More over WhatsApp: There’s a new chatting app in town.
We Chat – developed by the Chinese internet giant Tencent that runs popular portal and instant messenger QQ – allows users to send messages, photos, audio files, and videos, just like WhatsApp.
The new features the app brings to the table include:
-Look Around: Where a user’s location, photos, and a “What’s up” personal greeting are broadcasted to strangers using the app nearby. It’s a bit weird to say the least… but could this be the future of internet hook-ups? “I’m within 500-meters of you and I’m horny.”
-Shake: Where users can shake the app to exchange contact details and even make more advanced gestures to share contact lists. Very similar to Bump.
-Drift Bottle: Where users can “throw a bottle” (i.e. a voice or text message) out into the “sea” (i.e. the local WeChat user community) and hope that someone responds. When a user chooses to “pick up” a bottle, a message from someone nearby is randomly chosen and the user can reply or “throw back.”
The app is a global version of Tencent’s Weixin, which is reportedly the biggest messaging app in the world with 100 million users, mostly in China. Tencent is marketing the app heavily on Facebook in Singapore according to TechInAsia, but we haven’t noticed any ads here in Thailand. Have you? We have found a Thailand Facebook page.
The fact that one’s exact location is so integral to We Chat is a bit creepy… so is the fact that it says it will “encrypt” your contact list, if you choose to allow the app to access it. We Chat says that your location data “will be saved for a short period” and that you can clear the data any time manually. We suppose that it’s not much different from other location-recording mobile apps, right? We shall see.
Let us know what you think about We Chat if you give it a try!
