Yahoo has released a new messaging app that combines video and texting, but not quite the way you're probably thinking of it. Also, this new app is currently only available in Hong Kong, so you're going to have to wait to try it out for yourself—if you ever get the chance.
The app, called Livetext, went live earlier this month in the Hong Kong iTunes App Store. Fire it up, and you and your friends can send text messages to one another over video feeds of you watching you do just that. Only, here's the kicker: The videos themselves are silent. Presumably, the app is designed to give you a bit richer of an experience than what mere emoticons in text messages could provide, as you're staring at real faces reacting to whatever it is you're typing. We confess, we think video chatting or FaceTiming would be a bit easier.
"We're always experimenting with new product experiences that delight our users. We have nothing further to share at this time," said a Yahoo spokesperson in a statement provided to TechCrunch.
Is this the app that's supposed to replace Yahoo Messenger, however? That part, we're not clear on. Yahoo pulled the plug on the Yahoo Messenger app in May of this year—to little fanfare. Though it's doubtful that the company would want to ignore the messaging space entirely, at least Yahoo Messenger had cross-platform appeal. A silent texting service that's currently an iOS exclusive, and doesn't appear to be anything that you can also contribute to with your desktop or laptop computer, is a bit of a departure from Yahoo's previous messaging service.
"The advent of smartphones led a shift towards convenience and speed. We've gone from communicating primarily with our voices to using our fingers to text on glass. But somewhere, along the way we lost the natural flow of conversation. Our solution is to go back to the basics, by putting your words and your friend's real-time reactions at the center of your interaction. We've removed audio from the equation, as it's rarely convenient in today's fast-paced world," reads Yahoo's description for Livetext.
"Livetext transforms simple conversations into rich, fun, and memorable experiences. It's an entirely new way to stay in touch. For example, livetext your friends no matter where you are—whether you're hanging out with other friends, at a ballgame, in a club, or commuting on a train— and share a goofy face or a glimpse of the world around you."
Livetext is completely free to use, and the app works over your device's Wi-Fi or cellular connection. However, you can't group message using the app. (We're not even sure how that might work, unless you all have Brady Bunch-style boxes and really, really tiny text.)