Beijing LASHES out at Asia's richest man Li Ka-shing via party mouthpiece

Tuesday, 22 September 2015 07:20

Beijing LASHES out at Asia's richest man Li Ka-shing via party mouthpiece 

 

 The mouthpiece newspaper of China's Communist Party has blasted Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing as "ungrateful" for selling assets on the mainland with the world's second-largest economy facing headwinds.
The 87-year-old, nicknamed "Superman" for his sharp business acumen, has been offloading major property investments in China - where growth slowed to a 24-year low last year and has continued to weaken this year - after investing heavily there in the 1990s.
The move, combined with his selling of assets in Hong Kong, has fuelled speculation that the richest man in Asia is losing confidence in the Greater China region.
The People's Daily said on a verified social media account that China's opening up, vast market and favourable policies had been "the key cornerstone" of Li's success, yet he was now leaving his benefactor in the lurch.

"He shared the prosperity while we had good times but could not beat the odds together with us now that we have difficulties. This is indeed unacceptable emotionally," it said in a commentary Sunday on its account on China's mobile messaging application WeChat, a less formal platform than the printed newspaper itself

No 10 Chen Haibin, 46, Zhejiang DIAN Diagnostics Co Ltd No 9 Lv Bo, 52, DHC Software Co Ltd No 8 Jia Yueting, 42, LeTV Holdings Co Ltd No 7 Zhang Yan, 46, Himile Science and Technology No 6 Yang Hongbing, 47, Harbin Gloria Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd No 5 Han Gang, 47, Beijing Jetsen Technology Co Ltd No 4 Li Zhongchu, 52, Beijing Shiji Information Technology Co Ltd No 3 Liu Xianghua, 52, Hunan CHINASUN Pharmaceutical Machinery Co Ltd No 2 Ao Xiaoqiang, 51, Beijing SDL Technology Co Ltd No 1 Liu Chengyan, 51, ChinaNetCenter

While admitting Li's move may have a "negative impact" on confidence in China, the article sought to downplay concerns.

"China's economy accounts for more than 12 per cent of the world's total... Can the withdrawal of a single businessman affect the fundamentals?" it said.

"We don't need to worry that no investors will come after Li Ka-shing.
"What we can do is not to condescend to persuade him to stay or to hurl invectives out of outrage, but to build the country better to make today's departure tomorrow's regret," it said.

Li, who is currently worth US$32.9 billion (S$46 billion) according to the Bloomberg Billionaires index, started out in business as a plastic flower-maker.

He has been reshuffling his business empire since the start of this year and earlier this month announced the merger of his utilities firms, part of an overhaul seen as paving the way for him to hand over the reins to his eldest son Victor, 51, after he retires.

In one of his recent overseas purchases, Li in March acquired British telecom giant O2 from Spain's Telefonica for $15.2 billion.-BusinessAsiaOne

Full article: http://malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=599591:beijing-lashes-out-at-asias-richest-man-li-ka-shing-via-party-mouthpiece&Itemid=3#ixzz3oUyzvQxe
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Some Banks Not Following Rules to Keep You Safe at ATMs

By Willard Shepard

|  Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 

Marcia Brooks never thought it would happen to her. An ATM deposit turned into a life-threatening experience in Pompano Beach.

“They could have easily grabbed me, taken me, shot me, raped me,” said Brooks.

A gunman forced her to take $160 from the ATM. He still hasn’t been caught.

“I'll never forget the gun being pressed against my neck,” she said.

It’s something we all take for granted – getting cash from the ATM. But an NBC 6 investigation with the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting found many banks are keeping you in the dark when it comes to your safety.

Getting cash quickly – day or night – is convenient, but it can also be dangerous.

The Team 6 investigation found at least 35 felonies committed at ATMs the last two years across the state – armed robberies, shootings, even murder.

Alex Sanchez, president of the Florida Bankers Association, told us that banks are doing all they can to prevent you from becoming a victim.

“This is an important matter for our banks that they take very, very, seriously … we want to provide a safe haven for our citizens and our customers.”

The state sets minimum lighting standards for not just the ATM and the area near it, but also the parking lot. Mirrors must be on the ATM so you can see behind you and there are limits on the size of nearby plants.

In the last five years, not one of the 250 Florida chartered banks has been cited by state inspectors for violating those standards. A spokesperson for the Florida Office of Financial Regulation told Team 6 the state's 118 inspectors didn’t find a single bank outside the rules over the last five years. As for the thousands of other banks in our state, we don’t know. Federal regulators told us the inspections are confidential.

However, the engineering experts from Scientific Expert Analysis pulled out their tape measures and lighting devices calibrated the same evening – and told us the very first South Florida bank we checked, Regent Bank in central Broward, was outside some of the regulations. The firm has 40 years’ experience evaluating structures.

Ed Brill, an engineer with Scientific Expert Analysis, said the light near the ATM was measuring between 2- and 5-foot candles but the state statute require 10-foot candles.

“When we first looked at the lighting right at the ATM face we found that it met the requirements … as we moved away we found that the readings did not meet requirements,” Brill stated.

Matthew Speath, also an engineer with Scientific Expert Analysis, said the landscaping at the bank was too high. The regulations say vegetation in the area shouldn't be more than 3 feet high and must be well lit.

Speath said vegetation on the corner of the building was about 7 to 8 feet tall.

“It’s still in direct eyesight of the ATM and directly adjacent to the parking lot … a patron that was parking in one of these spaces … is potentially subjected to an individual that could be hiding,” he said.

The engineering experts told us that generally a bank falls out of compliance with the state law unintentionally because of things that happen over time like someone changes a light bulb to the incorrect wattage or doesn’t cut the vegetation.

One Orlando family knows the pain of violence at the ATM. Off-duty Central Florida policeman Alfred Gordon Sr. was killed in an ATM robbery.

“I don’t think banks always have the consumer in mind,” said Alfred Gordon, the son of Alfred Gordon Sr.

Two men are now serving life behind bars for the killing of Gordon Sr. The family’s lawyer says there was poor lighting and the mirrors were missing – the family and Bank of America reached a settlement. Gordon’s family worries about profit trumping safety.

“They are going to see their expectations for profit and bonus margins, but I think that a lot of times the consumer is the one that loses out in the end because when it comes to safety I don’t think you can take lightly and try to skimp on in any way,” said Gordon Jr.

Richard Hodak, a former FBI agent who directed security for one bank, says 50 percent of the robberies, rapes, and murders that occur at ATMs occur between 7 p.m. and midnight.

Hodak says lawmakers, police, and banks aren’t doing enough.

Hodak says, “Banks do not seem to do a good job in policing their ATMs to evaluating the risk involved in the ATMs.”

We asked the engineers to check four banks in all. At one Wells Fargo in north Broward, according to them, there was not enough light. They found dark spots on the side of the ATM and down the wall adjacent to it.

“The lighting down the side does not meet the minimum requirement – about half or less than half the requirement,” Brill said.

The engineers found no problems at two other South Florida banks. But just how many banks aren't doing what the law requires is anyone's guess. We're also in the dark about how many customers like these exist because most law enforcement agencies don't have a category tracking ATM crimes.

Wells Fargo sent us a statement that read, in part, “... while we regularly review our locations … we will review this location again ... if we find that the lighting needs to be fixed, we will do so in a timely manner.”

Regent Bank said, “… the bank believes that the landscaping around the ATM fully meets the requirements of the Florida statutes. As regards to the lighting level, the bank thanks Channel 6 for bringing to its attention the fact that the candle foot power was not as bright as it should be …”

To read more about violent crimes at ATMs, go to the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Some-Banks-Not-Following-Rules-to-Keep-You-Safe-at-ATMs-232611431.html

Cyber-attacks eclipsing terrorism as gravest domestic threat – FBI

Counter-terrorism chiefs urge Congress to resist altering controversial surveillance programs except 'at the margins'

 

The threat of a major terrorist attack inside the United States is lower today than before 2001, three of the country’s most senior counter-terrorism officials testified on Thursday.

But the heads of the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and National Counterterrorism Center urged Congress only to change controversial surveillance programs at the “margins".

A devastating, 9/11-style attack is “more likely now to be overseas than it is in the homeland”, Rand Beers, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told a Senate panel, “but that is not to say we should drop our guard in any way”.

Testifying for the first time since becoming FBI director in September, James Comey told the Senate homeland security and government affairs committee that cyber-attacks were likely to eclipse terrorism as a domestic danger over the next decade.

“That’s where the bad guys will go,” Comey said. “There are no safe neighborhoods. All of us are neighbors [online].”

Comey said the threat to online networks in the United States, to include business and government data, came from disparate actors with different motivations, from spies to “hacktivists”, which he likened to an “evil layer cake”.

Cyber-security concerns eclipsed those about terrorism in a hearing dedicated to updating the Senate on domestic threats. Beers and Comey urged Congress to pass new cyber-security legislation expanding government access to private-sector data, ostensibly to redress vulnerabilities in business and other non-governmental networks.

Senator Tom Coburn, the top Republican on the panel, sounded skeptical, arguing that private firms ought to have the opportunity to voluntarily comply before being compelled to turn over that data. But Coburn agreed with Beers that any such legislation ought to provide legal protections for companies compelled to disclose proprietary or customer data.

Beers said legislation ought to be “carefully crafted” to avoid “a total blanket liability protection”, which he said would potentially violate civil liberties.

Congress created similar protections for telecommunications and internet providers in 2008 when it expanded the government’s powers to spy on Americans’ foreign communications with non-individualized warrants.

Comey, Beers and NCTC director Matthew Olsen testified that al-Qaida’s ability to attack the US was diminished, but not eliminated. “The risk of a spectacular attack in the homeland is much smaller than it was before 2001,” Comey said.

But all three individuals said the threat of copycat attacks from self-radicalized individuals – so-called “lone wolves” – remained, and they said the agencies had difficulties in preventing them.

Self-radicalized terrorists do not necessarily “hit the trip wires”, Olsen said. Comey urged Americans to report what they considered suspicious activity: “Listen to that feeling in back of your neck.”

Even though the threat of a major domestic terrorist attack has receded, all three government officials warned Congress against rolling back the sweeping bulk surveillance authorities granted to intelligence and law enforcement agencies to prevent one.

Comey, who in 2004 resisted a warrantless surveillance effort that collected Americans’ email data, told the Senate panel he could accept changes around the “margins” of surveillance powers, but “don’t make changes at the expense of core capabilities”.

Beers, who will soon leave the Department of Homeland Security after five years, echoed intelligence officials who have resisted surveillance reforms beyond increased transparency to Congress.

“Make sure you are comfortable with the oversight,” Beers said, “but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/14/cyber-attacks-terrorism-domestic-threat-fbi

Doing Business in Indonesia ?

Market Overview

• Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest economy and has delivered consistently high annual growth exceeding 6% in both 2007 and 2008. Growth of between 2% and 4.5% is expected in 2009.
• The consumer market continues to grow in the world’s fourth-largest country. There are more than 237 million citizens, 50% of whom are under the age of 30.
• GDP per person exceeds its ASEAN neighbors such the Philippines and Indonesia has a GDP per person three times that of Vietnam. Indonesia is a thriving democracy with significant regional autonomy. It is located on the world’s major trade routes and has extensive natural resources.
• It is a top-ten market for U.S. agricultural products and within the top 30 overall markets for U.S. exports. Indonesia has ratified the Cape Town Treaty, which gives U.S. aircraft exporters access to financing through international protection and registration of financial interests.

Market Challenges

• The business environment in Indonesia is challenging. U.S firms often find it difficult and time consuming to enter the market.
• Although improving, rule-of-law issues persist. Dispute settlement mechanisms are not highly developed. Local and foreign businesses cite corruption and ineffective courts as serious problems. Business and regulatory disputes, which would be generally considered administrative or civil matters in the United States, may be treated as criminal cases in Indonesia.
• Competition from companies from Singapore, China, Japan, Malaysia and other regional players is intense.
• Deregulation has been successful in reducing some barriers by creating more transparent trade and investment regimes, but the bureaucracy can be cumbersome.
• The Rupiah has depreciated by approximately 20% against the U.S. dollar since January 2008, making U.S. exports relatively more expensive.
• The public trade statistics may significantly understate market opportunities and trends due to the large numbers of shipments that are recorded as U.S. exports to Singapore but which ultimately enter Indonesia via Singapore.

Market Opportunities

• Important opportunities exist in mining and agribusiness equipment and services.
• The aircraft market favors U.S. products. Aircraft, replacement parts and service are valuable and significant markets.
• Telecommunications technology and satellites remain excellent areas for American products and services.
• The expansion of banking to previously underserved customers offers software and systems opportunities.
• Education and professional training, research, medical equipment and high-quality American agricultural commodities all retain their market edge even with premium prices.
• Emerging opportunities include palm oil biofuel processing and refining.
• U.S. franchises continue to attract Indonesian demand.
• Growing markets include: renovation and construction of regional and municipal infrastructure and water systems, military upgrading, safety and security systems and protection of sea-borne traffic.

Market Entry Strategy

• Although it may be possible in some cases to sell directly to the Government or state-owned companies, local services of agents, local offices or distributors are often critical to successful project development and to assure timely delivery, installation and follow up service needs. Most government procurement decisions favor proven providers or assurance of service based on long-established relationships.
• Small- and medium-sized U.S. firms entering the Indonesian market increase their likelihood of success with strong local agents or distributors. The U.S. Commercial Service Jakarta helps U.S. companies identify and qualify potential Indonesian representatives.
• U.S. companies must visit the Indonesian market in order to properly choose an appropriate agent or distributor. Appointment of a representative requires care, since it is difficult to get out of a bad relationship. Qualified representatives will not take U.S. principals seriously unless they make a commitment to visiting the market on a regular basis. Patience and presence are key success factors.
• Key factors affecting purchasing decisions in Indonesia are pricing, financing, technical skills, and after-sales service. Firms should be prepared to invest capital and manpower into making their local representative a first-class service provider.
• Indonesian non-financial firms obtain nearly 50% of their financing from abroad via loans, bonds, and other credit thus Indonesian exports often depend on trade financing. 

http://export.gov/Indonesia/doingbusinessinindonesia/index.asp

Mobile Messaging App Face-Off: WhatsApp Vs. Viber Vs. WeChat

By Brian. Filed in Tools

This is the generation of ‘smartphone holders’. Yes we are talking about you. If you are reading this, chances are your smartphone is no further than 3 feet from you and you sometimes hear custom notification alerts for your email, messages and updates even when nothing new came in.

For most of us, we have forgone the use of SMS and calls and have depended instead on messaging apps for most of our communication needs. All messaging apps are not created equal. Some are better than others, but the question is which is the best?

We’re here to help you answer that by comparing what we feel are the 3 best messaging apps (so far) out there: WhatsApp, Viber and WeChat. In this showdown, we will be looking at these apps in 5 categories, listed below in no particular order.

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1. Supported Platforms & OS

Let’s first take a look at the platforms, mobile OS and devices each app supports.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is supported on the iPhone on iOS 4.3 and above, and Android phones 2.1 and above. However, you cannot download it on the iPod, any tablet of any OS or on jailbroken or unlocked iPhones (or maybe you can but it won’t be optimized for it).

WhatsApp also works on Blackberry OS 4.6 and above, Windows Phone 7.5 and above and a widerange of Nokia S40 and S60 phones. However, it is found lacking in the desktop support department.

WhatsApp is a paid app, going for a one-off $0.99 for iOS, while on other phones, it is free for a year and will cost $0.99 per year of subsequent use.

Supported Platforms: iOS | Android | Windows Phone | BlackBerry | Nokia S40 | Nokia Symbian

Viber

Viber is supported above iOS 4.3, Android OS 2.0, Windows Phone 7, as well as on Blackberry OS5 and OS7, Nokia S-40 and S-60. Viber also works on Bada and has recently been made available for desktops (Mac OS 10.7 and above, Windows) via Viber Desktop. This means that you can make a call to friend who has Viber on their computer.

Viber is a free app with no ads so if you are allergic to ads, you are going to love Viber.

Supported Platforms: iOS | Android | Windows Phone | BlackBerry | Nokia | Bada | Windows |Mac

WeChat

WeChat is supported above iOS 4.3, Android OS 2.0, Blackberry OS 5.0, Windows Phone 7.5 and until recently Nokia S40 (beta). To add to that the Web Chat feature lets you chat with a friend on the desktop browser; linking is done with your device via QR Codes.

Web Chat also lets you send files to your device and there is a handy browser plugin called Web Grab that lets you shake webpages from your desktop browser into your phone.

Like Viber, WeChat is also a free app.

Supported Platforms: iOS | Android | Windows Phone | BlackBerry | Nokia | Web WeChat

Conclusion

All 3 messaging apps are supported on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Nokia. However, WeChat has a web app which allows you to send WeChat messages from your browser.Viber also offers cross-platform desktop solutions for both Windows and Mac letting you not only text friends on smartphones but also make calls to them.

We would say Viber is a few steps ahead of WhatsApp and WeChat, in terms of supported platforms.

2. Messaging & Communicating Features

Now we’ll take a look into each app and what they have to offer.

WhatsApp

With the use of an Internet connection you can send text, photos, video clips, your location data (that opens up on Google Maps), audio clips as well as a friend’s contact to another friend via WhatsApp. It does not however support voice calls.

(Image Source: Pankaj Chhabra)

WhatsApp also allows group chat (max: 30) and the use of a massive pile of Emoji.

Viber

Viber has voice calls using 3G or Wi-Fi on top of being able to send text, photos, videos and location data. With the recent update of Viber Desktop, you can even make calls to a friend on a desktop.

To have Viber work on your desktop you need to first have Viber on your smartphone. Once it is set up, you can even swap an ongoing Viber call on your smartphone to the desktop and back, seamlessly.

Its built-in custom emoticons and stickers (larger versions of emoticons) are something extra for users who prefer using images while chatting. Group chat is supported for up to 39 people.

WeChat

Apart from sending text, pictures, videos, audio clips, location data and contact details, WeChat also supports Video Calls, and also Live Chat where you can communicate with a friend in a walkie-talkie fashion. WeChat is also the only app with a few social add-ons that let you make new friends randomly.

Look Around lets you make friends with people by proximity. Shake is the roulette style of engaging with a random stranger and if you aren’t big on talking, just use Drift Bottle to cast messages into the open sea in WeChat for others to read. If you don’t want to use these social add-ons you can disable them under Settings > Feature.

Group chats can be initiated via QR codes which you can email up to 40 friends to join in and chat. And it also comes with built-in stickers and custom emoticons for you to use.

Conclusion

All 3 apps allow you to send text, photos, videos and location data – ‘basic functions’ as it is also found in other messaging apps. You certainly can have more fun on WeChat as it comes with a wide variety of communication and social features built to expand your networking circles.

Viber and WeChat also support voice calls if you want to make free calls with your friends or family members, however, if you just want to contact your friends via text messaging, WhatsApp will suffice.

3. Privacy & Security

These apps use the contact list on your device to determine which of your contacts are already using the app so you can begin chatting with them. Here’s how they work.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp requires a valid phone number to register for the service. When it is registered on your device, WhatsApp will scan your device’s contact list to determine who are already on WhatsApp. You can send messages to WhatsApp friends without any sort of ‘contact approval’.

This also means, whoever has your number can also WhatsApp you but you can block them by going to Settings > Chat Settings > Blocked. This will ensure that you do not receive messages from them. Others can also see when you’re online or the last time you used the app, but you can turn this feature off under Settings > Chat Settings > Advanced.

The 2 green ticks in a personal (not group) conversation determines if your messages have been delivered to them, but you have no way of knowing if they have read your message or not.

WhatsApp only works on one number and one device although there is an option to re-register a new phone number to your existing WhatsApp account. WhatsApp encrypts your messages as you send it so it is harder for the message to be intercepted by a third party.

Viber

Like WhatsApp, you’ll need a mobile number to validate Viber; the access code is sent via SMS. Viber instantly integrates with your own contact list on your device so you can message them via the app. People with your contact number can see if you’re currently online, or the last time you opened up Viber. You can turn this off under More > Settings > Online Status but note that doing this means you can’t see their online status too.

Viber uses Google Analytics to track information like IP Address data storage and maintenance services (among others) of its users. If you don’t like this, you can turn it off at More > Settings >Collect Data.

WeChat

Like the former two, WeChat also requires a mobile number and will notify other users that you are on WeChat. It will then scan your contact list but in order to begin chatting with people, you’re required to send them a contact request by tapping the Add Contact button. They’ll then have to approve your request before you can start chatting.

When you use WeChat’s social add-ons, WeChat users who are not on your contact list cannot see your phone number. If you don’t like to share your phone number but want to chat with these users, you can use a WeChat ID or QR Name Card to mask your identity.

There are many privacy options for Friend Verification, Block List, Moments Feed and more. You can change all of these under Settings > Privacy to ensure your information is safe.

Conclusion

Although you can turn off Google Analytics on Viber, it poses a privacy issue for those who don’t know about this default data collection mode (but now you do).

WeChat offers a lot of social features but provides privacy settings to disable them, and the requirement of adding a contact means random people cannot message you. But if you purely want a messaging app just to contact the friends you already have on your Contact list, for free, then stick with WhatsApp.

4. Backup Options

Before you commit to using a primary messaging app, you should think about the backup options available on each app to keep your precious messages.

WhatsApp

The backup process on WhatsApp is different on each device but essentially the chat history is saved on the device on a daily basis for Android, Windows Phone and Nokia. To transfer all your chat history to another device (imagine that you got a new phone) on the same OS, you can manually backup your chat history before transferring it to your second, newer device.

For the iPhone and Blackberry you can opt to email your conversation to yourself to store as a makeshift chat history. This also works on the Windows Phone.

Read Also: How To Backup WhatsApp Chat Log From iPhone To Computer

Viber

Viber has a simple backup feature where it will compile each conversation you have into separate .CSV files. It will then zip all these conversations and attach it onto an email which you can send out (to yourself).

However, only text is backed up, all your audio and video clips aren’t. This is good for storing your messages on your computer but doesn’t allow you to restore it to a different device.

WeChat

WeChat has the best backup options that easily allows you to transfer your chat history to another device. It allows you to select the conversation history you want to save to their server for 7 days. You can set a password to back it up. Once you’re logged into another device, you can tap on ‘Restore’ to get all your messages back. There is no option to export your chat history though.

Conclusion

It boils down to your needs, if you find yourself changing devices a lot then WeChat gives you the option to easily do that without losing any chat history. Viber keeps it simple by backing up only text (no media) and if you are opting for WhatsApp, we suggest you have a look at their FAQ page for more backup instructions for your OS and device.

5. Popularity Counts

It would appear that WeChat has the most functionality and features to offer among the three while Viber has more support on more platforms, leaving WhatsApp as only a basic messaging app that works for smartphones (and one you have to pay to continue using).

But ask around and it’s probably that more of your friends are using WhatsApp rather than WeChat or Viber.

WhatsApp had the advantage as it was released earlier than the other two apps, hitting the smartphones in September 2011, while Viber was released in Dec 2012 as a direct competitor to Skype. Both reported having 200 million users in April and May of this year. In comparison, WeChat may have 400 million registered users but only around 50 million of them are outside of China.

Which Is Right For You?

If you want to meet new people for business or leisure, then WeChat is definitely for you. It is almost like a standalone social network app which allows you to connect with people outside of your contact list and is enjoyed by many teenagers. It’s Hold to Talk feature is also gaining popularity as some people like to communicate by talking instead of the slower text messaging.

You would like Viber if you’re constantly working on a Windows or Mac computer as you can quickly send messages to friends on smartphones, without having to pick up your mobile device. It’s also great for business purposes with its ability of high quality voice calls.

However, WhatsApp is still the app to have mainly because most people have this "old" app. But due to its limited functionalities and it being a paid app, you may need to find alternative methods to contact your friends. What good is a messaging app if you paid to use it but your friends don’t want to? It’s always good to install a free alternative just to keep close contact with buddies.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, these 3 apps are amazing tools for communication offering more than a regular SMS service, without the need to pay for sending messages. However, these messaging apps may face competition from the rise of Facebook Messenger, Hangouts (formerly known as Google Talk) and Skype which could possibly replace these apps later on.

Would you want us to pit FB Messenger, Hangouts vs Skype? And which messaging app are you on? Let us know in the comments.

Recap: Comparison Table

Here’s a quick recap neatly packed for your reference:

	WhatsApp	Viber	WeChat
Supported OS	iOS Android Windows Phone BlackBerry Nokia S40 Symbian	iOS Android Windows Phone BlackBerry Bada Nokia	iOS Android Windows Phone BlackBerry Nokia S40
Price	$0.99 (iOS) $0.99/year for other devices	FREE	FREE
Communication Features	send text, photos & videos location data audio clips contact details	send text, photos & videos location data make voice calls	send text, photos & videos location data audio clips contact details make video calls Live Chat (Walkie-talkie)
Desktop Compatibility	—	Mac & Windows desktop app Text & video calls	Supports Web Chat with desktop browser Transfer files to device
Social Add-Ons	—	—	Moments Feed, Look Around, Shake, Drift Bottle
Emoticons	Standard Emoji keyboard	Custom emoticons, Stickers	Custom emoticons, Stickers
Group Chat	30 Participants	39 Participants	40 Participants
Backup Options	Manual backup and restore only for Android, BlackBerry and Nokia	Basic text backup attached to email	Easy backup and restore, cross-platform
Reported Users	200 million active users	200 million registered users	195 million active users
Customer ratings on Apple App Store(May 2013)	99k ratings, 4.5 star average	76k ratings, 4.5 star average	11k ratings, 4.5 star average

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/whatsapp-viber-wechat-comparison/