Seven says its instant messaging (IM) application is now available for mobile operators and device manufacturers to incorporate into their offerings. Seven will demonstrate the solution next week at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show in San Diego.
Seven's IM application is powered by System Seven, a mobile push platform for mass market devices, which can scale to millions of users. Seven points to forecasts showing the number of IM accounts will grow to more than 3.7 billion by 2012, making it one of the largest mobile service opportunities after e-mail.
The definition of a smartphone used to refer primarily to an open operating system like Windows Mobile, and feature phones used BREW and J2ME. People figured if they wanted a good e-mail experience, they needed a BlackBerry. But now, working with carriers and handset vendors, Seven is bringing capabilities like e-mail and IM to lower-end phones, and it's increasingly difficult to distinguish between a "smart" phone and a "regular" phone, says David Ratner, senior vice president of engineering and delivery at Seven.
Where Research In Motion (RIM) made a name for itself in mobile e-mail with BlackBerry, it's limited to the type of handset a consumer can buy. "Seven is all about choice," he says. That includes choice of handset, as well as service and software.
Ratner points out that with Seven's IM solution, the device and IM client are pinged only when new information needs to be delivered, which helps maximize the device's battery life.
The solution supports multiple IM accounts, including Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, ICQ, Microsoft Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk. Seven says the user experience mirrors that of the desktop, with functionality such as buddy lists, presence enablement, status updates, chat and the ability to find and invite friends.
Seven's technology powers the e-mail app in the Samsung Instinct set of devices; the Instinct HD went on sale this past weekend with Sprint. Seven isn't commenting specifically on the Instinct and IM, but you're likely to see Seven's IM technology in devices by the end of this year and certainly by early next year, according to Isabelle Dumont, senior director of marketing.