Yahoo's Livetext is a messaging app for the Snapchat generation

Yahoo's Livetext video-messaging app popped up in Hong Kong's iTunes store a few days ago, and now it's rolling out to more locales. The app is the company's effort to provide software similar to its popular Messenger app that's appropriate for how people are chatting these days. This means offering a an option that's similar to Snapchat and the like, but with a focus on one-on-one conversations. With Livetext, you can let the person (no group chats yet) you're chatting with via text get a look at where you are and what you're doing. While the app does provide a video stream, it doesn't include sound. Why? The folks at Yahoo found that enabling sound caused folks to think twice about answering a message and instead wanted to offer "a way to connect that's quick and non-intrusive." It might keep you out of trouble in the office, but we'd surmise most folks would prefer it offer at least the option of some audio.

Basically, you can get a look at the person you're texting with during the convo. Oh yeah, it also doesn't support links or other media like photos, either. The company really wants users to focus on the texting and video for quick chats rather than on-going convos. In fact, the thread disappears when a session ends, but Yahoo says this isn't a Snapchat competitor per se, due to its focus on texting. It's also the first effort from the folks behind MessageMe chat software that Yahoo nabbed last year. The app will go live for Android and iOS in the US, UK, Canada, Germany and France tomorrow and, as previously mentioned, it's already available in Hong Kong, Ireland and Taiwan.