File this under rumors, but it seems that Facebook is looking to acquire the popular mobile messaging company WhatsApp.
According to TechCrunch, which didn’t reveal its sources nor the cash amount the social network is willing to pay for WhatsApp, this kind of deal would further help Facebook bolster its mobile credentials.
WhatsApp is available on a number of different platforms and has a staggering 100 million daily active users globally, serving few billion messages every day. The mobile app is currently the number-two paid app in the US Apple App Store, where it sells for $0.99. On Google Play, it’s free for the first year, and then $0.99 per year thereafter.
Facebook has recently noted that 14% of its advertising revenue (around $150 million) in the third quarter of 2012 came from mobile users, suggesting that its focus on mobile is paying off…
UPDATE: The rumor apparently is not true. [link]