More Deals, More Sells, More Rumours: Skype+ GroupMe

Rumour has it…Well, not actually the rumour, but some of the popular news sources have begun speaking of another essential purchase on the softmarket.

Namely, one of the huge competitors in the modern software industry, Microsoft, or, better to say, one of its newly-bought enteprizes, Skype, has officially released the news about its purchase of GroupMe for around $80 million.

For those, who haven’t yet heard of GroupMe, the service enables you to chat with people via sms on your mobile phone or just from your PC and use the conference calling option, without a need to add others to the chat everytime, you wish to send an sms to everybody from the particularly created group.

Although, the analytics admit, that the purchase of GroupMe will definitely be helpful in the maintainance Microsoft’s position in the relative field of the market, I’ve got some doubts about that.

I haven’t been using GroupMe myself, though I’ve tried it, having heard the news about the deal, and, to be honest, the service is simple, and, all in all, fun. Yet, I really couldn’t find any super-advantageous features, if compared to Skype itself, and it seems quite vague, that GroupMe is really as useful for a person, as the data backup with versatile sync apps, like 4shared Sync, or SugarSync, for instance.

The conference calling option, as an example, is available in all modern smartphones, so you don’t, actually, need any additional app or service to talk to several people on the phone simultaneously, and Skype chat room isn’t a brand-new function either.

Of course, my opinion won’t be shared by GroupMe fans, or, perhaps, some experts, who predict the flourishing future for this services integration, but something tells me, that the purchase of Motorola Mobility is much more important and promising, than this one.

If I were asked, I’d say, that Microsoft should also develop the independent software fields within its businesses, like the development of mobile applications not for Windows Mobile only, but for other OS’s as well, provide their users with access to file-sharing sites, like RapidShare, or 4shared, for example, and create various apps to stream video and music, and other essential accessoires for people, who need to have high-quality services at hand, not just chat with their friends.

Otherwise, the giant won’t handle the comptetion with its rivals, I’m sure of that.

But, as usual, we’ll see.

Stay cool
Andy