Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp has announced the launch of its desktop app for Windows and Mac users and is compatible with devices running Windows 8, and Mac OS 10.9 and above. WhatsApp is also available as a web application across all desktop devices. It is unclear if the desktop version will support end to end encryption, a feature WhatsApp rolled out for mobile last month. As of now, the desktop app for WhatsApp can send pdf files, and MS Office supported documents like .doc/x, .ppt/x etc. but not any other kind of files (mp3s or mp4s). Initially, users who wanted to use WhatsApp on desktop could do so through an emulator called Bluestack. It looks like Bluestack is still around, offering a Windows, Apple devices and Android app as a standalone messenger. Note that Telegram, another messaging app, also has apps for Windows and Mac (unofficial app for Linux), as well as for Windows Phones, along with a web version. The WhatsApp desktop app works similar to the WhatsApp Web client by mirroring conversations and messages from a mobile device. The company said in its blogpost that the desktop apps is synced with WhatsApp on mobile; the app will run natively on the desktop, which means it will have support for native desktop notifications. While the desktop app seems to be an extension of the earlier launched WhatsApp Web, the company says that it has additional features like desktop notifications, keyboard shortcuts etc. WhatsApp Web was launched in January last year. The company's transition to…
