montyfood

I can't help thinking this is a good example of why Sony is losing audio player marketshare to people like Apple, putting good r&d money into a product like this. I know this will probably do well in Japan, but I don't think that's enough to rescue it from the undeniable pointlessness of the overall concept.

Plus I have a few questions: I assume those are speaker cones under the flaps at each end. If so, doesn't the maniac flapping of the thing work like a jazz trumpeter taking a solo using a mute (think wah-wah effect)? And similarly, how good can it be to listen to a sound source that is moving all across your kitchen table (think doepler effect)?

And be sure to check out the official ad for the Rolly which seems to be going for a kerr-azy euro vibe but comes over like a poor Michel Gondry impersonation. But of course to Japanese eyes that'll only make it cooler.

[Via Kilian-Nakamura, who gave the internet the insanely great Tokyo Wave Pool video.]