THE NEWS WRAP: Twitter’s Periscope app now available on iOS

Twitter’s answer to popular live video streaming app Meerkat, Periscope, is now available on iOS.

The app, which Twitter acquired in January last year, allows users to live stream video via their mobile devices. Viewers can interact with the broadcaster in real-time using messages or “hearts”.

In a post announcing the launch the startup says “it may sound crazy, but we wanted to build the closest thing to teleportation”.

“While there are many ways to discover events and places, we realized there is no better way to experience a place right now than through live video.”

Slack’s valuation to reach $US2.8 billion

Workplace collaboration tool Slack has signed a deal with investors to raise up to $160 million in a funding round that values the company at $2.76 billion, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The round will include new investors Institutional Venture Partners, Horizons Ventures, Index Ventures and DST Global.

Facebook building a third party app ecosystem

Social networking giant Facebook has announced its new Messenger platform will allow the service’s 600 million users to use third-party apps and tools.

BuzzFeed’s Charlie Warzel points out it’s not hard to imagine a future where Facebook’s mobile ecosystem is competing with iOS and Android.

Overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 40.31 to 17,678.23. The Australian dollar is currently trading at US78 cents.

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