When you have an Android smartphone, connecting with your friends via GChat is a pretty straightforward and seamless process. Microsoft wants to offer the same kind of idea, but within its Windows environment. That’s why they’re promising a “seamless, built-in texting and IM experience powered by Windows Live Messenger” on Windows Phone 7.

This “seamless” integration should come along with the next version of Windows Phone, which we are assuming is the Mango build that’s been making its way around Internet news sources. Instead of getting you to open an app for Windows Live Messenger, it’ll be built into the phone’s Messaging Hub. That combines your IM and SMS chats into one place.

While this isn’t all that surprising, it is almost surprising that they’re offering Facebook Chat integration into Messaging Hub too. Again, there’s no need to download a separate app to access that. Makes you wonder if they’ll add AIM, GChat, Skype, and other protocols down the line for the same kind of native support.

And yes, there is support for both photo sharing and group chats via the updated system. Windows Phone 7 may not have the same kind of market share as iOS or Android, but these Mango updates are starting to make the platform sound a little more appealing.

The post WP7 Mango to Get “Seamless” Windows Live Messenger Integration appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Facebook isn’t just about checking out embarrassing pictures of your friends in their less than flattering moments; it’s about ridiculing them in real time about these pictures. The Facebook app for Android has now been updated to grant you that ability, thanks to the addition of Facebook chat.

Yes, there are already all sorts of IM clients out there, on the Android platform and elsewhere, that allow you to communicate through the Facebook Chat protocol, but this one is built into the official app. This way, you can be in the middle of updating your wall, checking into Places, and reading the news feed as you chat with your Facebook buddies too.

The Facebook Chat integration also includes push notifications. This way, you don’t have to keep popping back into the Chat and hitting refresh to see if your buddy has responded to your bombardment of shame for pictures from last night’s party. How on Earth did he manage to get into the club with a traffic cone on his head anyway?

[Giz via Droid Life]

The post Facebook chat shows up on Google Android app appeared first on Mobile Magazine.