Skip to main content

Line may not be focusing on the U.S., but it has impressive plans for expansion

If you have friends or family in Asia, chances are you’re already acquainted with Line, the Japanese messaging app that lets you communicate in stickers as well as in text. But for Americans who’ve yet to be exposed to Line, they may be waiting just a little while longer yet. That’s because Line CEO Takeshi Idezawa revealed in an interview with VentureBeat that the company will be focusing primarily on four Asian markets (Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia), rather than expanding efforts in the U.S.

This is a marked departure from the app’s strategy from a few years back, when Line first made its attempt to move west. But given the sheer number of other players in the space, like WhatsApp, Snapchat, Twitter, and even old iMessage and SMS, Line backtracked a bit. Now, it’s honing in on just these four markets, and clearly, this revised approach has worked. After all, Line underwent an IPO earlier this year at an impressive $1.1 billion, and has reported third quarter revenue of 35.9 billion yen (about $328 million), a 2 billion yen or $18 million increase over the second quarter.

Recommended Videos

Today, Line can claim top honors when it comes to messaging platforms in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand — three of its four key markets. But that’s just the beginning, Idezawa says. As VentureBeat reports, the CEO “aims to make the Line service so integral to the lives of its users that his company will build an insurmountable advantage against its Western and Chinese rivals in the chat wars to come,” and will do so by launching a Slack-like version of the app for the workplace in 2017, as well as exploring video services for Line. And of course, Line also plans on investing heavily in artificial intelligence and chatbots.

“Right now Line users can hail a taxi, book an airline ticket and get food delivered as well as perform many different transactions inside the Line app. But not all this is automated by AI and some of the processes are still manual,” he told VentureBeat. “We think that with further use of AI, efficiency will increase for our users.”

So look out, America. It may not be here yet, but there may soon be a Line revolution.

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Huawei’s new plan may help it circumvent U.S. sanctions
Huawei logo seen on a banner at MWC.

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei, which has been badly hit by U.S.-imposed sanctions, is reportedly working on a new plan that could potentially help it circumvent those restrictions, Bloomberg reports. The plan involves the company licensing smartphone designs to some of its existing partners, which would then source parts and technology from entities that Huawei itself is barred from dealing with.

The companies that Huawei intends to work with include a little-known firm called Xnova and another company called TD Tech Ltd. Interestingly, Xnova is the subsidiary of a larger Chinese state-owned company called China National Postal and Telecommunications Appliances Co. (PTAC), which already sells Huawei’s existing Nova series devices on its own e-commerce platform. Both these companies aim to license smartphone designs from Huawei, but will most likely sell these devices under their own brand names.

Read more
Nokia’s new G300 may be the most affordable 5G phone in the U.S.
Image of the Nokia G300 filming.

HMD Global is releasing the Nokia G300, its most affordable 5G phone yet, and possibly one of the cheapest ones to ever launch in North America. Releasing on October 19, the phone will cost $199 and come in a charcoal color. However, it can only be purchased from the sellers Tracfone Wireless and Straight Talk Wireless. Nokia's already announced and released six other phones across three series in 2021.

“We take pride in creating life-proof phones that you can keep for longer thanks to the durability of our devices inside and out," said Cristian Capelli, vice president, North America, HDM Global. "What we have achieved with the Nokia G300 is an elevated yet affordable 5G smartphone with a two-day battery life, meaning you and your family don't need to be chained to a charging cord, and you’ll have more time for the things that matter."

Read more
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G gets a U.S launch. Can it compete with the iPad?
samsung galaxy tab fe 5g us release price availability s7

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G is finally getting a U.S. launch and price details after previously having been announced for other markets in May. The S7 FE is a new version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. Like other “Fan Edition” devices like the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, it acts as a more affordable, mid-range option next to Samsung’s premium lineup, but stands a step above the budget Galaxy Tab A series.

The Tab S7 FE 5G will be available starting August 5 for $669 directly from Samsung.com, AT&T, and Verizon. T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and other retailers will also get it in the following days. The 5G model will only come in Mystic Black, while the Wi-Fi version comes with various color options including black, silver, light green, and light pink.

Read more