[ARWestenberger]

A new app has taken Japan by storm and now it is making its way through Europe and the rest of Asia. They are also making a push in the United States, the NYTimes even wrote an article about it today. They say they are aiming at being one of the biggest Internet companies to come out of Japan, and they are doing a damn good job of it so far.

What I worry about it what impact this will have on BBM... Line offers free chat, messaging, calls and others while putting a youth friendly face on it with stickers and other fun additions and games. It even have a Facebook esque timeline.

Will this app, if pushed here hard enough quash BlackBerry's hopes of making BBM a viable new cross-platform social network? Line will appeal to kids a lot more than BBM would. I want to see BlackBerry make it huge again, and have BBM as the next Twitter or Instagram.

For anyone who would like to check out Line, their website is http://line.naver.jp/en/

So what do you guys and gals think? I, for one, want more of my friends on BBM, and want them to succeed, but do you think Line is a viable threat to BBM's potential success?

-Adam

BlackBerry Z10 | Verizon | 10.2.0.1371 | In Squircle We Trust

[fragment137]

From looking at this app, the only thing that will definitely create an advantage is the desktop client... BBM would have to release this feature fairly quickly to combat this.

Otherwise, if I'm honest, the app seems very gimmicky, and until proven otherwise I will assume that it is pretty insecure.

I don't think we have anything to worry about. but BBM definitely needs to be THE all-in-one communication solution for mobile platforms... which means including every feature possible (PTT, Desktop Client, etc)

[Bsbudd]

All those companies moving pretty fast. Wechat, Whatsapp, Line, etc. releasing cross platform application and in some cases desktop clients. Waterloo's "Kik" has larger user count than BBM .

If Blackberry releases a cross platform messenger with all the features and keep up with the competition I think they have a good shot to become one of the big players but I don't think it will be as successful or dominant as it once was.

[McIrish]

I loved BBM , but WhatsApp covers the smae ground and adds a lot to it as well. Is it as secure? No. But, do most people even care? I doubt it. BBM was the coolest thing but they really needed it to be cross platform three years ago. I hate to be pessimistic, but I don't see it having much of a chance anymore. Its too bad. I'd like to see Blackberry succeed.

[iN8ter]

I loved BBM , but WhatsApp covers the smae ground and adds a lot to it as well. Is it as secure? No. But, do most people even care? I doubt it. BBM was the coolest thing but they really needed it to be cross platform three years ago. I hate to be pessimistic, but I don't see it having much of a chance anymore. Its too bad. I'd like to see Blackberry succeed.

I agree. It has no chance in this market. They moved way too slow. Really it's hard to even be sympathetic for them. They deserve it, pretty much.

Sent from my Galaxy S III using Tapatalk 4

[BB_Bmore]

New??? By storm you say???

Sent from my HTC One running PlayBook 3.0

[DSL9700]

No, Wechat is winning asia, line and kako talk are just regional there. BBm will have to face wechat for global domiance.