Popular messaging app Viber, which already boasts 200 million users, has extended its service to desktop PC and Mac computers, in addition to smartphones and tablets.
The app, which allows users to send free instant messages and telephone calls, is one of a group of services such as Skype, Whats App and Google Voice, which are challenging the business models of mobile carriers and telecommunications companies with their low-cost and no-cost services.
"People spend a substantial amount of time on their smartphones. However, a lot of that usage takes place at home or in the office, where they have laptops or desktops close by," Viber CEO Talmon Marco said in a statement, explaining the need for the extension to desktops.
Besides working on desktops, Viber 3.0 also includes video messages and the ability to toggle from one device to another with a single click or tap.
Viber is available in 27 languages and 193 countries and claims to be adding 400,000 new customers a day. While its 200-million user base is impressive, it still has a way to go to match Skype, which boasts it has more than 280 million users.