Tech Talk: WhatsApp?

WhatsApp? Chances are you’ve probably heard of it, and you might even have a friend that uses it.

WhatsApp is basically text messaging on steroids—it is a cross platform application available for iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Windows smartphones. Since an internet connection is needed, a data plan or WiFi is required.

What makes WhatsApp so different? For starters, you can send text messages, picture messages, video messages and voice notes to any other WhatsApp user anywhere in the world, and you may also choose to share your location. For free.

So how does this benefit you?

Imagine you are at a café waiting for a friend, and you don’t know the exact location. You simply hit share location within WhatsApp and now your friend can see your exact positioning. See something you like at the mall and want to share it with your friend? Snap a photo and send it via WhatsApp.

Campus cellular reception can be spotty at times leading to text messages being delayed, which can be frustrating when trying to meet up with someone. WhatsApp sends messages via a data connection, thus if cellular reception is unavailable it will switch to the next source. If your phone is WiFi accessible you can take advantage of campus WiFi and still send and receive messages, without a costly data plan. Once a message is sent it will show a check mark and once received it will show two check marks so you will never miss a beat.

Download WhatsApp free on Blackberry, Android and Windows devices. For iPhone users it cost 99 cents.