launch at Google I/O is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s not all WhatsApp and LINE. If you’re in Korea, then your messaging app of choice is most likely to be Kakao Talk, and Evernote hopes that allying with the app will expand its remit and boost its presence in Asia. The team-up looks set to bring Evernote’s services within the chat window of your Kakao Talk conversations, allowing users to share images, links and entire messages to their private note locker.

According to Evernote CEO Phil Libin, the company’s products have typically been “quite introverted; keeping your own memories and information for your own use.” He added that Evernote is always looking for ways to improve sharing and collaboration with the app: “There is a lot we can learn about sharing and communication by working with Kakao.” The messaging app’s CEO Lee Sir-goo added that the partnership would “elevate the status of Kakao Talk as a global mobile platform,” with the Evernote-optimized iteration arriving in the next two to three months. Now, to figure out exactly how many messaging apps is too many messaging apps.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile

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Source: TNW, Korea Herald

A new proposal from the government would require tech companies like Facebook or Google to allow law enforcement to place real-time wiretaps on a suspect’s communication mediums, like messaging apps, emails, and more. Law officials would present a court-ordered request to the companies, and if the companies don’t comply, they would receive a fine amounting to tens of thousands of dollars. If they choose not to pay the fine after 90 days, the fines will double each day afterwards.

This information comes from current and former U.S. officials who discussed the new proposal with the Washington Post. They say that the FBI is concerned that without having access to real-time communications from suspects, they could be missing out on critical evidence. Michael Sussmann, a former federal prosecutor and partner at the law firm Perkins Coie’s, stated that if there’s data that can be used to solve crimes, “the government will be interested.” He also says,

“Today, if you’re a tech company that’s created a new and popular way to communicate, it’s only a matter of time before the FBI shows up with a court order to read or hear some conversation.”

The proposal would let companies come up with their own ways to implement a wiretap-like feature. As long as the companies are able to come up with a solution that provides the FBI the information it needs, anything can work. In 2005, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), was expanded to require service providers and VoIP providers to implement real-time interception in their products. Now the FBI is seeking to expand the CALEA to cover social networks, messengers, and even online games as well.

The proposal has drawn a lot of criticism from civil rights groups, companies, and experts. Many companies assure their users before signing up that they will protect their privacy, so being required to implement wiretaps would result in a loss of customers for these companies. The wiretaps are also potentially susceptible to attacks from hackers seeking to use the wiretaps to spy on people and obtain sensitive information. Greg Nojeim, Senior Counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology, stated,

“This proposal is a non-starter that would drive innovators overseas and cost American jobs. They might as well call it the Cyber Insecurity and Anti-Employment Act.”

[via Washington Post]

FBI seeks to fine tech companies failing to comply with real-time wiretaps is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Mobile instant messaging apps have overtaken SMS for the first time, new research suggests, marking a likely end of the text message cash-cow for operators. Nearly 19bn IM chat messages were sent every day in 2012 on average, according to research firm Informa, in comparison to 17.6bn traditional text messages, with analysts claiming some carriers are already “seeing a decline in their messaging revenues.”

Services like Apple’s iMessage and popular third-party title WhatsApp have become widespread, routing chat messages over the data network rather than using SMS or MMS. That usually means far lower cost, with basic text using tiny amounts of data versus the inflated per-message charge that SMS currently demands.

The simplicity and spread of IM, particularly on smartphones, will see SMS continue to lose pace in comparison to its cheaper counterpart. By 2014, Informa predicts, nearly 50bn IM messages will be sent every day; in contrast, the research firm expects around 21bn SMS to be sent daily in the same period.

Nonetheless, despite the rise of IM applications, Informa still sees a role for SMS, if only in developing markets where smartphone penetration is less advanced. For those with low-cost devices that lack either stable data connections or any app support whatsoever, traditional text messages may still present the best approach for non-voice communication.

[via BBC]

Chat apps leave SMS behind as carrier cash-cow falters is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’re an Android user who prefers Viber for VoIP and messaging, you may not want to leave your phone unattended in the near future. Bkav Internet Security has discovered an exploit that will bypass the lock screen on Android phones new and old (including the Nexus 4) as long as pop-up notifications are active. While the exact actions vary from phone to phone, all that’s really needed is an incoming message or two, a handful of taps and the back button to reach the home screen. App users can disable the pop-ups as a short-term workaround, although they thankfully won’t have to do that for long when Viber promises that a patch is on the way. There’s only a small chance that a malicious attacker will both get their mitts on your phone and know that you’ve got Viber installed, but we’d advise against using statistical probability as a security measure.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: Ars Technica

Source: Bkav