Nokia releases Nokia Chat beta for Windows Phone 8 Lumia devices.

Nokia Chat is another Lumia exclusive app currently in beta. The app, released today, is a multi-platform messaging software that lets Lumia users connect to friends who use Asha, S40 and Symbian devices. Nokia Chat beta also supports Yahoo Messenger, thus expanding the app reach to other platforms as well. While exclusively available to Lumia devices, the app is also limited to some countries. Users can download the beta in the United State, United Kingdom, Ireland, India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Nigeria. More countries will be added later.

Check out the features of Nokia Chat for Windows Phone:

Person to Person Messaging: Reach millions of Nokia Chat and Yahoo! Messenger users across different mobile and computer platforms.

Push Notifications and Live Tile Updates: Receive new message notifications, preview new messages, and see how many notifications you’ve received - even when Nokia Chat isn't running. 

Share a Place: Send information about a restaurant, store, or other point of interest.  If the recipient is also using a Lumia, they'll see details, directions, and reviews inside the HERE Maps app. 

Broadcast Your Location: Optionally include your city or neighborhood in your status message, so your friends and family know when you're near or far away.

Find Contacts: Scan your phone's address book to find friends and family who already use Nokia Chat and Yahoo! Messenger.

Using a Nokia Lumia with Windows Phone 8?

Take advantage of these additional features:

Speak Your Message: Compose a message by pressing speak, and what you say will be translated into text.

Voice Commands: Start Nokia Chat by long-pressing the Windows key and saying "Chat with" and the name of an existing contact: for example, "Chat with John".

Lock Screen Notifications: See how many Nokia Chat notifications you have on your lock screen.   Start the built-in Settings app and select "lock screen" to begin.

Source: Nokia Labs