Now, we're sure that everything's on the up and up here, but the lack of information about the TouchDiva from any source other than the makers of the TouchDiva gives us pause, especially as the product's apparently launching on December 1st. Regardless, here's what we've gathered: the device is a 15.4-inch touchscreen unit you install in your home, and, via the magical wonders of the internet, you get all the music your heart could ever desire, free of charge -- besides the
$75 $13 monthly subscription fee, of course. The Danish manufacturers claim to have "agreements with the four major music companies in the world (Warner, EMI, Sony-BMG and Universal)," giving them access to over 2 million songs. Housed inside the unit are two 125W ICEpower (Bang & Olufsen-manufactured) amps, and the Diva itself has just two buttons -- an on / off, and a reset, giving it a pretty stark exterior. As you can probably imagine, it's um, not cheap -- in fact, you're going to have to cough up
$6,000 $1,100 if you want one, and you'll have to live in Europe, where the device is (supposedly) about to go on sale.
Update: As a few commenters have pointed out, the prices are in Danish Kroner, and we've updated to reflect that.
Read - Danish invention will change music sales
Read - TouchDiva
[Thanks, Soren]
posted Nov 14th 2008 11:48PM
When did Great Britain become a continent?
since we joined the euro
Agreed. Great Britain is a part of Europe. I'm not sure if they're happy with that but it's a fact.
Two major errors in one single post. Engadget writers are getting better every day.
I'm totally aware of the fact that Great Britain is part of Europe, but I made the distinction because the company did. -- I thought it was kind of interesting that the product was being released in countries where English is spoken in spite of the fact that almost no info in English is available. Should have made that more clear.
Welcome to the comments section. You may post your opinions here.
now THERE'S the welcome I deserve
I figured at $75 a month it had to be a rental unit. Then I got to the $6,000. They should as least try to make the documentation as believable as the picture. I'm not buying it...literally.
Bernard Bernoulli: I'd rather not.
this is oozing with potential...
Just wait 2 days. Some hacker will have hacked it and downloaded all 2 million songs to HDD.
lolololol, i want in =)
How much is the walmart version?
Wal-Mart Music-Box-Thing $75* + a FREE Shake-to-Charge Flashlight**!
* = $75 after $1,000 carrier-pigeon-mail-in-rebate and the rights to "adopt" first child freely.
** = Free of charge after 150 hours of customer service on December 23rd through January 2nd in select Wal-Mart Superstores.
Please forgive me but, it seems over priced, especially that subscription fee. Not saying it wont be worth it to some though; I'm sure it has a certain "I am definitely better than you" feel to it.
So this is what Microsoft did with all those PlayForSure devices that got sent back... and with such a hot name! TouchDiva! ABBA FTW!
it's 5995 Danish Kroner (about USD$1,100), 75 Danish Kroner a Month (USD$13)
Ah, there we go. Hopefully the above prices are in Danish and not U.S.
wow, if you didnt post that, this product may very well have gone the way of the palm foleo
9500 lira (/turkish/ that is)
That is much more reasonable
maybe this a flaw from google, who did not translate the currency! oO
fleshlight is most entertaining
i think that there sould be a little box you have to check before you can post a comment "by checking this box i certify that what i am about to say is in fact thought out, and is humorous and/or relivent and not just dirty"
Seriously, I read the article and comments over again before I realized that was just... icky randomness.
no, there should simply be the audio preview button such as google has taken on good cue from xkcd, this way the author can have their shits and giggles and we won't have to see it. Or they get double satisfaction and we all get another FREE MICROSOFT SAM! or samantha ;)
srsly. it's like writing "masturbation is gooderer" on a post about USB thumb drives.
gooderer isn't even a word...psh.
Ok I say that "masturbation is funnest"
..
Screw that! Tablet PC, Napster, and Creative Labs speakers. Way cheaper than $75 a month subscription and $6,000 for the unit!
What kind of fugly UI icons are those...?! Freakin Windows 95 system icons look better than those....and I'm suppose to cough up $6000 to look at THAT interface?
Where they go wrong #1 - making downright crappy icons
Where they go wrong #2 - adding a freaking reflection to that....as if that magically makes it look better...
Windows 95 icons you say? Let's test that theory...
http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/websearch/5F544B5199A6B003862571EA0007FF94/$FILE/vxi_network_9598_1.gif
The icons are not that ugly
Actually I like the one with the wrenches (the others not so much)
This looks like it was written by a high school newspaper reporter. Too many holes. Proof read, fact check. I'm used to this sort of thing from modmyi but not engadget. no offense.
Or at least fix the prices. it's not 6,000 bucks it's 6,000 danish kroner like I said above.
Ha, Im already on my way to every song I want, to every show I'll ever want to watch and my whole life in pictures.
I run my own 'On Demand' Service, with plans for the future
The unit does not contain speakers, but only a stereo 125W IcePower amp: http://www.icepower.bang-olufsen.com/en/solutions/theater/ASX2_SERIES
To me that also makes more sense.
"and you'll have to live in Europe or Great Britain". Europe OR Great Britain? Time to go back to school, guys!
Warner, EMI, Sony-BMG and Universal, aka Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Its a bit of a sensitive issue as to whether britain is in Europe or not. It's in the EU, but the majority of british people will get very defensive if you say they are european....because we have our own little island so we're (obviously) better.
On the flip side.....Switzerland is in not in the EU or a member of the European currency, but I would say it IS in Europe.
Most American however happily call refer to anything below our area of the north pole as Europe, which doesn't help matters... ;)
So in summary class, it depends what you are referring to when you say 'Europe'.
This is effectively, a giant home iPod Touch (plus unlimited music). And it will sell like hot cakes to a specific demographic: Wealthy technologically lazy people living in small but expensive apartments in well to do areas of large cities. In London, think Mayfair, Kensington, some areas of Fulham etc. It would also be ideal in a retail environment for trying out your favourite tracks before downloading them to your music player or purchasing a CD. Very much a vertical market device, no pun intended in view of it's form factor. If they try to go mass market with this, it will bomb simply because of the initial investment VS the alternatives. IMHO, an iPod Touch or Netbook connected to some nice external speakers is the biggest competitor. And then there is the Sonos system that is expandable if your small posh flat becomes a home out in the 'burbs...
The TouchDiva does not have built in speakers!
It says in the article on business.dk that it has two digital amplifiers from ICEpower. ICEpower is a company 100% owned by Bang & Olufsen, but it is not the same Bang & Olufsen. I don't think B&O has approved that TouchDiva can use the B&O brand in their marketing. And indeed it says ICEpower on the TouchDiva website, not B&O.
So you can connect two speakers to the device. The device also has a line-out connector so you can use another amplifier if you want.
It says on the website that it connects to the Internet with WiFi / Lan (I guess they mean ethernet or wifi).
P.S. I've read about it in Danish, it seems that there isn't much first hand information in English.