LINE's consolidated subsidiary Gatebox Inc. has begun to take orders for the latest model of Gatebox, the world's first "virtual home robot" that allows owners to live together and interact with a virtual character. The Gatebox uses the latest in projection and sensing technologies to create the interactive virtual character. A limited-run model (the GTBX-1) of only 300 units went on sale in 2016 and sold out in just one month, despite costing approximately JPY300,000 (about SGD3,650). When an addition run of 39 units went on sale in 2017, the company received some 1,000 orders. Since then, many people have asked for another run of the innovative device, so Gatebox Inc. has responded with this new, mass-production model, the GTBX-100.

The Apple HomePod was supposed to go on sale last month at the height of the holiday season, but Apple pushed back its release date to early 2018. Now, the tech giant has finally announced a HomePod release date. Apple announced in a press release today that the HomePod will be released Feb. 9. The company also confirmed customers will be able to pre-order the HomePod online starting Jan. 26. The Siri-powered smart speaker is also set to arrive in France and Germany this spring.