The Next Web

Ebuddy mobile IM client downloaded 5 million times

Written on July 25, 2008 – 5:49 pm
Joop Dorresteijn, Contributing editor

The popular independent IM messenger eBuddy seems to be popular on mobile devices, the mobile J2ME version has been downloaded 5 million times! These numbers are unreal to me, since I used the initial version of the IM service primarily for some quick-and-simple IM access at the office back in 2003. Currently, the companies success keeps continuing, and the future of eBuddy seems to reside somewhere in the mobile applications.

Research analysts at Informa estimate the global market for mobile IM will become an $11 billion (€7.4bn) industry by 2011. Not by coincidence that eBuddy released a J2ME version last year.
Jan-Joost Rueb, eBuddy’s CEO and founder commented the following about the 5 million downloads, “We are now processing over 1 billion messages per month on our mobile platform for more than 2 million unique monthly users. The fast pace at which our application is being picked up shows how much people want a high quality, easy-to-use, intuitive IM application like eBuddy.”

The latest J2ME release also features a redesigned and improved user interface, and includes an unique ID feature which can be used to log-in and access all IM accounts simultaneously. The latest Lite Messenger release includes new features, extra networks and specific design functionality for iPhone, including the new 3G version released worldwide on July 11. (see picture)

eBuddy is located in Amsterdam, San Francisco and London. They offer their service in 38 languages. They received 11.5 million in funding, with the last round in February this year.
We tried to sneak into the eBuddy office to see if we could find the money back in February, check the video here.

I hope you like that post!

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ebuddy, J2ME, mobile