Application Beluga

Platforms Android, iPhone, iPod Touch

Price Free

Thanks to its recent acquisition by Facebook, group messaging application Beluga has been making quite a splash of late.

Just what is group messaging? Think SMS, e-mail and, eventually, Facebook posts all wrapped into one.

For techies, the benefits should be obvious: no longer do you have to rely on a single medium for group conversations.

If you're looking to collaborate on a project with your classmates, simply hit the "+" key to start a conversation, or "pod" as they're known, and punch in their details.

This should be easy enough, thanks to the app's integrated address book feature that allows you to search for contacts by typing in the first part of their name. This in turn pulls up their e-mail address and phone number, both of which can be added to the pod.

Multiway communication means all pod members can view full conversation threads irrespective of the medium they're using.

While it's no slacker in the innovation department, Beluga is far from being the only player in the group messaging space. Similar applications, such as GroupMe and What's App, boast many of the same functions. Neither, however, offers as richly integrated a platform. Plus, with the likely addition of Facebook chat, you can rest assured that Beluga will be a formidable contender for years to come. 

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