Google looking to pick up WhatsApp? [Rumor]

What is a Monday without a good rumor about a billion dollar purchase. An anonymous source has told Digital Trends that Google is currently in negotiations to purchase WhatsApp . WhatsAppÂ MessengerÂ is a smartphone messaging application that uses 3G or Wi-Fi to send andÂ receiveÂ messages like texts, pictures, audio and video messages. It is available for Android and various other smartphones on the market. WhatsApp’s main appeal is that is uses data services to communicate, meaning international texts are free. It also offers group chat, offline messages and a slew of other useful features. Just like other services that do similar things, the other party has to have the app installed as well.

Google wouldn’tÂ necessarilyÂ be buying WhatsApp for the actually application or the service though. Google could quite easily build their own. With Google Babel on the horizon, picking up WhatsApp and its 130 million users world-wide would give Google a fast leg up on a solid user base. Though we really aren’t sure exactly what Google Babel is going to all about. Leaks and images seem to point towards a hub of sorts for various services to be jammed inside. Basically giving you a bunch of services and access in one app through your Google login.

It will be interesting to see what Google does with Babel and how the potential purchase of WhatsApp will play into the services. Personally I will stick to text messaging and GTalk for all my messaging needs.

Source Digital Trend

Via AndroidHeadlines