Stickers to stocks: things to know about messaging app Line

Messaging app Line is going public next month in a dual Tokyo-New York stock listing expected to be one of the year's biggest initial public offerings that could value the company at $5.5 billion.
Here are a few things to know about the chatting service that took Asia by storm.
Smartphone and other mobile gadget users can use the app to make free calls, send no-charge instant messages , and post photos or short videos, along with a host of other paid-services.
It's mix of messaging service WhatsApp with a dash of Skype and a pinch of Facebook. Games and a mobile payment service are also on offer.
What sets Line apart -- and has driven its huge success in home market Japan -- are the cutesy cartoon "stickers" that friends can send to each other while chatting online.
Line's sticker shop sells thousands of emoticons -- some are animated and noisy -- from Hello Kitty pop-ups and Super Mario to Manga and Disney characters.