Attention WhatsApp, iMessage, Viber and other SMS-killing users: Meet the competition, mysms. This service brings us a step closer to WebRTC in that it enables chat through a browser. While WebRTC will ultimately not require any third-party involvement, mysms bridges the gap between app-based communication and true WebRTC.
The service is available for download on smartphones, tablets and computers. It can also be used on any browser at app.mysms.com, which doesn’t require any downloads.
After downloading the app to my iPhone, I have the option to invite my phone contacts to the app; the only way to communicate on mysms is with friends who already have a mysms account, just like WhatsApp. Android offers a few more capabilities than iOS, such as allowing users to see their recent text messages in a left-hand column, organized by phone number or contact name.
I know the appeal of WhatsApp for me is the ease of use for group chats. mysms offers a group feature that allows up to 50 mysms friends to create, leave, rename or delete a group. Users can also personalize the app by choosing different wallpapers, and insert a contact photo, signatures and languages.
So, why would people choose to use this? A big benefit mysms offers is its multiplatform capabilities. Being able to see, send, receive and control messages from any of these given platforms (tablet, smartphone, Web browser, computer desktop) meets the mobility needs of consumers today. This especially applies to business people, who may be accessible through any of these mediums throughout the day. It’s also Internet-based, so you’re not getting charged for SMS messaging.
The app also offers Evernote integration, which is an added bonus for workers who use Evernote for managing documents. By combining mysms and Evernote, they’ll have their contacts and important documents literally in the palm of their hand whenever they need them.
The Future of Real-Time Communications
WebRTC is a disruptive technology that offers true collaboration. Instead of users from different organizations and locations trying to focus on equipment interoperability, WebRTC uses a tool we’re all familiar with: the Web. It focuses on enabling voice, video, IM, file sharing and collaboration in real-time over the Internet for users, and takes away a lot of work from developers.
While mysms enables users to communicate within the app over the browser, it’s still not quite what most would consider pure WebRTC. The idea behind WebRTC is that we won’t need to communicate over our browsers via a third-party service, such as an app. WebRTC will recognize URLs or Internet addresses and enable users to communicate, regardless of what app they are logged into or software they have downloaded.
“Imagine a world where no matter what we use or where we are, we could all communicate via video, hassle-free, for free — native video from Apple devices to Samsung devices, from business phones to the TV in your living room, from your car to your home to a beach in Hawaii. That is what WebRTC can do for us,” explained Erik Lagerway, cofounder of Hookflash, in an article last fall.
Though a lot of developments have been made in furthering WebRTC capabilities, there is still a lot to learn. The WebRTC Conference and Expo is hosting workshops, training sessions, panels and demonstrations for industry professionals to discuss and develop industry standards, business impacts and educational resources. It’s an event not to miss if you are interested in staying ahead of the game for the future of communications.
Edited by
Rory J. Thompson
