FACEBOOK GRAPH SEARCH:YOU CANNOT HIDE

The latest to arrive from the popular social network is the Graph Search. The Graph Search results focus on four core points-People, Places, Photos and Interests. Facebook can easily collate these results after having spent quite a few years urging users to upload information, interests and photographs to their profiles online. While some may jump around indelight as if 'stalking' has been legalized, most of us need to be worried. The so-called magic of Graph Search is that you can end up on that search any which way - if a person is directly trying to dig your profile (Photos of XYZ from paris). or even if they are randomly searching for anything remotelylinked to you(Friends who like BBc Top Gear). There is really no hiding from it.
    Now let's put this into perspective. Ever checked out a feature on your Facebook profile called Activity Log? This has a search log of every single click of yours on Facebook - every photograph you've checked out, every profile you've visited and everything you've been linked to. While all this data thankfully not shows on the profile or timeline(yet!), it may be petrifying to realizer that Facebook has all that data. And with Graph Search only set to evolve further and go deeper than it is now, stalking someone with an attractive profile picture might lead to repercussional.

Messenger Apps for Android | iOS | Windows | BlackBerry

Smart phone penetration is increasing by leaps and bounds in India thanks to handsets available at cheaper rates by the day. You can get a smart phone for as low as Rs :- 5000 nowadays . Short messaging service is slowly but surely on its way out as far as smart phone users as concerned. Blackberry users that have taken care of with the BlackBerry Messenger service which is preferred chice of messaging between two BlackBerry users. But for non-BlackBerry users that are many apps out there which can be used for messaging so long as you have a working data connection.

HIKE

 
This is an indigenious apps developed by Airtel’s apps making arm – Bharti SoftBank Holdings (BSB). While it is similar to most mobile messaging apps allowing transfer of text, video and audio based messages over the internet connection, what is unique about the apps is that it allows you to send upto 100 free SMSes to non-Hike users. If any of your friend accepts your invitation to join Hike you get 50 free SMSes. While you can send messages to friends who are using Hike world wide, the free SMS option is only open to Indian members. Incidentally the apps works better than Whatsapp on windows phone 8.
Website  : http://get.hike.in/ 
Platform: Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Symbian, Blackberry OS.



KIK
 
This is another free to use mobile messaging apps which works across platforms. Kik can work with either the phone number or with a Kik ID. It has an interesting feature in the form of cards. YouTube , Raditt pics, Sketch and image search. These cards can take you to the respective sites and you can share videos  or pictures from this sites within Kik and they will appear as cards. Apart from this it has the regular messaging chops including the send, delivered, read and typing notifications.
 Website  : http://kik.com/
Platform  : Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Symbian, Blackberry OS.


Samsung ChatON

 
As expected, this apps comes in preloaded on all Samsung smartphones and allows you to send text, image, video, audio, share location, maps, calendar and contact information as well. You can create animated messages which is just like Kik’s Sketch feature. There is a slight amount of gamification with a feature like Interaction Rank  which ranks you contact according to the frequency of your interaction. It works across platforms and requires your phone number to register just like other messaging apps. You form your own groups,
Website  : http://web.samsungchaton.com
Platform: Android, iOS, Symbian, Blackberry OS, Bada, PC. 

 
WeChat
 
This apps from chinees company Tencent is creating a lot waves offlate thanks to its option to video chat and make voice calls in addition to mobile messaging. It available on all the major platforms and you can even login using your Facebook credentials. You do have to register you phone number with WeChat. You can add photos, send locations, make video calls or send across a voice message if you are too bored to type. You have option to customize your backgroung while group chatting. It also come with differentiating features such as Moments: which is like social photo sharing which allows users to like or comment your photo; LookAround: which allow you to see far your friends are from you based on their locations; Shake: you shake your phone and you will come to know who else using WeChat has shook his or her phone and you can start a conversion with them and so on.
 Website  : http://wechat.com/en/
Platform  : Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Symbian, Blackberry OS, PC.

Facebook Messenger 

 
There were rumours last year that Facebook was planning to acquire WhatsApp, but they were just that. Facebook went ahead and launched Facebook messenger which allow you to login with you Facebook account as well as your phone number. Even non-Facebook can use this app by giving their number. You can send text or voice messages as well as share your photographs. It has free calling feature as well but it inly works on iPhones and for the users in Canada and US.
Website  : http://www.facebook.com/mobile/messenger
Platform: Android, iOS,Blackberry OS.




WhatsApp

This is the de-facto messaging apps that most smartphone users have as it is a cross platform app. So an Android user can communicate with a blackberry user and vice-versa. Actually most of apps we have listed are cross-platform, but WhatsApp can safely be said to have started the trend. You can send text messages, videos, images as well as audio files. You can create groups or friends as well. This apps even works on feature phones as Nokia S40 ones which is a big plus favor. Another plus is that there is no advertising in this app, despit or being free of cost. Although WatsApp saying that the apps is free only for a tear and after they charge $0.99 pay per year(around Rs:55), we have to still come across too many users who  have actually paid for using WhatsApp.
Website  : http://www.whatsapp.com
Platform:. Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Symbian S40, Blackberry OS.