Can you imaging a video call without being able to listen to the other people? Well, Yahoo is trying to make the same thing happen with the new Livetext application. This is a new app that seeks to make video calling a private one as texting.
Yahoo claims that video calls can be better than texts to express the emotions, but the audio component makes the private conversations public. With the new Livetext app, you can message your friends by typing similar to texting, but see videos of your friends without any audio component.
This is the latest evidence to show that Yahoo is trying to catch up in the mobile services since Marissa Mayer took charge as the company’s CEO before three years. Already, competitors such as Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and others provide video calling service. However, the silencing audio is the twist of the Livetext app.
As of now, it is not clear on how much traction this application will get. Friends will have to be used to use Livetext. The pool of users using the service is too small as compared to those of established challengers. Yahoo stated that it did not want to tap into the existing network of millions of users to keep the experience intimate. In order to use Livetext, the users have to create a separate ID and make friend requests using the address book of their phone.
After being tested in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Ireland along with some US college campuses, the Livetext app will be released on Thursday in the US, Germany, Canada, France and UK for both Apple and Android platforms.
Regarding the Yahoo Livetext app, Arjun Sethi, the Senior Director of Product Management at Yahoo stated that while texting is quick and easy, you miss the meaning of a message, have to explain your reaction (‘LOL’) or wait for hours to get a response. In Livetext, the goofy look or smile of your smile is enough for the conversation.
