Facebook vs. Gmail

Facebook is seeking to replace e-mail with what it calls a “modern messaging system” that combines all the ways people send messages — including e-mail, IM and SMS — into a single interface. It’s a clear assault on Google and and its popular “social” application — Gmail.

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Facebook’s message system sorts all messages between two people into a single, long thread.

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Facebook’s algorithms will decide whether to deliver a message to SMS, IM or e-mail. In order for Facebook to do that, however, you will have to tell Facebook what those addresses are.

“We are trying to make it so that people don’t have to think about this stuff,” Zuckerberg said. “We are trying to make sure a message doesn’t go to five different channels.”