We’re mostly mobile this week in our selection of stand-out stories from the week’s tech developments.
Minghao’s pick: Line hits two new highs – 400 million registered users, 10 billion messages sent per day
This is impressive. Eight months after Line reached 200 million registered users, the messaging app has doubled its tally. That’s nearly one million users acquired per day. Another amazing trait is Line’s ability to monetize. In 2013, with about 200 to 300 million users, it managed to make $338 million in revenue. At its rate of grow and with it rolling out more paid-for services, Line can easily surpass a $1 billion in revenue this year.
Paul’s pick: Unblockable? Unstoppable? FireChat messaging app unites China and Taiwan in free speech
Protestors in Taiwan have adapted the anonymous, hyperlocal messaging app FireChat for their rallies against loosening trade restrictions with China. I have a feeling either FireChat or a similar app will become commonplace at demonstrations around the world in the coming months.
Daniel’s pick: China’s mobile commerce spending to surpass $50 billion in 2014, nearly double last year’s total (INFOGRAPHIC)
We all know that there has been phenomenal growth in the mobile sector over the past year, and that there will certainly be far more to come. China’s m-commerce growth, though, is still an awesome sight to behold.
Saiyai’s pick: LivingSocial quits Southeast Asia with $18.5 million sale of regional business to iBuy Group
What a bummer! But I kinda saw this coming. I used to use LivingSocial religiously when I was back in the US and I haven’t used it once since I moved home to Thailand. That speaks volumes for someone who shops online a lot. Something must have gone wrong – either LivingSocial’s marketing or the product selection, or the company’s strategy as a whole.
Josh’s pick: Chinese taxi-hailing app Didi Dache now books 5 million rides a day, and it spent $225 million to get there
Lots of growth and money is being spent on China’s top two taxi apps, Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache. But there’s no need to get caught up in flashy numbers just yet. The real question is – when will these startups monetize, and what will happen when they do? Will municipal governments with vested interests in the incumbent taxi industry begin to crack down on them? Since Didi and Kuaidi don’t necessarily disrupt the taxi industry but work within it, it’s possible this tension won’t surface for some time.
Nathan’s and Vanessa’s pick: Xiaomi rips off a Kickstarter project to give your smartphone an extra, configurable button
Nathan: A highly favored and fast growing company that openly steals the idea of not one but two crowdfunding projects – that’s not healthy for the startup ecosystem. Xiaomi – a tiny startup itself just two or three years ago – should know better the hardships and obstacles that startups and entrepreneurs face. Yet it chose to clone others’ new ideas instead of collaborating with the inventors. The latter choice would have been a wiser choice for the industry, for the tech ecosystem, and for Xiaomi’s reputation.
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