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DJI unveils Spark drone with cutesy Line Friends bear on it
DJI apparently felt that its tiny Spark drone wasn't quite cute enough. The company has unveiled a version of the Spark that slaps Line Friends' extra-adorable Brown the bear on its back. The rationale? DJI believes the drone is becoming a "lifestyle accessory" -- it's something you might always carry with you, so you might as well have a quadcopter that echoes your style. We'd question that philosophy when you can't see Brown the moment you start using the drone, but it does beat the simple colored shells that usually pass for fashion in the drone world.
A popular messaging app inspired Times Square’s latest tourist trap
In Japan and South Korea, the messaging service Line is king. But it's almost unknown in North America, let alone the rest of the West. That leaves people this side of the international dateline unaware of a cultural phenomenon that's arguably more beloved than Line itself: the service's adorable animal mascots. Last week, Line Friends -- a standalone company fully dedicated to promoting the characters -- opened a storefront in New York's Times Square, its 73rd brick-and-mortar location worldwide and the first in America. But the shop isn't just a cursory expansion into the US market. By planting itself in one of the most tourist-trafficked areas in the world, Line Friends hopes curious travelers will peek inside -- and take some of the cute characters back to their home country.
