Line VOIP app gains popularity

service now rivals social networking giant Facebook, Yomiuri reports.

The new IT service was created by NHN Japan, a Japanese affiliate of NHN, a major South Korean IT firm.

Designed on the basis of the concept of the 'Smartphone-life Platform', which is intended to provide a more fun and enriching experience to smartphone users, 'Line Channel' functions as a platform integrating additional apps and services, Engadget writes.

With Line Channel, users can enjoy additional apps with or without their friends connected via Line.

NHN Japan aims to establish a new ecosystem for smartphone-related services by offering various content and services developed by its external business partners for the 45 million users worldwide. In the first instalment, services including games, fortune-telling and money-saving coupons are scheduled to be released from early July.

These new services and content are provided in two ways, PR Newswire notes.

The first is 'Web apps' based on HTML5 that operate within the Line app, and the second is 'Native apps' that are available from the app markets for iOS and Android devices and can be linked to the Line service.

Although NHN Japan's self-developed apps alone will be released at first, NHN Japan has made it clear that it plans to increase the availability of apps developed by external business partners by opening its API and offering developers access to Line's functions, including friends lists, messaging and payment. NHN Japan has opened a Web page dedicated to finding new external partners via the contact form within Line.

Moreover, 'Line Coin', a mobile virtual payment service for purchases of the content/services within 'Line Channel', has been released. By purchasing Line Coins in advance, users can access the paid content within 'Line Channel'.