eBuddy is an independent IM service that acts as a hub to the most popular instant messaging clients. An eBuddy user can talk to friends on AIM, MSN, Facebook, GoogleTalk and more from one location, for free. Today, eBuddy announced that it has closed a deal with handset manufacturer LG to come pre-installed on the companies youth-targeted device in Asia Pacific.
eBuddys J2ME application, Mobile Messenger, will be installed on the devices that LG wants to push at young buyers, fans of instant messaging. The four devices currently on the pre-install list are the sexy new LG Arena, along with the touchscreen Renoir, LG-KS360 and Cookie.
From the release:
“The demand for mobile messaging and social networking in Asia continues to increase and it’s vital that these services form an essential element of the LG customer offering on our new devices,” said Bo Choi, VP and Head of Mobile Communications Marketing for LG Electronics Asia Pacific. “Our pre-installation partnership with eBuddy allows LG to enhance our customers’ lifestyles by delivering the right phones with the right look and features our younger customers have told us they want most: natural, real-time messaging and the ability to keep in touch with all their contacts on one device.”
”We’re very proud to partner with LG Electronics, one of the worlds’ leading and most progressive mobile communications companies,” states Jan-Joost “JJ” Rueb, CEO and co-Founder of eBuddy. “eBuddy Mobile Messenger is one of the world’s fastest growing mobile IM services with over five million unique monthly users and our partnership with LG Electronics forms a pivotal role in our mobile IM growth strategy throughout the entire Asia Pacific region.”
What we think?
Sounds like a match made in heaven. eBuddy gets great exposure, and LG attracts a swathe of IM-happy youths. But what about the operators? They’re not happy with VoIP, and I doubt they’ll be happy with the manufacturers and developers getting together to give kids a way to bypass SMS either.
eBuddy doesn’t support voip on there mobile IM at this time so that isn’t a problem. The users do IM and there is a SMS option if there are offline. This is a win for the mobile operators: Data package for the internet IM and SMS for offline IM. Congratulations to the eBuddy team in Amsterdam!