August 12, Singapore-Affle, the leading international mobile media company, today announced a free upgrade for its Pinch iMessenger app. Pinch iMessenger is an easy-to-use cross platform app which, for the first time, integrates three highly popular activities among smart phone users–messaging, location based mobile social networking, and social leader-board contests. Pinch iMessenger is also the first app to allow smart phone users to interact meaningfully across the dominant mobile phone ecosystems: iPhone, Android, Symbian and BlackBerry. Users are able to send messages, share contacts, photographs, videos, interact and otherwise engage with each other, using data or Wifi networks and without incurring any local or international SMS/MMS charges.

Said Anuj Khanna, CEO, Affle Pte Ltd, “Pinch iMessenger, launched last month, has been developed with the vision of providing consumers with a brilliant platform for engagement. Smart phone users worldwide, a large section of whom are young and affluent, will see Pinch as a comprehensive messaging alternative to SMS. They will find in it a common place to meet likeminded people, set up and plan social activities. The integration of the social leaderboard concept in the messaging platform further increases consumer enjoyment and involvement. The Pinch iMessenger upgrade is a major step forward towards the fulfilment of this vision.”

The Pinch iMessenger upgrade, dubbed Version 1.3.15, carries out a host of fun and complex operations with the utmost simplicity and with a significant improvement in speed of completion. It provides access to over 450 emoticons via the ‘Emoji’ icon on the dashboard. Pinch iMessenger is also the first and the only app that delivers emoticons across platforms without any distortion. A thumbs-up remains a thumbs-up sent from an iPhone to an Android phone and vice versa. Users can now experience a much more enhanced input interface, can carry on long interactions across sheets and use the new theme called ‘Smoothie & White Bubbles’.

The feature where users could ‘View Miles’ travelled can now be extended to ‘Compare Miles’ travelled by friends. They can also map ‘Journeys’ made privately. Pinch iMessenger Version 1.3.15 is enabled to personalize requests for friends by sending out ‘cool’ invitation messages. Japanese and Korean languages are now also supported by the Pinch iMessenger team.

Charles Yong, Director, Product Development, Affle Pte Ltd said, “We have made these upgrades by acting upon loads of feedback received from the various app users’ contact points created by us. These include our websites, our Facebook page and our presence on Twitter. Product development is a never-ending process and we shall continue to work towards increasing the robustness and the level of engagement of the Pinch iMessenger platform.”

About Pinch: Pinch by Affle is the first cross platform iMessenger app with strong location based social networking functionalities built in. It provides easy to play social leaderboard contests, cool map views with friend locations, directions, integration of Facebook & Twitter, and updates on journeys made & miles travelled. Pinch also features emoticon integrity across platforms, supports sporty animations and picture messaging. Pinch by Affle can be used on iPhone 2G, 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4G (iOS4), iPod touch, Android 2.x, BlackBerry 4.x, Symbian, Web and soon to be launched PC version.

About Affle: Affle is a leading international mobile media company with the R&D headquarters in Singapore and marketing headquarters in the US. Affle has consistently delivered innovations that enhance the user experience on mobile messaging and make mobile media a reality. Affle currently operates in Singapore, India, China, the UK, the US, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand and Malaysia. Affle’s shareholders include Microsoft and Itochu.