Software giant Google Inc plans to launch a mobile messaging app it is likely to test in India and other emerging markets, the Economic Times newspaper reported on Friday, citing sources.
European Union antitrust regulators will decide by Oct. 3 whether to clear world No. 1 online social network Facebook's $19 billion offer for mobile messaging startup WhatsApp, the European Commission said on Monday.
Menlo Park, US-based venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners invested an undisclosed amount in San Jose Spiders, a professional Frisbee league owned by Cisco Systems Inc president Rob Lloyd.
Tokyo-based mobile messaging app Line Corp could reach its goal of 500 million instant messaging users by the end of this year even as it thinks about a possible IPO, Bloomberg reported.
With the spotlight suddenly turned on messaging apps after Facebook acquired WhatsApp, Chinese app WeChat released a major upgrade for the iOS and Android versions with new features such as real-time location sharing and chat history search.
Within just 24 hours, Zurich, Switzerland-based encrypted messaging startup Threema soared to the top of Germany's paid App Store chart due to a 200,000 subscriber addition, 80% of which are in Germany.
From the viewpoint of venture capital, the real victors of the recently-announced acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook are Sequoia Capital and Partner Jim Goetz, TechCrunch reported.
Facebook will be buying WhatsApp in a cash and stock deal worth $16 billion. The messaging giant will also be retaining its brand and will function as an independent unit, TechCrunch reported.
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