Viber
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 | |
| Developer(s) | Viber Media (Rakuten Inc.) |
|---|---|
| Initial release | December 2, 2010 |
| Stable release |
|
| Preview release | Blackberry OS (beta) 3.1.1 (November 17, 2013)[3] Windows Phone 4.1.1.0 (April 14, 2014)[4] |
| Operating system | Windows, Mac OS, Android,BlackBerry OS, iOS, Series 40, Symbian, Bada,Windows Phone, Linux |
| Available in | Arabic, Albanian, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian.[5] |
| Type | Instant messaging client & voip |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www.viber.com |
Viber is a proprietary cross-platform instant messaging voice-over-Internet Protocol application for smartphones developed by Viber Media. In addition to text messaging, users can exchange images, video and audio media messages. The client software is available for Mac OS, Android, BlackBerry OS, iOS, Series 40, Symbian, Bada, Windows Phone, and Microsoft Windows.[6] A Linux version is available for Ubuntu 64-bit.[7] Viber works on both 3G/4G and Wi-Fi networks. It first requires installation on a phone in order to work on a desktop operating system environment.[8] Viber has over 100 million monthly active users from its 280 million global registered users.[9]
It was founded and co-owned by four Israeli partners: Talmon Marco, Igor Megzinik, Sani Maroli and Ofer Smocha.[10] Talmon Marco serves as its CEO. On 14 February 2014, the startup was acquired by Japanese Rakuten for $900 million.[11]
Contents
[hide]History[edit]
Viber was initially launched for iPhone on December 2, 2010, in direct competition with Skype. A pre-release version for Android appeared in May 2011 but was restricted to 50,000 users; an unrestricted version was released on July 19, 2012. Viber for BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices was launched on May 8, 2012.[12] On reaching 90 million users on July 24, 2012, group messaging service and HD Voice engine were added to both Android and iPhone applications. Applications for Nokia's Series 40,[13] Symbian[14]and Samsung's Bada platform[15] were also announced on the same day.[16]Initially, the voice calling feature was only available for iPhone and Android applications, with a promise that voice would be added in upcoming versions for Bada, Symbian and Windows Phone applications, with no mention of eitherSeries 40 or Blackberry OS. The limitation seems to lie in core of Blackberry OS and Series 40 which does not have easy support for VoIP apps.[17] As promised, on September 22, 2012, HD quality phone calls and hold group-messaging sessions were made available for Windows phone but only forNokia users,[18] as part of exclusive partnership with Nokia.[19] Viber with voice was officially released for all Windows Phone 8 devices on April 2, 2013.[20] In August 2013, Viber for Linux was released as a public beta[21] and in August 2014 a final version.[22] Initially, only 64-bit binaries were made available for download.
Features & functionality[edit]
The actual functionality varies from platform to platform with iOS and Android being the first to receive new features. Viber includes text, picture and video messaging across all platforms, with voice calling available only to iPhone, Android andMicrosoft's Windows Phone although HD voice is planned for Windows Phone 8.[24] The application's user interface includes tab bar on the bottom giving access to messages, recent calls, contact, the keypad and a button for accessing more options. Upon installation, it creates a user account using one's phone number as username. Viber synchronizes with the phone's address book, so users do not need to add contacts in a separate book. Since all users are registered with their phone number, the software returns all Viber users among one's contacts. The newest version of Viber (Version 2.3) has added smileys and other default images.
Viber is also now available on Windows and Mac OS X.[when?]
As of December 2013, Viber officially launched Viber Out, a feature that allows users the option to call mobile and landline numbers; thus Viber users can call people not using a Viber app. Viber Out was originally released in November only to help Typhoon Haiyan victims in the Philippines connect with their loved ones. To use the new feature, users have to visit the "More" tab and choose Viber Out. No update is needed for the feature.[25]
Languages and localization[edit]
Viber is currently available in 30 languages and locales, including: Albanian, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese,English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish,Ukrainian, and Urdu.[5]
Company[edit]
Viber Media is a Las Vegas and Cyprus-registered company[26][27] with its development centers in Belarus[28] andIsrael.[29] The company was founded by Talmon Marco and Igor Megzinik, who are friends from the Israel Defense Forces.[30] The company is run from Israel, with much of its development outsourced to Belarus in order to lower labour-costs.[30]
Founded in 2010, the company is co-owned by its four Israeli founders: Talman Marco, Igor Megzinik, Sani Maroli and Ofer Smocha, who have each increased their investment by over 30 times on the startup's $900 million sale to Rakuten.[10]
The company originally didn't generate revenues, but announced it would start generating revenues in 2013 via a "sticker store". The company is funded by individual investors, who Marco has described as "friends and family".[32] As of May 2013, $20M had been invested in the company.[33]
Controversy[edit]
Concerns about the application's Israeli origin were raised by many bloggers in the Arab world, with belief that it may involve spying,[34] and believed that Viber collects users' critical information. These concerns were later featured by Al ArabiyaNews website,[35] referring to Marco serving the Israeli army and having the development facilities in Israel. Later, in an interview with The Guardian, Marco confirmed that Viber was funded entirely by "friends and family". "We never took a single dollar from the state of Israel. We are not even incorporated in Israel. We maintain a research and development center in Israel and that's it (without a licence in Israel)."[32]
Hacking[edit]
On July 24, 2013, Viber's support system was defaced by Syrian Electronic Army. According to Viber, no user sensitive information was accessed.[36]
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