We'll be honest here, LINE messenger by a company called Naver is not something we're familiar with but our audience certainly is. Boasting about being in 230 countries, LINE is a VOIP/chat service that is evidently popular in a lot of Asian markets so it's great to see it come to Windows Phone.
Available already on iOS, Android, PC and Mac, LINE is actually a well done app with a snazzy Metro UI and decent enough features to make us take a look at it. Of course none of our friends use it so it's hard for us to take it for a spin on such short notice, but loading up the app was a refreshing change from some other chat programs out there.
The app doesn't have a killer feature per se but it does contain the usual fare: send messages, photos, videos, voice messages, as well as location info. It also has a thing called "stickers" for conveying emotion which we suppose is a bit quaint. Note at least with this release there is no VOIP just chat.
Like all messaging apps, your usage is completely dependent upon your social circle and if they use it. Having said that, LINE is actually quite nice and we're a bit jealous that we don't have an immediate need for it---with Kik, WhatsApp, TalkBox, OctroTalk, GroupMe and IM+ already available, it's tough to find a spot for LINE. But for those that need or use said service, it looks like there's a winner here for you.
Pick up LINE by Naver for Windows Phone here in the Marketplace. Thanks, PsycheBlue, for the tip
Daniel Rubino is the Executive Editor of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft here since 2007, back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Microsoft Surface, laptops, next-gen computing, and arguing with people on the internet.
