Upgraded Messaging
Naver’s global messenger LINE adds video calling.
Naver announced on September 24 that it kicked off video calling and snap movie services for users worldwide. The latter is to let its users share their short video clips. LINE’s one-on-one video call function is provided free of charge for those who use the messenger on smart phones and PCs on a Wifi or 3G connection. Free conversion from voice calls to video calls is available, too.
“We have added video calling to the messenger’s text messaging and free voice call services,” said LINE CEO Morikawa Akira at a recent conference held in Toyko. He explained, “We expect that our users will be able to feel like they are closer to each other anytime and anywhere thanks to the free video call service.”
In the meantime, the snap movie service allows them to share video clips as short as four to 10 seconds with the background music of their choice. This service is made available for iPhone users for now, and the Android version is slated to be launched sooner or later.
The company is planning to come up with more new services like LINE Music and LINE Mall so as to expand the scope of its business as a global mobile platform.