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South Korea's biggest web company acquires Wattpad for $600 million
Webtoon and Wattpad may soon be inextricably linked. Naver, the South Korean internet giant behind the Webtoon digital comics platform, will acquire Wattpad for a deal worth US$600 million in cash and stocks. Neither side has revealed what that means exactly, but The Hollywood Reporter says they’ll share a platform for their combined audience of 160 million users.
LINE's internet calling service goes live on Android, starting at 2 cents per minute
If you've been waiting to give LINE's Call service a try, now's your chance -- so long as you live in the right country, anyway. Those using LINE's Android app in Colombia, Japan, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Spain, Thailand and the US can dial most any phone number at rates that might well beat what their carriers would offer. Americans get one of the best deals: their calls start at 2 cents per minute using prepaid credit, and they can pay 70 cents per month for an hour's worth of talk time. The Chinese will get a similar bargain when Call reaches them in the near future, and LINE-to-LINE conversations are always free. There's no iOS support yet, but we wouldn't be shocked if the corresponding app update arrives relatively soon.
LINE takes on Skype and Hangouts with new, cheap, Call service
It's all about stickers, really. LINE means stickers, but as the company keeps telling us, its apps do so much more than that -- and even more starting next month. The Japanese messaging service is launching a new data-based call service that attempts to undercut the voice-call pricing on typical land-lines and mobile carriers. With a pay-as-you-go and 30-day plan both outlined at the company's showcase event, it's scheduled to launch this March in Japan, US, Mexico, Spain, Thailand and the Philippines. For its native country, the 30-day plan (priced at one minute for 6.5 yen, roughly 6.4 cents), will offer up to a maximum of 60 minutes maximum, encompassing both mobile and landline calls. A separate call credit plan will cost 14 yen per minute to mobile phones (including overseas) and three yen to landlines. The company is aiming to expand who LINE users can contact within its app service. An interesting feature is that on smartphones, it will appear as if it's simply a normal phone call -- we saw a demonstration of how incoming calls would appear on an iPhone and (as you'll see after the break), it looks identical. To drum up support, Naver plans to offer the service to 1,300,000 businesses and stores across Japan, as well as 100,000 free 100-yen LINE Call samples to existing users too.
Line VoIP and instant messaging app reaches 100 million global users in 19 months
The likes of WhatsApp and Skype might still dominate the west, but Line continues to soak up new users in Asia and across the world. Since October 2012, the ever-expanding messaging app has managed to add just shy of 30 million new users -- the biggest jump in new users yet. The total includes iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone and feature phone iterations, with Line now claiming the app top spot in 41 app stores worldwide. And to celebrate the milestone? It's made a charming video (embedded after the break) with a handful of its adorable characters.
Naver's Skype rival Line arrives on Windows Phone
Japanese Skype rival Line is branching out from its iPhone and Android garden to visit Windows Phone. Whilst the app will initially arrive with free calls disabled, the company has promised to rectify that issue in the near future. Still, WP7 users can enjoy all of that free messaging as soon as they've downloaded the app, available at our source link.
Naver's Skype competitor Line crosses 20 million mark
In just eight months, Line has gone from a glimmer in Naver's eye to a 20 million member strong VoIP and messaging service. Perhaps most impressively, it's done so with only iPhone and Android apps available. The company is working on PC, Mac and tablet clients, but for now this is a mobile phone-only app. The speed at which its growing is significantly faster than both Facebook and Twitter, a fact the company is immensely proud of -- but, we wouldn't read to much into that.
Britax unveils speaker-packed car seat to rock baby asleep
Let's face it, it's not exactly feasible (or safe) to rock the kid to sleep whilst manning the wheel down I-5, which is why you should seriously look Britax's way for your next baby-related purchase. This luxurious car seat reportedly sports a "Reflection Sound System" that cranks out tunes around the infant's head, and while we all know it's just a ploy to keep the youngster from wailing any longer, the manufacturer is boasting about the mental benefits of piping Bach into your kiddo's brain at an early age. Portable sounds aren't the only thing it's got going for it, however, as the safety factor is also pretty high considering the well-padded surroundings, height adjustable head guard, automatic shoulder belt adjusting device, and a soft mat on the bottom to protect your whip's interior. Click on through for another snapshot while you mull over the ???710,000 ($767) pricetag -- hey, there's only 364 days 'til Mother's Day, right?[Via AVing]
