iSkoot, a company that is known for its solutions for the use of VoIP on mobile devices, is looking to branch out its services, and is doing so with its purchase of social network IM client Social.IM. Social.IM gained some popularity as a way for Facebook users to chat, but Facebook eventually released their own application for this purpose.
“The story is interesting because Social.IM seemed to be in a bad situation: it focused on one platform only, providing Facebook users a way to chat, and then Facebook launched its own chat (which has several flaws, one of which is the fact that it’s so damn unreliable), which usually means you can close shop and wave goodbye,” writes Mashable’s Stan Schroeder. “However, iSkoot seems to have recognized Social.IM’s potential and will integrate it into its own set of services.”
iSkoot doesn’t seem interested in using Social.IM’s Facebook connection as a selling point either. Their press release about the acquisition makes no mention of the social networking giant. No, iSkoot has its own thing going. Research shows that mobile social networking is going to grow big time over the coming years, and iSkoot recognizes that. Despite Facebook’s growing popularity, iSkoot doesn’t need that association.
“Social.IM has served as an instant Web communications desktop platform and we see a clear consumer integration with iSkoot’s upcoming suite of Web to mobile push services,” says iSkoot CEO Mark Jacobstein. “Acquiring Social.IM is a key step in our path to introduce later this year a groundbreaking new communications platform that will revolutionize the mobile landscape.”
Earlier this year, iSkoot and VoIP star Skype announced a five-year deal, which gives iSkoot exclusive rights on Skype mobile services in eight countries. This deal was made after the two companies saw the success of the iSkoot powered Skypephone.
