Sony's Rolly speakerbot on video
By Evan Blass 
posted Sep 10th 2007 10:53AM
posted Sep 10th 2007 10:53AM
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I had the chance to play with it.
They are really cool and the sound quality of this little thing is incredible.
I hope Sony will launch it in Europe soon :)
you guys all missed the point, science and tech are all about coulda, not shoulda
oh wow.. so many ass holes comment these 'tech blogs' that it is SIMPLY & NOT funny anymore. IT'S A TOY, YOU HAVE FUN WITH IT. It isn't supposed to clean up after you nor calculate the meaning of life. If you nothing nice to say, do not say it at all. Geez.
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The programming and effort behind making these types of products and technologies analyze sound intrigues me and it is constantly improving. If I had job, (which I don't - I'm 16 :)) I'd purchase one AND IF I GOT TIRED OF IT, I'd pass it to a friend, so they could enjoy its "few hours" of splendor and the process iterates.
for personal use it really does nothing. but in a party, a few of those can't really hurt. that's probably what they're aiming at. some musical, social critter. granted, not the best model anywhere you look at it... but you never know.
or, you know. slash the price, make it smaller, more lighty lights, add a buncha colours and voila.
What happens when it dances its way off the table?
Will sony get sued if someone trips over it?
When I first saw this Rolly thing, it immediately reminded me of this.
Now imagine if the two were combined...that would be a product worth having.
Great, my link was stripped. Here what I was referring to:
http://www.hammacherschlemmer.com/publish/74132.asp
if only this thing could vacuum...
Well, you can't deny the fact that it's pretty cool.
And how is that? It's an overpriced gimmick item by Sony. I can see this maybe being exciting for 2 hours tops. It's kind of like what the iDog was, but $300 more expensive. If it comes out here, watch it be in the bargain bins within months.
Nobody said it was cheap...
If by "cool" you mean utterly stupid, well yes, then it is.
Here you can get correct definition of "cool", plz use that dictionary next time.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cool
You guys just don't understand the point of the product. It's not for playing music, it's not to watch roll around your floor.
No.
You take it to the other side of town and drop it off. It finds it's way back to your house while passing cute asian girls who can't help but follow it.
Actually, I can deny the fact that it's "cool." This is the biggest waste of company money since the Foleo, and we all know how that turned out.....
Respect for you John, funnies comment of Engadget 2007, give him a XBOX Live Gold too ;)
Props to John for his funny comment ;)
However, I honestly don't understand the point of this thing. If it was a virtual pet with some basic intelligence and emotion-simulation, then I'd see the point, and maybe be in line to buy one of those.
But here's what Sony said:
"Sony, which withdrew from robot technology development due to its financial difficulties, said the new product was an audio product first and foremost."
I prefer my audio products to actually pull out good sound, or be probably compensate quality with being very mobile. iPod nano beats Rolly in both of those, and in price.
And I plain don't see what's so cool about its flaps and spinning. It's already boring when I had to watch this free video, I can't imagine paying hundreds of dollars to watch this poor thing spin and flap in front of me for hours.
It's neat, but how does it sound??
And the point of this P.O.S. is ???
Man, that has got to give you a headache in 30 seconds. The closing and opening of the speaker area changes the frequency of the audio, giving you a shifting effect that can get annoying pretty quickly. Try covering your ears every 5 seconds, one at a time, while listening to a song. You'll get dizzy.
What in the world is Sony doing? This would probably make some money in Japan, and maybe Asia. For some reason some people in that area get amused by this kind of garbage.
The opening and closing of the speaker flaps does not change the frequency of the sound, it modulates the sound. Thing "wah wah wah" instead of "do re me fa so la te do."
No it doesn't modulate it in a pleasant manner.
It changes the sound by introducing a "shifting" effect that gets annoying really fast. Pay closer attention to the video and you'll hear the sound changing. Plus, the fact that the thing turns around, amplifies that "shifting" effect I mentioned earlier.
So, you have two flaps opening and closing opposite to each other, the main unit doing 360 degree turns. Those two things will change the qualities of the sound. I want my music to be reproduced as close to the original source as possible. Even the iDog is a better toy than this. At least the iDog doesn't introduce any additional nonsense to your audio signal.
This is nonsense. Is this the same team in charge of Blu-Ray? We're doomed.
You are speaking of modulation. The frequency of the audio (pitch) is unaffected.
+1 To Palooz. "Shifting" is not a technical term. GGKTHXBAI
dude,go fetch yourself a pair of those new $25,000 Meridian digital speakers Engadget wrote about... it may satisfy your need of unadulterated audio
This just makes me miss AIBO.
Its hard not to love this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m2LVj1CNPw
Engadget should write an open letter to Sony to bring back the dog and make the ps3 free :D.
makes me miss QRIO then AIBO
What's the sens of this thing?
I mean who need a gadget, which is shaking like a freak?
I mean, who needs, a comma, where, it doesn't, belong?
I think with all those 90* and 180* turns and those rings of changing lights. This thing will make the ULTIMATE K/A traffic *robotic* cop in the future!
Robocop... eat your "positronic matrix" out!
I like it
me too!
me three! :)
no i don't want to save up a little more money and go with Miuro the robotic iPod dock, Iditch! Down with Engadget!
This is my first time seeing it with something else. It's way smaller than I imagined.
ok, I seem to be replying to this post too much. Does anyone know the name of the first song? I think I like it :p.
the kids would love that, but the dog would break it.
I'll pay your dog to break it.
Someone will be over with the forms in an hour or so.
Well if you get one, ur one step closer to be living in a real-life Anime movie.
Next stop real-life Hentai.
Like an object from an old movie about a future I'm glad I don't live in.
Why?
I think that's the only question that Sony need to be asked...
WHY??????
Why not?
because it's completely and utterly pointless and adds nothing to an already overcrowded market.
Yeah, there's a terribly crowded market for toys that spin around, dance and play music.
I received a email from Sony Style:
http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/rolly/products/index.html
( with video and explanations )
Launch september 10
Price: 39,800円
Specs: http://www.jp.sonystyle.com/Qnavi/Detail/SEP-10BT.html
Unbelievable amount of SONY hate happening at this site lately, it's like they took your first born or insulted your girl / boyfriend?
They're only and electronics company for f*ck sake that make cool things.
No that is exactly the problem... they USED TO make cool things.
Sony has lost its spark.
Can you honestly look at this monstrocity and call it cool? I could almost cry watching QRIO walk around, and AIBO was as cool as it can possibly be.
I also have Sony Ericcsson phone and a Sony TV.
And yet, Rolly is a POS with no reason to exist, I'm so sorry about this.
I bet you that if Apple rolls that out as the iRolly, people will drool over it like it will relieve all your sexual fantasies.