Those who have read my post 5 most wanted Facebook features might have got an idea that I am not the kind of a person who is happy with whatever is given to him. I like to quarry around until I find a few gaffes and when it comes to technology, I feel privileged in pointing out the missing plums in the cake.

On hearing the name social messenger, the first thing that flashes in our mind is ‘Whatsapp’, the messenger that gained popularity within days of its birth. Though surrounded by competitors that claim to be more feature-filled, whatsapp’s popularity has always been on the rise. But as the saying goes- “Nothing is perfect”, whatsapp too has a few features lacking that averts it from being the perfect social messenger. Here is a list of 5 features, which I would love to see in Whatsapp.

1) The login/logout feature: Though whatsapp has been created to be used as an alternative to the native SMS, the automatic login and regular pop-up notifications tend to irritate us at times. A login/logout feature is just what is needed for people who don’t want to be disturbed every time they connect to the internet.

yeah!!

2) The PC and Mac edition: Those who prefer laptops/PCs or Macbooks over smartphones might just be missing their favorite social messenger on their devices. Though whatsapp can be used in PC using emulators, an exclusive pc/mac edition is required for a richer user experience.

this one from Whatsapp+ looks great..

3) Themes: the only customizing option (appearance) available in whatsapp is its background. Even then, the background is visible only to the one who changes it. The default layout is not much appealing either. A few customizable themes along with a better User Interface might do the trick.(note: Whatsapp+, designed by XDA lets you customize the themes)

4) File Sharing: For students like me who send and receive study materials and other files most often through the messengers or social networks, the absence of document/pdf sharing feature in Whatsapp will be a big concern. This feature is available in Facebook chat messenger that also provides security so that no harmful files are transferred.

somewhat like...

5) More and better stickers/emoticons: This is where messengers like the one in Facebook, Viber and WeChat are much better off than Whatsapp. Though the stickers are not scarce, they are neither large, nor animated. Why not rent a few from Facebook?

And here are a few more that just couldn't make it to the list..

• a feature that allows you to take the screenshot of the chat in progress and share it.

• multiple group admins, limitless group members and a set of rules for a particular group.

• optional 'last seen', as in Hike messenger.

Got any more? Share it using the comment box.

A whopping $19 billion. Thats what Facebook spent in order to buy the most popular messenger- whatsapp.

Facebook’s hold over the mobile messaging giant whatsapp is the most trending topic of today. The social networking giant added whatsapp to its collection. This was a rather unexpected step from Mark Zuckerberg and its going to change the way people interact. Let us have a look at  what it has got in store for the company, the advertisers and of course, the common users.

What it means to the company?

With more than 7.2 billion active users and as many pages, Facebook rules the world of social networking and  with the addition of whatsapp, the most popular mobile messenger, no wonder, its going to be more addictive than ever. But was Zuckerberg really looking for a messenger worth 19 billion USD  or was he looking for something else to replace the not so inspiring facebook messenger ? Here is how, in my opinion, the company, the users and the advertisers would benefit from it.

do you like the whatbook.err...or.. faceapp??

Furthermore, if Facebook happens to replace its outdated and rather clumsy  chat messenger with the popular WhatsApp messenger to the liking of users, Facebook would be able to draw more attention and prevent existing users from bidding goodbye. We truly hope that such a replacement would also prevent the lags currently faced by the native chat messenger.
As I mentioned earlier, whatsapp is the most popular messaging app with almost no competition. On the other hand, Facebook messenger’s failure in mobile devices has paved the way for whatsapp to attract more users than Facebook. Now, thanks to the masterful step from Zuckerberg, the threat has been eliminated and Facebook can keep the hope of ruling over the world of social networking for years to come, alive.

What it means to the Users?

The integration of Whatsapp messenger with Facebook will give the users a more user friendly experience and it would add to the fun. All the lags faced by Facebook chat would be covered up by this advanced messenger. The replacement of the native messenger with the new Whatsapp messenger would thus be an important step.

Further, the small demands and the problems of  Whatsapp users would be taken care off by Facebook. The high end security provided by Facebook would also be available in Whatsapp too.

However, a problem may arise if the company makes it mandatory for Whatsapp users to have a Facebook account in order to continue using it. There hasn’t been any such news thus far and we hope we don’t hear it anytime in the future too.

What it means to the advertisers?

Advertisers can experience an even more comfortable way to promote their business. Advertisers will be able to extend their promotions to a larger audience in an easy way. This will attract more attention both from the Facbook users and the Whatsappers too.

Thus said, In my opinion, Facebook has indeed made the most of its time and money. We are exited to try it out - the whatbook.