WhatsApp

A Review of WhatsApp

Since people were still using slow desktop PCs on a dial-up Internet connection, instant messaging services have been around. AOL and Yahoo! and so many more. Even MySpace had an IM and DM chat feature during its heyday. The Internet brought the entire world together and allowed people to chat, and so IM platforms will always be popular. One of the most popular IM services today is WhatsApp. This is an instant messaging platform that started out as an application (app) for phones, but over time has grown in popularity so much that it's now a standalone download for Windows PCs.

The cool thing about WhatApp's versions is that they're set up to operate the same. In other words, if you download the PC version, it's basically the same version as the app you can get for your smartphone. It can even sync up with your mobile device. There are so many little cool features with this program that it's been able to maintain its popularity for years now. It has even blown past Skype for the Internet's most popular instant messaging service. That's saying a lot.

What is WhatsApp?

At its core, WhatsApp is purely an instant messaging service that offers a few more bells and whistles that improve the usability of the application. It's a small and lightweight app that was designed to run smoothly in the background of your phone, allowing you to send messages and to have entire conversations in a way that's a lot easier and more feature-rich than the phone's default text message folder. The computer program version of WhatsApp operates the same way, giving you a light footprint that's not going to bog down your computer.

With WhatsApp, you get what many would call a lighter, sleeker version of Skype. This means that you can have one-on-one IM chats, group chats, and you can also do video calls and phone calls. The VoiP phone call feature is a huge benefit to people who come from opposite ends of the Earth, as it allows them to bypass any sort of data restrictions that their phone plan may have. So, aside from being an IM program, WhatsApp manages to bring a lot more to the table, and it brings it without having to take up memory on your phone or chewing up your processing power on a PC.

WhatsApp is free to download and use, whether the app version or the full program, and there aren't any features in the system that are going to require money from you, so you won't have to contend with paying hidden fees if you want to have a video chat with someone instead of just an IM session.

How WhatsApp Works

A very strong benefit of WhatsApp is the fact that it's very simple to figure out. This is especially true given the fact that most people who download and use the app have a bit of history with instant messaging services, so it's not like this is some foreign program that people need to learn how to use. It was designed with a sleek interface that is very user-friendly, and this holds true for both versions of the program. When you download and open the program, you're going to be able to instinctively navigate it because everything is very straightforward.

As soon as you open up WhatsApp, you're going to see everything laid out for you on one simple screen. You'll see a "Chats" tab, your "Status" and a "Calls" tab. You can go ahead and start adding contacts to your program, and there's a search feature, which looks like a magnifying glass at the top of the page, where you can look up different contacts if you need to. You can also set various status messages and customize them. After you have contacts and have your status set, you can click on your contact of choice and send them a message, call them, or prompt a video chat. You can also click on multiple contacts and open up group chats and group calls.

Everything is very easy to figure out on this sleek interface, so you're likely going to get the hang of how WhatsApp works very quickly. It's all self-explanatory as you get to playing around with the features and using the program.

The Features of WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a feature-rich program, though these are all small, basic features that do not take much to explain. For instance, the "chat" feature is fairly intuitive and axiomatic. It doesn't differ much at all from other IM programs. You can go and get into a chat with your contacts of choice, and send instant messages back and forth. One cool aspect here is that there's a seemingly never-ending range of emoticons you can use to chat. You'll find a lot to use that comes standard with the program, and there's always someone out there making different custom emoticons that you can download and use with the program.

Other than that, you have video call features, voice calls, group chats, and the ability to send and receive photos. You can even send and receive audio and video clips, as WhatsApp has added a microphone feature that's very similar to other IM programs like Skype and Telegram. Again, there aren't any features with WhatsApp that separate it much from other IM programs; these are all simple and light features.

Pros and Cons of WhatsApp

Pros of WhatsApp

• A program that's free to download and use
• A very simplistic and intuitive interface
• A lot of different communication features
• An ability to send and receive video clips
• Runs very light and doesn't sap up much processing power

Cons of WhatsApp

• Cannot share your location
• Voice/video calls aren't available on desktop
• You'll need a good Internet connection for the best quality