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SEOUL —A handful of smartphone apps that began as basic
instant messaging services have amassed several hundred million users in Asia
in just a couple of years, mounting a challenge to the popularity of online
hangouts such as Facebook as they branch into games, e-commerce, celebrity news
and other areas.
Among them is Line, which has grown to 60 million users, mostly in Asia including at least 29 million in Japan. Its developer estimates the number of users will reach 100 million by the end of this year. Also popular is Kakao Talk with 60 million users, more than half in South Korea where it originates. Other successful messengers are Nimbuzz made by an India-based firm which has amassed 100 million users including 31 million in Asia, and WeChat by China-based Tencent, which is nearing 200 million users.
Among them is Line, which has grown to 60 million users, mostly in Asia including at least 29 million in Japan. Its developer estimates the number of users will reach 100 million by the end of this year. Also popular is Kakao Talk with 60 million users, more than half in South Korea where it originates. Other successful messengers are Nimbuzz made by an India-based firm which has amassed 100 million users including 31 million in Asia, and WeChat by China-based Tencent, which is nearing 200 million users.
Instant messaging, also known as IM, was first popularized on desktop computers with applications such as Microsoft Messenger that evolved from text-based chatting and sharing files to the voice calls and video conferencing that Skype is known for. The advent of smartphones took IM back to basics with services such as WhatsApp and Blackberry Messenger that allowed for real-time chatting, swapping photos and not much else. The new instant messaging apps such as Line have evolved into online destinations in their own right.
Kakao Talk, which is only accessible on mobile devices,
says it is trying to develop a business model that isn’t dependent on
advertising. Since its launch in 2010, it has added a free voice calling
service, a gift shop to send Starbucks drink coupons to friends, and options
for receiving weather and news, discount vouchers and music videos.
According to Appsooni.com, which compiles data on Android applications, South Koreans used Kakao Talk for 62 minutes a day on average in August, compared with 17 minutes on Facebook’s Android application.
Giving gifts or sending emoticons are business models that Facebook doesn’t have. Facebook simply displays ads so its model is different from ours. (Facebook’s) profit models are not tailored for mobile users.
According to Appsooni.com, which compiles data on Android applications, South Koreans used Kakao Talk for 62 minutes a day on average in August, compared with 17 minutes on Facebook’s Android application.
Giving gifts or sending emoticons are business models that Facebook doesn’t have. Facebook simply displays ads so its model is different from ours. (Facebook’s) profit models are not tailored for mobile users.
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