12 Jun 2013

eBuddy

eBuddy

Ebuddy Robot.JPG
Type Private
Headquarters Amsterdam, Netherlands
London, UK
San Francisco, California, USA
Founder(s) Paulo Taylor
Jan-Joost Rueb
Onno Bakker
Slogan(s) "Web and Mobile messaging for everyone everywhere"
Website www.ebuddy.com
Type of site Instant messaging
Registration Optional
Available in Multilingual
Launched 2003
Current status Active
eBuddy is a privately held Dutch software company that primarily offers mobile instant messaging solutions. The company offers various kinds of instant messaging services for mobile devices and the web. Its product portfolio includes: eBuddy Chat, an instant messaging service for browser-based web, mobile devices with various instant messaging services, and eBuddy XMS, a cross-platform BlackBerry Messenger-type messaging service. eBuddy was launched in 2003 under the name e-Messenger, located at www.e-messenger.net, before re-branding itself in 2006 as eBuddy. eBuddy Chat supports Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, Hyves, ICQ, Google Talk, MySpace Instant Messenger and Facebook Chat using one interface. Its client software is also available for iOS, Android, Nokia Store and Java ME. eBuddy XMS client software is available for iOS, Android, BlackBerry OS, Symbian, Windows Phone and Series 40.
The company is backed by Prime Technology Ventures and Lowland Capital Partners. It is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and has offices in Singapore and San Francisco, USA. In addition to the software being available on the official website, users may host a log-in widget on their own webpages and blogs to provide direct access to the software.

History

eBuddy was originally developed by Paulo Taylor. His idea was established as a consequence from a bet to develop MSN Messenger, as it was named in 2003, for a mobile phone. After several weeks he won the bet, and uploaded the application to a server. A web version was soon developed following users' demands. As user traffic spurred, Paulo decided to take the idea further. On September 9, 2003, Taylor, together with two partners, created EverywhereMSN.com. However, following a Microsoft claim, on December 4, 2003, the domain name was changed to e-messenger.net.On May 1, 2004, e-Messenger became incorporated. On June 1, 2006, e-Messenger was renamed "eBuddy". On September 21, 2011, eBuddy announced they had reached 250,000,000 users. They also detailed that their mobile products received 33,000,000 users monthly.

eBuddy Web Messenger

eBuddy Web Messenger contact list in 2008
eBuddy Web Messenger is the free browser-based version of eBuddy. It does not require any installation of additional software other than a web browser. This is particularly useful when an Instant Messaging Application cannot be installed, for example in the workplace or on shared computers. The current version of eBuddy Web Messenger was introduced on October 15, 2009. It is the third generation of eBuddy's Web Messenger, which claims to provide speed boost and reliability improvements compared to the prior generation.
Other features include a combined buddylist for all chat networks, tabbed chatting, font formatting for messages, and support for emoticons. It also supports the ability to send and receive offline messages. By August 2010, recent chat history, an inline YouTube player, an updated Facebook implementation, and desktop notifications for Google Chrome were launched. The web messenger is available in multiple languages. In contrast to eBuddy's Mobile Messengers, an eBuddy ID is not required to use the Web Messenger. Prior generations of the Web Messenger included webcam chat, but this seems to be removed from the most recent version.

eBuddy Mobile Messenger

In June 2007, eBuddy Mobile Messenger, a Java ME client, was released to work on the top 600 cellular phones used worldwide. This version offers features like uploading an avatar and sending pictures in chat. The software is usable after being downloaded as an application. Features included in this variant are similar to the web messenger, with support for sending and receiving offline messages, being able to upload pictures to use as an avatar, and the ability to send pictures in chat. The Mobile Messenger also supports sound and vibration. A later version, released in January 2009, added more features which improved software usability, and lowered power use of the device running it.

eBuddy for iOS

On July 13, 2007, eBuddy released an Alpha version for iOS operating system; the iPhone and iPod Touch. It is based on the same Ajax platform as the web version. At the start of 2008, this version was replaced by eBuddy Lite Messenger for iPhone. This mobile web-based version of eBuddy is optimized for the iPhone and also works on the iPod Touch. The features are very similar to the Mobile Messenger, but also include added support for the Safari browser found on the iPhone. eBuddy currently offers pro and lite versions for eBuddy chat for iOS based devices, the former being the premium version which offers a few extras, while the latter is an ad-supported and offers fewer features.

eBuddy for Android

EbuddyforAndroid.png
On May 14, 2009, eBuddy launched eBuddy for Android, an app to chat on smartphones running Android operating systems. The features provided by this variant are similar to the standard mobile messenger service, but are adapted to support the Android status bar, with support for sounds, vibrations, and buzzers. eBuddy for Android is available in the Android Market. It topped 250,000 downloads on January 14, 2010.

eBuddy for Nokia

eBuddy was released on the Nokia Store for Nokia smartphones in 2010. eBuddy on Nokia Store offers a Java ME version for both Symbian and Series 40. It reached 1 million downloads in under three months,and reached 3 million downloads by August 2010.

eBuddy ID

In February 2008, eBuddy introduced the eBuddy ID, which allows easy access to eBuddy networks. With this eBuddy ID, users are able to login with multiple Instant Messaging accounts, and are able to access premium features like Webcam Chat.

Awards and Recognition

eBuddy has around 250 million users. There are 50 million and 10 million downloads on Android and Nokia Store respectively, but these numbers also include multiple installations by same users in different time frames. Awards won by eBuddy include The Crunchies Awards for "Best International Startup" in 2008, Mashable Awards for "Best Mobile App" in 2009, and Mashable Awards for "Best Mobile User Experience" in 2010.

Updates and modifications

  • September 2005 – Integrated Ajax into e-Messenger
  • August 2006 – Established US server platform
  • June 16, 2007 – Released new mobile Java ME client and new beta web IM version
  • August 22, 2007 – Released MySpace IM for the beta web version
  • July 28, 2008 – Released optimized version, eBuddy Lite Messenger, for iPhone and iPod Touch, plus other features
  • July 29, 2008 – Released version 0.99 of the eBuddy Mobile Messenger
  • September 19, 2008 – Released new versions of eBuddy Mobile and Lite Messenger, including support for Facebook and ICQ
  • May 6, 2009 – Released new eBuddy Web Messenger with Webcam Chat
  • May 14, 2009 – Released eBuddy for Android

 




0 comments:

Post a Comment

Deeksha. Powered by Blogger.