Sony unveils Rolly: programmable, rolling jukebox
updated 09:05 am EDT, Mon September 10, 2007
Sony Rolly
After weeks of built-up anticipation, Sony today officially announced its Rolly music player. As suggested by a recent teaser video and its own name, the Rolly is designed to move on the floor while it plays; listeners can either let the device adapt its movement to the beat, or use a motion palette editor to customize a particular routine and share it with others on the Internet. The football-shaped player also lights up with multiple colors and swings either of its arms to accompany the music. Movement can be turned off entirely for a desk or other small space, says Sony.
Sony's player is screenless and stores 1GB of memory, relying primarily on a sync with a PC using the company's SonicStage software to queue up tracks. A built-in Bluetooth link, however, allows it to stream audio directly from a suitably equipped PC or a cellphone with Bluetooth stereo audio support; users can let the Rolly move on its own in this mode but not control it, according to the company.
The distinctive player is first set to launch in Japan, where it will go on sale on September 29th for the equivalent of $351 along with an optional cradle. Other countries were not part of the announcement, though the Rolly was reportedly spotted in a European video and so may be available in other regions in the near future despite Sony dropping SonicStage for some of its portable music devices. [via Impress]
