Sony Rolly - LOL

[FishyJoe]

For those wondering how much, its 40k yen ($350).

Good job Sony for once again providing us with something we don't need and costing too much!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118941515250922430.html?mod=yahoo_hs&ru=yahoo

Sony Unveils New Digital Audio Player
By YUKARI IWATANI KANE
September 10, 2007 10:07 a.m.

TOKYO – Sony Corp.'s latest digital audio player, Rolly, looks like an egg, plays stereo-quality music, and moves like a professional dancer, or at least a small robot imitating one.

The Japanese consumer electronics maker said Monday that the new palm-sized device, which combines audio and robotic technologies that allow it to spin, flash lights and move forward and backward, is meant to make it more entertaining for users to share music with each other.

The device comes at a time when Sony is nearing the end of a three-year restructuring plan under Chief Executive Howard Stringer and needs to find new areas of growth. Analysts and investors are also looking for signs that Sony hasn't only recovered financially but can also come up with innovative products.

Music players have been a particularly weak area for Sony in the past several years as its Walkman lost out to Apple Inc.'s popular iPod devices. Sony said the Rolly was first conceived three years ago by a small group of developers working on the Aibo robotic dog. The project, along with several robotic engineers, was eventually moved to the audio business, which began planning the device in earnest about a year ago.

Rolly, whose name is a combination of the words "rolling" and "friendly", has sensors and motors inside that allow it to move in time to music, conversation or any sound that is recorded in one of three formats, including MP3. The sound comes out of two small speakers at both ends of the device.

Rolly, which is expected to go on sale in Japan on Sept. 29 for ¥40,000 ($353), contains 1 gigabyte of memory, and is designed to hold up to 500 songs, including motion. Its battery can last for up to five hours. Music and motion can be sent to the device through a Bluetooth wireless connection from a laptop computer. Users can customize the Rolly's motion through an editing program on a computer.

Sony said it hopes to roll out the device in overseas markets at a similar price as early as next year, though it declined to comment on specifics.