Canadian startup Kik Interactive announced the launch of Kik Cards on November 29. The latest from the makers of Kik messenger will allow smartphone users to share content through Kik in an easy and convenient way. The latest update from the company has come after a quite some time . The last updated included group chat that was announced at the South by Southwest conference in 2011.
Kik Messenger has faced an uphill battle ever since it was launched with competition from Apple’s iMessage and a patent infringement lawsuit from Research In Motion. All these hurdles could not stop Kik Interactive’s data mobile messenger from gaining 30 million users around the world and currently getting 100,000 daily downloads.
CEO Ted Livingston told BetaKit that, “People want a really clean, simple, and fast experience, so that’s what we did, Kik is two buttons and a list of conversations and people love it. The question for us was how do we add and make a rich experience around content without hurting the simplicity of the core messaging service…cards are a mini experience around a specific type of content. The idea is that we would add tens and hundreds of these over time.”
Kik Cards have been developed using the latest web technology of HTML5 and seamlessly integrate into Kik’s native environment. That means that users can add the cards or media content to the messaging experience without missing a beat. A swipe of the finger hides the card from sight. HTML 5 is used for the cards because it makes it easy to release content across a number of different platform like iOS, Android and BlackBerry.
According to Kik, there will be three new cards available including Sketch Card, Image Search and YouTube Card.
The service is free to use and as their user base has grown, the Waterloo based firm has been looking for ways to monetize its product. Kik Cards will allow the start up to get fees from content creators so that their specific content will be showcased in the service.
Livingston believes there can be card for pretty much everything and he points at social apps including Yelp. Cards can do pretty much anything including checking movie listings, streaming music, display news and more.
Livingston added states that, “We have a huge audience that’s hungry for different types of content, we have a way to add content to our messenger that’s great for the user so that they can engage with what they want and not what they don’t. It’s great for content producers because all this viral sharing, I send it you, you send it your friends, and it’s great for us because it makes the experience so much richer without ruining the simplicity of the core messaging experience.”
Source: BetaKit
Ouya Ready To Ship Android Powered Dev Gaming Consoles In December
Taxi Service Startup Hailo and Molson Coors Canada Partner Up To Offer Toronto Safe Rides
Lunches So Good Kids Can’t Ignore Them
Invigorating Ginger Smoothie
The U.K.’s Youngest Parents Ever
The new hair Jennifer Lawrence