Nokia is getting involved in the Chat application business with Nokia Chat, an app that allows users to keep in contact with your Nokia Chat and Yahoo Messenger contacts. This isn't the first time the Finnish giant has attempted to get a solid footing in this field, though it didn't work out as intended.

Nokia Chat comes off as a solid alternative to other chat apps; however, the problem is the fact that this app is only available for Lumia-branded Windows Phone 8 devices.

App description:

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 faraway.

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

And if you're using a Nokia Lumia with Windows Phone 8, you can 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.

If Nokia wants to see its chat app take off, it first needs to make it available on all Windows Phone 8 devices, and on other platforms such as Android and iOS.

Download Nokia Chat beta