After launching an armada of Android smartphones in the Indian market, Micromax now attempts to dip its shoes in the free messaging market. It has launched a free messaging service called ‘Hook-Up’ for Android smartphones that allows users to exchange pictures, music, videos, send and receive messages. Hook-Up is being billed as a free IM service on the lines of ‘WhatsApp’.
Micromax is even bundling the app on its newer smartphones. The app comes preloaded on the A25 Smarty. Micromax says the A25 Smarty users will be able to send free messages to non Hook-Up users. As of now, A25 Smarty users can send up to 330 free messages per month for a year giving full return on the amount paid for the device.
The interesting bit about the app is that it integrates one’s SMS’s along with its core IM functionality in one interface. So in essence, it can even act as an replacement for the built-in SMS app. Additionally, Micromax claims it sips less data than competing messaging applications like WhatsApp. Currently, the app is not available on the Google Play market, but Micromax plans on offering it via Google Play soon.
While many smartphones OEMs are not known to make such moves, RIM has made a name for itself on the basis of the BlackBerry messenger seen on its devices. More recently, Samsung has developed its own messenger called the ChatOn messenger. However, the ChatOn messenger is a cross platform service and the app is available for Android, Windows Phone, Bada, iOS and BlackBerry.
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