Sina Fights WeChat with Mobile IM 'WeMeet'

Sohu IT, 7/23/13

During a disruption in service experienced by a portion of Chinese Internet and mobile services firm Tencent's (0700.HK) WeChat (Weixin) mobile messaging application users yesterday, Chen Tong, Executive VP and Editor-in-Chief at rival internet company Sina (Nasdaq: SINA), recommended on his Sina Weibo microblogging account that users try out mobile LBS IM app "WeMeet" ("WeiMi"). WeMeet is developed by Hangzhou Kuyue Technology, which has since been revealed to be an independent 20-member development team based within Sina.

Kuyue Tech released iOS version 1.0 of WeMeet on April 17 of this year and released an updated version of the app on June 28. WeMeet users can create groups, share status updates, and invite Weibo friends and contacts within their mobile handset's address book to become WeMeet users, adding them as WeMeet contacts after joining.

According to WeMeet spokesperson Liu Huangfu, WeMeet is an LBS interest-based SNS app, and thus is not meant to be a direct rival of WeChat.

Keywords: Liu Huangfu WeMeet Kuyue Chen Tong wireless mobile IM Sina mobile application

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