In addition to the instant chat features that are present in its other apps, which include the ability to see when someone has read a message and when they are typing, "Touch" allows users to send groups of photos or "experiences" with just the friends they select. If they wanted to, users could choose a different group of friends for every album.
If you used Path before it rebranded as a "smart journal" on Wednesday, you'll recognize both the simple concept of sharing photos with real friends as opposed to Facebook friends or the public and a resemblance between the interfaces. Some notable differences include that Touch shares multiple photos at a time where as Path only shares one and Touch adds its instant chat technology to the discussions that form around photos.
Touch is unusual in that it is launching with a userbase. Between Pingchat and TextNow, the company has more than 21 million users. The plan is to convert PingChat's 13 million users into Touch users with an update that they can download on Blackberry, iOS and Android starting Monday. All of their contacts on PingChat will automatically be converted to contacts on Touch.
The startup also has a head start on funding. Both Lady Gaga's and Justin Bieber's managers participated in a $1 million seed round that it raised in October.