Facebook adds Story Bumping in a bid to freshen up your News Feed

Facebook's quest to be a personalized newspaper for the Internet age continued on Tuesday with tweaks aimed at making sure members spy hot stories from their friends.

Changes to the leading social network's formula for figuring out which posts will be of interest included "bumping" up potentially intriguing stories that went unnoticed during prior visits to Facebook.

"It is hard for users to get back to old things; you have to scroll through things you have already seen," Facebook news feed team engineering Lars Backstrom said while discussing the latest changes.

"We wanted to make it so people weren't missing important stories that didn't make top slots but were just below the fold."

Signals weighed in the machine learning algorithm were modified to bump-up a story considered more interesting than fresher material that formerly got priority simply for being newer.

"We tweaked the model," Backstrom said, noting that about 30,000 signals are balanced in the algorithm.

"Instead of just taking the new stories, we would take all stories that were new to you, that you haven't seen, even if it isn't the freshest."

A test of the change showed that the number of stories people read in news feeds rose to 70 percent from 57 percent with "bumping," according to Facebook.

"Story Bumping is going to be a really nice tool for people if they are sitting with a Facebook account and have run out of things to look at," said Facebook vice president of product Chris Cox. "It will bump up new stuff."

News feeds were also modified to take into account the "last actor" a member interacted with and then give that friend's posts temporary priority since they seem to be up to something interesting.

"We wanted to capture your current state of mind as you were using Facebook," Backstrom said.

"A lot of signals are long term, such as the relationship with each friend; we wanted a real time factor."

Facebook's ranking software assigns numerical scores to the roughly 1,500 stories typically eligible for delivery to a member's news feed and displays the top 300.

Powerful factors for ranking are relationships, along with how often a member comments, shares, "likes," or otherwise acts on posts of friends. Hiding posts sinks content from that person in news feed rankings.

"Our goal is to create the best personalized newspaper for each of our readers," Backstrom said.

Facebook engineers are experimenting with ways for News Feeds to better handle chronological posts, such as a friend firing off play-by-play updates from a sporting event.

Backstrom's team meets each Tuesday to brainstorm ways to improve the Facebook news feed, with worthwhile ideas tested internally among workers or with a tiny fraction of the social network's more than one billion members.

"It starts with intuition and then that gets written into code as a feature," said Cox. "Then we look at interactions."

Ads displayed as promoted posts in news feeds are handled separately from content generated by people's friends or family members at Facebook, according to the ranking team.

"We figure out the most relevant news feed with the organic content, and then, as a newspaper or television program might do, we create advertising slots," said Facebook product manager Will Cathcart.

Backstrom compared the job of ranking news feed posts to the challenge faced by Internet search engines Google or Bing when it comes to quickly determining optimal results for queries.

"Facebook is one of the only places where you have a problem on the same scale as what Google or Bing is doing but you have to use different techniques because of the personal aspects of it," Backstrom said.

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Twitter introduces app-based two-factor authentication

Twitter has now introduced a new way to authenticate logins while using the service's two-factor authentication feature. It now allows users to enrol in two-factor authentication and verify login requests through its iOS and Android mobile apps.

The social networking service had rolled out two-factor authentication in May, allowing users to opt for secondary verification through their verified mobile phone numbers. Users could choose to get a verification code on their mobile phones and verify the same while logging-in on Twitter's website. However, it was limited to select mobile carriers (for instance, only Airtel, Reliance and Tata Docomo were supported in India).

Following the rollout of app-based verification, users will now be able to verify their logins through the mobile app, without the need for receiving an SMS from Twitter. This means that anyone with access to the apps will be able to use Twitter's two-factor authentication for increased security. They'll also be able to opt for two-factor authentication while logging in, through the mobile apps. 

To enable the feature, users will need to tap on the Me tab in the Twitter app, open Settings and then tap on Security (Android users will need to tap on their Twitter username before they can select Security). You can then enable Login Verification from the screen. The app will then generate a backup code which you can note down at a safe place. This code can be used to login when you don't have your phone with you.

Following the process, you'll get a push pontification on you phone which will have the option to approve the login request. Tapping on the checkmark will automatically log you in. Even if you don't receive a notification, you can simply go to the app's Security settings and tap on 'Login requests' for approving them.

Interestingly, when a login request is made, you will see details related to the browser details and approximate location of the login attempt in the app.

The move increases the security of Twitter accounts, especially for users who access the service through public computers. It also decreases Twitter's dependence on telecom carriers and covers a larger number of users.

In addition to the security feature, Twitter has also added a couple of new features to its iOS and Android apps.

The service is introducing some new Search features including 'social context' that displays connections to other users when users search for a related term and a new photo gallery in search that displays a rich gallery-like interface when they search for pictures. On the iOS app the gallery would appear with user profiles allowing users to see all photos posted by a user/ account in one place.

The app also introduces list management making it easier to create, edit and organise lists and subscriptions. This feature was offered by third party apps like Tweetbot but was not part of the official Twitter app.

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LG G2 with 5.2-inch full-HD display, 2.26GHz Snapdragon 800 processor unveiled

LG has announced the launch of its brand-new flagship device, the LG G2.

LG G2 comes with a 5.2-inch full-HD (1080x1920) display impressive 423 pixels-per-inch (PPI). It is powered by Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor capable of speeds up to 2.26GHz. The device comes with 2GB RAM and offers 16GB and 32GB storage options.

The LG G2 comes with a 13.0-megapixel rear camera with Optical Image Stabilisation and a 2.1-megapixel front shooter. LG's latest flagship runs Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 and is powered by a 3,000mAh battery. LG G2 sports dimensions 138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9mm and will be available in Black and White colour options.

The LG G2 will be rolled out in over 130 wireless carriers in the next eight weeks starting in South Korea followed by North America, Europe and other key markets.

LG G2 coms with a unique design that features the power buttons and the volume rocker at the back of the phone, below the rear camera, instead of the sides of the phone, as is usually the case. LG believes this will work better on a large phone like the G2. It also comes with bezels as thin as 2.65mm.

Commenting on the launch of the G2, Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, said, "Our definition of innovation today is technology that truly resonates with consumers. We have always listened to and learned from consumers in pursuit of innovation. We took these insights to new heights in developing LG G2, the most exciting and ambitious mobile phone in our company's history."

LG G2 also comes with some software features like Answer Me, Plug & Pop, Text Link, Slide Aside, and a Guest Mode. Answer Me automatically answers the call after lowering the ringtone when the phone is raised to one's ear. Plug & Pop recommends options or related features to choose from when the earphone or USB cable is detected. Text Link allows information embedded in text messages to be selected and easily saved in a memo or calendar and searched on a map or the Internet.

Slide Aside enables easier multi-tasking by simply "sliding" open apps off to the side using a three-finger swipe. Guest Mode is designed to protects owner's privacy by displaying only pre-selected apps when guests access the phone with a secondary unlock pattern.

Also included is QuickRemote that can remotely control popular home entertainment devices, and also learn from conventional remotes and be customised to operate multiple devices with flexible layouts and keys.

LG G2 key specifications

• 5.2-inch full-HD display
• 2.26GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB/ 32GB internal storage
• 13.0-megapixel rear camera
• 2.1-megapixel front camera
• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• 138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9mm
• 3,000mAh battery

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WhatsApp claims 20 million active users in India, 300 million worldwide; launches push-to-talk feature

WhatsApp, the popular mobile instant messaging service now claims to have 20 million million monthly active users in India, part of its worldwide active user base of 300 million. It is also rolling out push-to-talk voice messaging allowing users to send and receive voice messages in real time, with the ability to play them within the app and without any limits for duration. 

The mobile focused messaging company told AllThingsD that its user base has crossed the 20 million mark in countries such as India, Germany, Mexico and Spain, and that users send 11 billion messages and receive 20 billion messages per day. WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum also told the publication that 325 million photos are shared every day on WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is now introducing push-to-talk voice messaging in the app on all mobile platforms including iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Nokia (Series 40 and Symbian). While WhatsApp used to let users send audio messages of limited duration (2 minutes on the iPhone app) as an attachment, it involved a number of steps including recording the message and sending it, and messages played through the default audio player. However, with push-to-talk, everything happens with a single tap. Users just need to hold a microphone button, located next to the compose box, to record their message and release it to send the message. In case the user decides not to send it, simply swipe to the left and delete it. 

Unlike the audio notes feature, there's no duration limit for the voice message, and the message is automatically played through the earpiece if a user holds the phone close to his/ her ear, to emulate the experience of a walkie talkie. Just like the two checkmarks that denote a delivered message, a blue microphone indicates if a message has been played.

The feature will be gradually rolled out to all users within 24 hours, as per WhatsApp.

WhatsApp's competitors like Voxer and WeChat also offer similar voice chat features.

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 ‘As automakers strive to sustain a new era of growth, they must ensure that their talent can grow with them’

Shvetal Vakil, Executive Director, Setco Automotive

Staff retention and recruitment in India’s automotive industry is a challenge. How is Setco managing this crunch?

The auto industry and in turn the auto component industry have been passing through rough times recently. This again has taken its own toll as far as HR is concerned. While demand for skilled technical personnel is on the rise, profile is changing. Techniques required for retaining professionals is different and it is important that the industry focuses on that aspect.

Work environment needs to be more conducive and focus needs to be on innovative employee engagement programmes in order to keep them motivated. Needless to state, compensation is a very important component and needs to be well structured in a manner to retain people. Constant up gradation of skills too is important.

Employees can also be assisted by offering education for their children, especially to those employees coming from smaller towns and cities.

The concept of ESOPS in not so well practiced in the auto component industry and even amongst multi-nationals and large corporates, it is limited to the leadership team. However, if developed properly, this can be the key towards sustainable growth and employee retention.

Since this industry will be dominated by young talent in years to come, what strategies are companies working on to motivate this particular group?

Young talent, today, is innovative, business and tech savvy, quick on the uptake with an instinctive ability to network. They possess unbridled ambition, high expectation and aim at speedy career growth. This applies to both blue and white collar workers. The challenge today is how to lead them towards high motivation, ownership and commitment to the organisation.

It’s therefore important to recruit talent from prominent institutions and put them through the rigours of training and placement in jobs which are apt, keeping their skill sets in mind. We allow young talent to rotate within their jobs and the good performers are put through fast track of growth. There are other employee engagement activities that keep employees motivated in a sustained manner.

What has been the demand for talent in this industry during the first half of 2013? What does the future look like in terms of talent acquisition?

The country’s automotive sector, which currently employs about 13 million people, is projected to have a workforce of 25 million people within next few years, effectively doubling the total number of professionals it engages. However, talent acquisition and demand for skilled talent will always depend on how well the economy and the respective sector are doing. The auto industry has been facing a severe downturn in the past few months and hiring across the industry has dropped drastically. Various measures are being taken to retain current employees.

We see today’s slow-down as an opportunity to recruit promising talent and nurture them in a manner so that they are ready to start contributing when the company needs them.

What are the different roles/functions mostly in demand in automotive industry?

With advancement in technology the world over and global players entering into India, every auto component company has to focus on innovation, quality and cost. This clearly drives the industry to constantly identify talent and recruit them in areas of engineering excellence and enhancing quality at the global cost structure. While the industry cannot undermine the role played by procurement or marketing functions, technical continues to be the key focus area right across the industry.

What are the skill gaps? What are the solutions to plug this gap?

The automotive industry is fast evolving. New technologies and operations require new competencies, as well as experience with autonomous problem solving and decision making.

Creating a workforce with these new capabilities requires more effective human capital strategies and approaches. Better workforce planning is essential, as is a more innovative approach to job design. The ability to give existing workers new skill sets must go hand in hand with better recruiting. As automakers strive to sustain a new era of growth, they must ensure that their talent can grow with them. Our focus is more skewed towards softer skills and we recruit employees with relevant functional skills.  However, from time to time, we do put our employees through refresher programmes to acquire and bridge skill gaps.

Is ‘people management’ a challenge in automotive industry?

People management is an important challenge for the company such as ours, keeping in mind concentration of employees in a geography which is industrially backward. Key focus is to identify talent at campus level, put them through the rigours of training in different parts of the company so that due appreciation is received on various facets of business. Once we cross the hurdle of recruitment, focus shifts to skill building and talent enhancement.

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4 things never to share with your boyfriend

Things not to share with your boyfriend 

When it comes to relationships, there are always certain boundaries that you must have. 

They not only help strengthen your relationship but it also ensures that you have some things only to yourself. Here are a couple of things that you should never share with your partner.

Your girlfriend secrets 
This is one of the things that you MUST NEVER share with your boyfriend. Your friends confide in you and expect you to keep that confidence. After all, they do the same for you right? So try and keep their trust intact. Apart from this, guys generally do not understand the kind of talks girls do, so it's best you keep him at bay.

Your password
This is a big NO NO when it comes to sharing something with your boyfriend. Even though you might trust him a lot and also love him beyond words, but there are certain things like passwords that you should never share.

Your dislike for his family 
It is best you keep this secret to yourself and not let this one out either to him or your friends. There will always be some who cannot get along well with their boyfriend's mother or sister. You need not tell him this. Not only will it make him sad but it might also ruin your relationship.

Your past....in detail 
Well even if you've mentioned about your ex boyfriend to your current one, make sure you do not give out too many details to him. Keep this a secret. It does not mean that you are cheating on him. It just shows that you do not want unnecessary trouble
.

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Facebook changes your News Feed again

Facebook will be "bumping" up potentially intriguing stories that went unnoticed during prior visits.

MENLO PARK: Facebook's quest to be a personalized newspaper for the internet age continued on Tuesday with tweaks aimed at making sure members spy hot stories from their friends.

Changes to the leading social network's formula for figuring out which posts will be of interest included "bumping" up potentially intriguing stories that went unnoticed during prior visits to Facebook.

"It is hard for users to get back to old things; you have to scroll through things you have already seen," Facebook News Feed team engineeringLars Backstrom said while discussing the latest changes.

"We wanted to make it so people weren't missing important stories that didn't make top slots but were just below the fold."

Signals weighed in the machine learning algorithm were modified to bump-up a story considered more interesting than fresher material that formerly got priority simply for being newer.

"We tweaked the model," Backstrom said, noting that about 30,000 signals are balanced in the algorithm.

"Instead of just taking the new stories, we would take all stories that were new to you, that you haven't seen, even if it isn't the freshest."

A test of the change showed that the number of stories people read in News Feeds rose to 70% from 57% with "bumping," according to Facebook.

"Story Bumping is going to be a really nice tool for people if they... are sitting with a Facebookaccount and have run out of things to look at," said Facebook vice president of product Chris Cox. "It will bump up new stuff."

News Feeds were also modified to take into account the "last actor" a member interacted with and then give that friend's posts temporary priority since they seem to be up to something interesting.

"We wanted to capture your current state of mind as you were using Facebook," Backstrom said.

"A lot of signals are long term, such as the relationship with each friend; we wanted a real time factor."

Facebook's ranking software assigns numerical scores to the roughly 1,500 stories typically eligible for delivery to a member's News Feed and displays the top 300.

Powerful factors for ranking are relationships, along with how often a member comments, shares, "likes," or otherwise acts on posts of friends. Hiding posts sinks content from that person in News Feed rankings.

"Our goal is to create the best personalized newspaper for each of our readers," Backstrom said.

Facebook engineers are experimenting with ways for News Feeds to better handle chronological posts, such as a friend firing off play-by-play updates from a sporting event.

Backstrom's team meets each Tuesday to brainstorm ways to improve the Facebook News Feed, with worthwhile ideas tested internally among workers or with a tiny fraction of the social network's more than one billion members.

"It starts with intuition and then that gets written into code as a feature," said Cox. "Then we look at interactions."

Ads displayed as promoted posts in News Feeds are handled separately from content generated by people's friends or family members at Facebook, according to the ranking team.

"We figure out the most relevant News Feed with the organic content, and then, as a newspaper or television programme might do, we create advertising slots," said Facebook product manager Will Cathcart.

Backstrom compared the job of ranking News Feed posts to the challenge faced by internet search engines Google or Bing when it comes to quickly determining optimal results for queries.

"Facebook is one of the only places where you have a problem on the same scale as what Google or Bing is doing but you have to use different techniques because of the personal aspects of it," Backstrom said
.

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Fingerprints for sim cards: DoT examines proposal

DoT is examining a proposal for making it compulsory for mobile operators to take fingerprints for a new mobile connection.

NEW DELHI: The Department of Telecom is examining a proposal for making it compulsory for mobile operators to take fingerprint or any other biometric feature of the subscriber at the time of receiving application for a new mobile connection. 

Minister of State for Communications and ITMilind Deora said DoT has recently received a suggestion from the Ministry of Home Affairs indicating that a central database be maintained by DoT of all subscribers which maintains biometric parameters akin to the Aadhaar system. 

"As per this proposal, this would entail taking fingerprint/thumb impression or any other unique biometric feature of the subscriber when he/she applies for a mobile connection," Deora said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. 

He added the suggestion "is presently being examined in DoT and decision on the same is yet to be taken." 

Strengthening the rules for taking a new mobile connection, the DoT last year came with tough guidelines which called for physical verification of facts provided by the subscriber. 

The guidelines also made operators responsible for inaccurate information provided by subscribers for taking new prepaid and postpaid mobile connections. 

Under the new rules, the authorized person selling sim cards has to give an undertaking that he has seen the applicant and matched the photograph attached on the application form. 

Retailers and franchisees selling mobile sim cards have to register police complaint against subscribers if they submit forged documents to get the connections
.

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MS Dhoni's tips have really helped me, says Kohli

"I keep trying to talk to Dhoni about different situations. I chatted with him a lot in the West Indies and all his tips really helped me out," says Kohli. 

NEW DELHI: Breaks are a rarity in any international cricketer's life, especially if he comes from India. Virat Kohli has the chance to enjoy one as the next assignment on India's calendar is in October.

The young Delhi batsman, who has just returned after a couple of months on tour, is looking to make the most of the 'lean' period. "I can't believe that I have a two-month break.

The first month I am planning to take it easy and then start preparing for the one-day series against Australia after that. The month of August is going to be really relaxing," Kohli, who led India to a 5-0 ODI series victory over Zimbabwe, said on Tuesday.

The prolific 24-year-old batsman, who carries his emotions on his sleeves, believes there is nothing wrong in being aggressive on the field. "The criticism that I am being too aggressive has been there for some time now.

I have said this before also that it is never my intention to cross the line. That said, I always like to stick to my natural instinct which is being aggressive," he added.

Asked whether he got any leadership tips from Indian skipperMahendra Singh Dhoni, Kohli said, "When MS (Dhoni) goes away on holidays it's really difficult to contact him. He's a guy who generally doesn't say much.

I keep trying to talk to him about different situations and how I should try and handle myself in different conditions. I chatted with him a lot in the West Indies, when he was sidelined and I was leading. All his tips really helped me out."

India's domination of the ODI series in Zimbabwe was on expected lines but Kohli was especially pleased by Ravindra Jadeja's rise to the no.1 in the ODI ranking. "I am really happy that Jadeja has got the No.1 ranking.

He has worked really hard for it and I have seen him come up the ranks with me. I was his captain in the U-19 side as well. I am really happy to see him grow and I am proud of him.
"

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Apple's new iPhone ad ignores Microsoft, Samsung, and Nokia

While all its competitors compare themselves furiously with Apple, Cupertino's new ad keeps going down the same path: this time it's more people connect face-to-face on the iPhone than on any other phone.

It's a dog eat dog world, but Apple sees no other dog but itself.

When they're all trying to get at you, you must be doing something right.

Or you're simply paranoid and inventing the whole thing.

Apple simply doesn't want to acknowledge the criticisms being tossed its way by pretenders.

Even though many of the more famous companies have released ads comparing their products to Apple, Cupertino just keeps marching down its path of righteousness like Ayn Rand or a randy vicar who's rediscovered his faith.

Its latest ad continues in the recent vain of making universal claims for the iPhone. This time, it's that "more people connect face-to-face on the iPhone than on any other phone."

Just as Apple's adorable claim that more people take pictures on its phone than on any other camera seems to be based on a Wikipedia page I cannot find, so this one must require a little blind faith.

For myself I am most moved by the scene 40 seconds in, when a sad girl sits on the floor and her friend asks over FaceTime: "Did he apologize?"Still, it's as warm and cuddly as it's assumptive.

The forlorn girl just shakes her head.

Sometimes, people are just mean. Why, Microsoft has spent quite some airtime offering that its tablets are better than the iPad. Samsung has been positively giddy insuggesting iPhone users are docile dodderers.

Monday, Nokia joined in the amusement by offering that the iPhone's camera was from the daguerreotype era.

Did they apologize? No, they did not. So Apple sits on the floor, shakes its head, and keeps putting out the same message, believing that it's still in the right.

Of course, this is all largely playing for (face)time. Apple knows that it's been a long time since it generated true excitement, so it's banking on the warm human feelings it's engendered over a decade of great products to see it through.

The next ad will probably say that more people talk to Siri on the iPhone than on any other phone.

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Firefox updates amp up social side, and more

Mozilla takes another stab at social and tightens security in its desktop browser, while Firefox for Android adds more customization.

Firefox now features a share button.

Mozilla updated Firefox for desktops and Android on Tuesday with new features aimed at giving both versions of the browser a bit more pop.

Firefox for Windows, Mac, and Linux now offers a Share button. The icon looks like a paper airplane and allows people to share the Web site they're on with several services, including Facebook. It leverages the recent Social API to bring a bit of a mobile browser feature to desktops.

The browser also now comes with mixed content blocking. This means that on sites that serve both secure and insecure content, page elements that are served over standard HTTP will be blocked by default. Page elements that arrive over HTTPS will be allowed through.

The change, though small, is expected to cut down on "man-in-the-middle" attacks by preventing potentially malicious content, often added to the page by third parties, from loading.

Mozilla hopes that the Social API will get used to share everything from social network status updates to finance and to-do lists.

You can also change your default search provider or add RSS feeds to your default RSS manager from within the browser, and the browser is arguably the first Android browser to autocomplete URL locations.Firefox for Android gets more substantial updates, including a location bar that automatically hides when not in use. It's a minor change, but one that frees up precious real estate on mobile phone screens.

Firefox has been struggling to gain user attention and market share on mobile, even as it maintains steady interest on desktops, as evidenced by a flat rate of growth even as the Web increasingly add more people.

The browser's less than 1 percent market share on Android is hardly stellar, and it faces increased competition from expected sources like Google's own Chrome for Android, and the less familiar, like Dolphin Browser.

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WhatsApp passes 300M active users, adds voice messaging

The hit app has added 50 million active users in less than two months and now processes 31 billion messages on a daily basis, the developer says.

WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum at AllThingsD's mobile conference.

Watch out for WhatsApp. The mobile messaging smash has grown to a captive audience of more than 300 million people, up from 250 million active users less than two months ago. The 4-year-old service is also expanding in function to include a new type of messaging.

"Today, we're proud to announce that WhatsApp has surpassed 300 million monthly active users worldwide, a milestone on the road to WhatsApp becoming the communication network of the 21st century," a company spokesperson told CNET.

"On this occasion, we are also excited to introduce Voice Messaging, a new feature that will allow our customers to quickly and easily communicate in real time using voice messages with friends and family, whether they're across the room or thousands of miles away."

Push-to-talk voice messaging arrives in WhatsApp. Press and hold the microphone button to record your message. Lift your finger to send the message, or slide to cancel.

WhatsApp makes a cross-platform messaging service that works across iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Symbian devices, and has gained popularity among younger users as a cheap alternative to texting. In mid June, the company said it handled 27 billion messages in a record one-day period. Now WhatsApp says it processes 11 billion sent messages and 20 billion received messages, or 31 billion total, on a daily basis. The app also sees 325 million photo uploads each day, the spokesperson said.

Tuesday, WhatsApp will attempt to conquer a new realm in messaging. The application is being updated with push-to-talk voice messaging so people can effortlessly weave audio recordings into their conversation threads -- potentially already populous with photos, videos, or locations -- with friends on the service. Members simply tap and hold the microphone icon to record a message that sends on release of the button, or they can slide their finger to the left to cancel the recording.

The new feature is being rolled out to all users on all platforms within the next 24 hours, according toAllThingsD, which was first to report the news.

In the realm of mobile messaging services, voice messaging is far from a novel idea. WhatsApp's version is playful in nature, however, and it should act as yet another tool that entices youngsters and wards off a multitude of challengers that include Facebook, push-to-talk incumbent Voxer, and Japanese messaging sensation Line, known for its vast sticker collection.

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