Mxit (pronounced "mix it") is a free instant messaging application developed by Mxit Lifestyle (Pty) Ltd. in South Africa that runs on multiple mobile and computing platforms. Along with its own standard protocol, it can connect to Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, Facebook, AIM, or Windows Live Messenger contacts as well.[1]
According to a 2011 study by consultancy World Wide Worx, Mxit currently has about 10 million active subscribers, making it the largest mobile social network in Africa.[2]
History
Mxit originates from Stellenbosch, a university town in South Africa. In 1997, Herman Heunis established Swist Group Technologies and focused primarily on the mobile telecommunications industry, developing software and providing system support to large Telco's. In 2000 Clockspeed Mobile, a research and development division of Swist Group Technologies, developed a Massive Multiplayer Mobile game named Alaya. The game was SMS based and was not successful due to the high cost of SMS since GPRS was still not widely implemented. In 2003 the game was reassessed and the MXit concept was conceived by Herman that same year, MXit has evolved to become a major IM player in the South African arena thereafter.[3] In April 2004 Clockspeed Mobile became independent and on 1 July 2006 became MXit Lifestyle (Pty) Ltd.[4] In January 2007, media giant Naspers acquired a 30% stake in the company for an undisclosed amount.[5] In September 2011, Mxit was acquired by South African investment group, World of Avatar.[6]
Features
Mxit allows users to send and receive one-on-one text and multimedia messages to and from other users, and in general chat rooms. MXit also supports gateways to other instant messaging platforms such as MSN Messenger, ICQ and Google Talk. MXit does not charge for one-on-one messages though mobile operators may charge for data usage. There are also a number of pay-services, including chatrooms.
Mxit was first released as a mobile phone IM client. Available on a variety of phones, Mxit requires Java and internet connectivity via CSD, GPRS, 3G or wifi to run. Tailored versions have also been released for the Apple iPhone (via the iTunes App Store), Android, BlackBerry OS and Windows Mobile devices.[7] MXit Lifestyle have also released a Windows client, MXit EVO PC.[8]
Mxit features some of the standard functions of a modern instant messaging client, such as a contact list, file transfers and photo sharing via a cellphone's built-in camera. MXit also supports profile photos, tabbed conversations and message formatting. Contacts are added by entering their cellphone number and, as of recently, a username. Users are able to change their presence and mood via a menu on the client. Further features include support for themes, emoticons, and group chat, called MultiMX.
On 1 April 2009, Mxit released an open-source plug-in for the libPurple library.[9] This allows applications using the libPurple library such as Pidgin and Adium to connect to the Mxit network. This coincided with the release of the MXit Developer Zone web-site and documentation on the Mxit client protocol.[10] Mxit has been included as a standard protocol in Pidgin since version 2.6.4.[11]
Platforms
Supported platforms
MXit is available on a variety of mobile and Computing platforms, each independently developed for the platform. These are:
Current versions
| Platform | Current version | Release date | Third party |
|---|
| Java ME | 6.2.1 | 1 July 2011 | No |
| BlackBerry | 6.3.0 | 24 June 2011 | No |
| iPhone | 1.6 | 4 March 2011 | No |
| Android | 6.4.0 | 10 June 2011 | No |
| Windows Mobile | 1.4.1 | 5 November 2010 | No |
| Windows Phone 7 | 1.0.3.0 | 25 May 2012 | No |
| Linux | 2.9.0, Pidgin | 23 June 2011 | Yes, Pidgin only,
bundled plugin |
| Microsoft Windows | 2.9.0, Pidgin
2.0.1, MXit Evo | 23 June 2011
13 December 2010 | Yes, Pidgin,
bundled plugin |
| Mac OS X | 1.0 | 31 August 2009 | Yes, Adium only,
separate plugin[12] |
International presence
Mxit operates in many international markets. Mxit is officially supported in Malaysia, India, Indonesia, United Kingdom, United States, Nigeria, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain. In August 2007 Mxit commissioned their European Data Centre located in Frankfurt, Germany. The purpose of this server farm is to take over most of the international traffic from the South African servers.[13] In September 2010, Mxit launched in Kenya, making it the first country outside of South Africa to have access to the full range of features.
Criticism
Media coverage
Articles in the 27 July 2006 editions of YOU and Huisgenoot magazines indirectly implied that Mxit enables access to pornography and allows paedophiles to contact minor users, often by pretending to be minors themselves. On 30 July 2006, the M-Net actuality program Carte Blanche broadcast an insert in which a young girl explained how an alleged paedophile contacted her via Mxit. The girl, however, admitted that she violated the Mxit rule not to share personal contact details with other users.[14] The creators of Mxit have since aligned themselves with South African law enforcement to further secure minors' safety when using Mxit.[15]
Exam results
Numerous news agencies and papers have placed articles in which they quote parents from all over South Africa who claim that Mxit is having an effect on their children's school work. Parents argue that their children fail to communicate properly and find themselves in their own world of mobile chatrooms. This has led to parents starting to confiscate their children's phones.[16]
References
External links
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Mxit Lifestyle (Pty) Ltd.