Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Robot guitars, rolling MP3 players, motorized coolers
At the big show, quirky contraptions add comic relief.
Associated Press
Published January 11, 2008
LAS VEGAS - It probably goes without saying that no one actually needs a dancing MP3 player or a drink cooler that can be ridden like a scooter. But some vendors at the International Consumer Electronics Show, which ended Thursday, are betting that people will actually want these things. Alongside gadgets representing the highest of high technology, CES this week showcased a great collection of offbeat items. Here are a few of those oddities: *** Sony Corp.'s Rolly is something that could only come out of Japan, where cuteness is a cult. The Rolly is an MP3 player the size and shape of a turkey egg. It rolls and spins around on the floor and blasts music out of two built-in stereo speakers, while flapping two speaker lids like it's a cancan dancer with folding fans. Pulsing multicolored diodes complete the sensory experience. The Rolly was released in Japan in September, and Sony announced at CES that it would sell it in the United States. It costs about $350 in Japan. The Rolly has 2 gigabytes of flash memory and the rechargeable battery will keep it jamming for five hours straight. Recommended listening: Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven and the Beastie Boys' Egg Man. *** Gibson Guitar Corp.'s Robot Guitar is not a guitar for robots. Nor is it a guitar that plays itself. Why let robots have all the fun? Like a good robot, the Robot Guitar takes care of the boring part of being a guitarist: the tuning. Tiny motors are connected to a guitar's tuning screws. Pull out a master control knob, strum the strings, and the screws start turning themselves. In seconds, the guitar is in tune. A rechargeable battery in the body is good for 250 tunings, according to Gibson's Aljon Go. The guitar lists for $2,499. Retrofit kits will be available for older Gibson guitars. Recommended listening: Daft Punk's Robot Rock and Styx's Mr. Roboto. *** What's the point of relaxing at the lake or campground if you get sore lugging a packed cooler of drinks? That's where the $499 Cruzin Cooler comes in. The Cruzin Cooler comes with a padded seat for the rider and an electric or gas motor. It can hold 27 12-ounce cans. Even with this load, it can hit 14 mph.
[Last modified January 11, 2008, 01:15:56]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Letter to the editor
