Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app • Hacker News Board

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#81

Post by chias » Wed, Sep 21, 2016, 5:45 AM UTC

I really wish they wouldn't overload terms that they themselves invented. In Chrome, "incognito" means we don't save your local history, but it does not add to the transport security. Here, "incognito" means you've got end-to-end encryption (and presumably also doesn't save local history).

Why on earth would you re-use the same term when naming two things with similar (thus easily confused) consumer-visible attributes but completely different security guarantees?!

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#82

Post by sigmar » Wed, Sep 21, 2016, 5:45 AM UTC

atdt wrote: post #74

putlake wrote: post #8

I'm surprised Google Duo hasn't become more popular. It's a great cross-platform video chat app. I especially like the feature where you can see the other party before you answer their call. I have taken calls because of that feature that I otherwise wouldn't have. It's better than FaceTime because it works on Android. It's better than Skype and Google Hangouts because your cellphone number is your identity; you don'…

I live in New York City and there are very few places outside the home where you can hold up your phone like a pocket mirror and speak into it without looking like an asshole.

I've seen tons of people video chatting throughout public spaces in NYC, usually with headphones on so they can hear the other person. None of those people looked "like an asshole"

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#83

Post by dimino » Wed, Sep 21, 2016, 5:46 AM UTC

donw wrote: post #2

I wonder how many users will come to depend on it before they shut it down.

This is overblown, the biggest thing they did this to was Reader, and that was hardly an "ecosystem" app without any way to use a stand-in replacement within minutes.

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#84

Post by berfarah » Wed, Sep 21, 2016, 5:49 AM UTC

jotux wrote: post #72

So now google has Voice, Messenger, Hangouts, Allo, and Duo all with overlapping functionality? I wish they would just focus on making Hangouts work really well.

I think the way they see it is:

Voice is basically deprecated

Hangouts is enterprise

Allo and Duo compete with Whatsapp/iMessage and Facetime/Skype respectively

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#85

Post by weisser » Wed, Sep 21, 2016, 5:50 AM UTC

jotux wrote: post #72

So now google has Voice, Messenger, Hangouts, Allo, and Duo all with overlapping functionality? I wish they would just focus on making Hangouts work really well.

Voice is the most separate and distinct. I use my google voice number whenever I sell or buy anything on CL and I'm sure there are many other more creative uses.

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#86

Post by 0xmohit » Wed, Sep 21, 2016, 5:50 AM UTC

Open Whisper Systems partners with Google on end-to-end encryption for Allo.

https://whispersystems.org/blog/allo/

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#87

Post by Mizza » Wed, Sep 21, 2016, 5:51 AM UTC

jotux wrote: post #72

So now google has Voice, Messenger, Hangouts, Allo, and Duo all with overlapping functionality? I wish they would just focus on making Hangouts work really well.

They still have their XMPP as well, but they never enabled SSL so it sends messages in plaintext and won't federate to modern XMPP servers/clients.

What a clusterfuck of a company.

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#88

Post by bemmu » Wed, Sep 21, 2016, 5:52 AM UTC

partiallypro wrote: post #66

putlake wrote: post #8

I'm surprised Google Duo hasn't become more popular. It's a great cross-platform video chat app. I especially like the feature where you can see the other party before you answer their call. I have taken calls because of that feature that I otherwise wouldn't have. It's better than FaceTime because it works on Android. It's better than Skype and Google Hangouts because your cellphone number is your identity; you don'…

> I'm surprised Google Duo hasn't become more popular. The market is incredibly saturated in the chat space. Google keeps creating new things with new names (which they will eventually kill off) and the rest of the market is just completely saturated. WeChat, WhatsApp, Skype, FaceTime, Messenger, SnapChat, HangOuts; and that's the short list. It's getting out of hand. The chat model is incredibly difficult to monetiz…

Stickers? At least LINE is doing something like $268M in Sticker sales with 218M active users: http://qz.com/704768/line-sold-268-million-worth-of-stickers...

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#89

Post by flukus » Wed, Sep 21, 2016, 5:52 AM UTC

sigmar wrote: post #82

atdt wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in New York City and there are very few places outside the home where you can hold up your phone like a pocket mirror and speak into it without looking like an asshole.

I've seen tons of people video chatting throughout public spaces in NYC, usually with headphones on so they can hear the other person. None of those people looked "like an asshole"

I always think they're assholes, annoying me with their boring conversations.

At least put the speakerphone on so we can hear both sides of the conversation.

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#90

Post by obmelvin » Wed, Sep 21, 2016, 5:58 AM UTC

flukus wrote: post #89

sigmar wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've seen tons of people video chatting throughout public spaces in NYC, usually with headphones on so they can hear the other person. None of those people looked "like an asshole"

I always think they're assholes, annoying me with their boring conversations. At least put the speakerphone on so we can hear both sides of the conversation.

How is it any different from talking on the phone? Something that probably millions do daily in NYC.