|
Walkman, Discman, Danceman? Sony's New Gizmo |
|
|
|
Dr. Samuel Says -
New Toys
|
|
Written by Dr. Samuel Centralia, Ph.D., D.D.S., Esq.
|
|
Wednesday, 12 September 2007 |
|
Here's an item that illustrates a dilemma that has long plagued the consumer electronics industry. We have devices to play our various media, yes. Devices to connect us all wirelessly to one another and the Internet. Devices to capture images in still frame and in motion, and even devices to shave our legs, brush our teeth, and massage our feet. But where are the devices that dance?
 A modest little Japanese company has come to rescue. The
much-anticipated Sony Rolly is a pod-like MP3 player with all the usual
features, plus one more. It dances. Weighing just 300 grams, the
egg-shaped Rolly has tiny internal motors and circumferential rings
that enable it to scoot around a tabletop, spinning, flashing and
flipping its appendages like a radically miniaturized candy raver. Those same rings also serve as the player's primary user interface. One
ring controls volume, the other selects tracks. Internal sensors also
determine which way is up, so flipping the orientation of the device in
your hand opens up different interface options.
Sony is rolling out the device in the typically frustrating viral
fashion that seems all the rage these days. There's the inevitable
YouTube video , plus roughly 30,000 blogosphere artifacts and
references. Some details have emerged, though. Rolly has 1 GB of
internal flash memory and can playback MP3, Atrac, or AAC songs (AAC
songs with copy protection from iTunes Music Store aren't supported).
It provides about 5 hours of audio playback; 4 if "dancing." The
choreography is provided by a program that analyzes the rhythm of the
songs, or you can download packaged songs with built-in dance routines designed to work on any level surface. Yes, I realize there is a joke to be made here about having the Rolly dance in your pocket, and the autoerotic potential thereof. I shan't, as the kids say, go there.
The Rolly is expected to launch September 29 in Japan. No plans for offshore rollouts yet.
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
