Facebook recently launched a new app called "Messenger." It allows users with smartphones to send and receive messages directly from their mobile devices — all while avoiding texting charges from service providers. Robert Siegel talks to Brian Cooley, editor-at-large at the online magazine CNET, who explains how it works.
ROBERT SIEGEL, host: More news now from the mobile market. Last week, Facebook rolled out a new, stand-alone app called Messenger. It allows users to send and receive messages directly from their smartphones, while avoiding charges from service providers - in other words, a free alternative to texting.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: To help explain how it works, I'm joined by Brian Cooley, editor-at-large at the online tech magazine CNET. Welcome back to the program, Brian.</s>BRIAN COOLEY: Thanks, Robert.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: And I did this. I tried this out this morning; I messaged my two daughters. A 50 percent response rate is pretty good in my family.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: I want you to explain what just happened. What did I do?</s>BRIAN COOLEY: Well, you just used a new Facebook app called Facebook Messenger. It's different from the Facebook app, which has all the Facebook wall updates and all that sort of thing. They've chosen to go with a separate app for communications that rolls in not just Facebook messages, but also you can field email and text messages through there. In other words, they're trying to roll all your communications into one app that happens to be a Facebook app.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: And this is not unique. There are other things. Google has something like it, I gather?</s>BRIAN COOLEY: There are a ton of apps out there for different kinds of communication. Many of them take existing platforms, generic platforms - email, texting, things of that nature that exist as utilities - and they roll them up in what we call a new skin. They put them into a new basket. But what's in there is the same core technology. So yes, these are apps that have been around for a while. But Facebook hasn't done one of these until just now.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: Is Facebook's advantage here simply the number of people who have Facebook pages? Or is there something about it and its technology that's different from what Apple or Google is trying to do?</s>BRIAN COOLEY: Yeah, the big advantage here is that Facebook has everybody in the tent already. You could launch a new messenger app today and nobody would use it, unless you got really lucky. What Facebook can do is, they can get in front of a parade. They don't have to start a parade. So they could put this in front of 750 or 800 million registered users right now, and get immediate uptake of some significant degree.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: Here's what I don't understand. If Verizon makes money from my texting when I use ordinary messaging, how is it that Facebook can deliver the same service without getting any money for it?</s>BRIAN COOLEY: Well, what Facebook is doing is, they're rolling the message through a different network. They are rolling it over the Web through their own platform. They're rolling it through Facebook, basically. So they are re-creating a channel that is just like the texting you're using on SMS, but it's through a Facebook server. And so they are taking a side road around - not really cutting out the middleman, but taking a different route to get the message there.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: But I assume, then, that if I were a mobile carrier manning the tollbooth on the main highway, I'd be pretty upset about these detours going on.</s>BRIAN COOLEY: Yes. As I look at an app like this, I see the carriers perhaps having some pushback. They obviously want you to use as much data on your plan as possible. Because if they're lucky, you'll use more data than you're currently paying for and either get stuck with an overage charge at the end of the month or you'll say OK, that didn't feel good. I'm going to raise my plan.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: What are some potential downsides, though, to Facebook?</s>BRIAN COOLEY: Well, when you install anything from Facebook, you get that sort of - that tinge of invasiveness. That's something where Facebook is a, let's say a contentious entity. Whereas most of us will look at email and texting and we'll see that as, yeah, those are just generic utilities - I don't feel like there's anybody in there promoting it or bringing it to me in a way where they want something, where they have an ulterior motive.</s>BRIAN COOLEY: When you look at Facebook, you say OK, what do they want? All users pretty much realize now: They want my information. They want to have their fingers in my communications so they can better tune advertising to me. And a lot of people are uncomfortable with that.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: Brian Cooley, editor-at-large with the online magazine CNET. Brian, thanks a lot.</s>BRIAN COOLEY: Thank you, Robert.