Courtesy: TechCrunch

Facebook today has announced what they aren't calling an email killer, but instead a fusion of email, chat, and SMS. It's really all about creating a simple way to message one another -- Facebook Wave, if you will.

Today I'm excited to announce the next evolution of Messages. You decide how you want to talk to your friends: via SMS, chat, email or Messages. They will receive your message through whatever medium or device is convenient for them, and you can both have a conversation in real time. You shouldn't have to remember who prefers IM over email or worry about which technology to use. Simply choose their name and type a message.

A @facebook.com email address is being provided to anybody that wants one, should they choose to use email the most in this new messaging system. There will be no subject lines or any of the formalities that currently haunt email. The focus is simple and quick here. Any unimportant messages such as messages from people not on your friends list, will go into a separate "Other" folder.

The new "Messages" will be rolled out in a slow process over the next few months. Until then, you can take a brief tour here.

Update (2/11/11): Facebook announced today that all Facebook users will be getting the upgraded Messages system within the next few weeks.