Gadgetoid

gadg-et-oid [gaj-it-oid]

-adjective

1. having the characteristics or form of a gadget;
resembling a mechanical contrivance or device.

Sony Rolly Dancing Mp3 Player

Whilst perusing a Sony store looking for an all-in-one computer suitable for wall mounting an enthusiastic attendant gave me a demonstration of the Sony Rolly.

And it is hard not to be enthusiastic about the Rolly. It’s an interesting concept, a dancing Mp3 player, that moves fluidly and accurately in time with the music emitting from the two little speakers on each end. It has two expressive flaps that cover and protect these speakers and allow it to make a little bit more of a show of its song and dance.

While it may be an interesting and captivating concept, unless you have £250 ready to throw away it’s not quite ready for prime time and certainly is no stocking filler. That £250 price tag buys you a only paltry 2gb of storage for Mp3s onboard the thing, too, which is pretty pitiful in this day and age but somewhat necessary, I suppose, to limit the amount of music you have to browse through with the LCD-less back/next/shuffle controls that draw a parallel to the iPod shuffle in functionality.

On the plus side, it does also act as a Blue-Tooth speaker and will stream music from most mobile phones and computers.

Overall, it’s a stunning conversation and entertainment piece that’s a great buy if you’re minted and want to add some extra light… and music…to Christmas celebrations. I imagine, however, that it will get old fast. Bring back the Aibo, please, Sony!

Monday, November 3rd, 2008, Home Entertainment, Personal Audio.