QQ is China’s most popular messaging app – it seems that almost everyone online in China has a “QQ hao”, the number associated with your account. QQ parent company Tencent also makes the WeChat app (weixin in Chinese) for your smartphone or device (iPod et al).
QQ has features in addition to audio/video chat and file transfer to outstrip MSN and Skype: online games, video sharing, bookmarks, email (each QQ hao automatically is an email address, i.e. “qq_hao”@qq.com), news, and more. QQ has been called “the MSN killer that’s made in China“.
Download QQ here.
Check out imqq.com for more info.
Things that make QQ a killer IM:
Apart from the fairly generic functions that you’d expect in any IM client, QQ does pack a few features which you won’t find in either Yahoo’s or Microsoft’s offerings. For example: QQ allows you to resume an interrupted download when you’re sharing files with friends. That may not sound particularly exciting but if you consider the stability of networks in parts of China and plenty of other countries, you’ll see that it’s actually essential. Another cool feature included with QQ is a nifty little screen grab tool which you can use while chatting. It even lets you make small screencasts: great for anyone who’s constantly helping friends out with their PCs.
A foreign teacher in Chengdu describes QQ best on her blog: “Originally an instant messaging service in the vein of AIM, QQ is now a full-blown hybrid of chatting, e-mail, MySpace-esque profile pages (called QZones), and games. QQ is way more than just an online time-filler for its Chinese users– it’s a way of life.”
China’s favorite chat app has also taken off in South Africa, and Tencent is actively pursuing more international users through an English website, imqq.com.
Check out QQ video chat and farming game screenshots below.
Relevant Links:
Download QQ (English)
Download QQ (Chinese)
Slide Presentation of QQ and Tencent
Tencent QQ on Wikipedia
Review of QQ on Softonic
Photo Credits @ The China Observer, Softonic, Kentucky Fried China
Drew McCarty
Well,
glad i clicked on that,
I was waiting to find the English version of QQ out there, (but not searhing veeery hard.
–
wechat as a phone app is not a bad thing however.
–
Its not a time filler?? really?
damn.
Way of life in the same way that Facebook and my space and that ilk is way of life in the western world pretty much..