Boston, MA 06/20/2014 (wallstreetpr) – Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) on June 17, 2014 launched an application for the smartphones which enables the users to exchange disappearing videos as well as photos without having an account on Facebook. This is seen as the latest effort of Facebook for entering the mobile services market outside the threshold of its primary social network business.
New App called Slingshot
The new application for the smartphone mobile users is known as Slingshot.
The new app was accessible to the users on June 17, 2014 for iOS as well as Android devices.
It enables the users to get access to the service by making use of their phone numbers and thereafter connect with the friends who are on their contact list. The app users can also connect with their friends who are on Facebook.
The photos or videos shared by a user on Slingshot will disappear shortly afterwards from the phones after they have been seen. This has been done in context with the rising concerns of people about privacy.
The rule of Slingshot is that until and unless a user reciprocates or sends his/her own video or photo; he/she will not be able to see a message. The idea is to let everyone contribute content.
Popularity of Mobile Messaging Services and Facebook’s Efforts of Making a Place
The release of Slingshot is seen as an effort of Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) to get a considerable market share in the rapidly growing mobile messaging services. In order to tone down any kind of competition from other social networks, Facebook has been creation a range of stand-alone applications and is also acquiring its rapidly growing rivals like Instagram and Watsapp.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), in order to contain the threat from other social networking services, had acquired Instagram in the year 2012 and also acquired Watsapp. It also wanted to acquire Snapchat, the application which allows users to communicate through messages which disappear automatically after being read, but the service provider refused to Facebook’s acquisition offer of $3 billion.
