Facebook is building a Snapchat alternative called Slingshot
Facebook is said to be building a video-messaging app to
rival the Snapchat messaging service.
The new app is known internally as Slingshot and could be
launched this month, the Financial Times reported Sunday, citing people
familiar with the work. A source told the newspaper that Facebook may yet
decide not to move forward with the product.
Facebook said it "does not comment on reports based on
rumors and speculation."
Slingshot will allow users to exchange short video messages,
the newspaper reported. It is meant to compete directly with Snapchat, a
popular messaging app that allows its users to snap a quick photo or video that
will disappear after being viewed.
Snapchat added text and video chat features earlier this
month.
Facebook's alternative won't offer video calls but will
rather work like TapTalk, an app that lets users tap a friend's profile picture
to quickly send a photo or video that is deleted after being seen, according to
the Financial Times.
Slingshot has been in the works for several months and will
probably be a stand-alone app, the Financial Times said, adding that Facebook's
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been personally overseeing the project after his
company failed to buy Snapchat for US$3 billion last year.
Facebook decided to kill its early Snapchat clone Poke
earlier this month. Launched in 2012, Poke let users send "pokes",
photos and other messages to friends, but it didn't seem to catch on.
Facebook is also buying its way into the messaging app
market as a route to reaching younger users. It is in the process of acquiring
WhatsApp, which has about 450 million users.
Loek is Amsterdam Correspondent and covers online privacy,
intellectual property, open-source and online payment issues for the IDG News
Service. Follow him on Twitter at @loekessers or email tips and comments to
loek_essers@idg.com
The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.
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