Mike's NBC-TV stories

Apps: Cool New Ways to Get Your Messaging Across

Hands down these days, the most popular apps out there are messaging apps. And why not? Messaging is cheaper, faster, and more efficient than regular text and because of that, new and more powerful apps are headed toward your smartphone.

The Kakao family of apps just may be the most advanced messaging system you will find. Actually, systems is more accurate since you can set up your own favorite group to message, you can share photos, videos, music, other apps, and even use an app called KakaoTalk to not only text, but make free direct voice calls to the mobile phones of friends. You can even do this from your desktop computer, as well. All free, and for all platforms.

Whatsapp is also hugely popular these days, so popular that Facebook just bought it for a price of $16 billion. It’s a cross platform mobile messaging app that lets you text and share multimedia without paying those SMS text fees charged by the wireless providers. There’s no advertising. The first year’s free. After than, it’s $1 A YEAR!

One more is Viber. Viber users can send free text, photo and video messages, and share locations with other users. Viber also allows users to make free HD-quality calls to other Viber users on iPhone, Android, Windows, and Blackberry mobile devices over cell or Wi-Fi.

Mike is a veteran journalist whose video "PC Mike" reports have been distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations since 1994, making him one of the most experienced tech reporters in the country. His tech stories and videos have appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, the Today Show, The New York Times, USA Today and in numerous national newspapers and magazines. In addition to the PC Mike tech blog, he also publishes the Roadtreking.com RV Travel Blog in which he travels North America in an RV reporting about interesting people and places.