Sony's new TV remote doubles as a portable speaker
You can't lose it if you also use it to play music.
Sony has introduced a new remote control for TVs in Japan, and you most likely won't be losing it in your sofa. The device, spotted by The Verge, isn't just a remote control, you see -- it's also a wireless speaker that you can bring with you around the house. It looks like a typical speaker when viewed from the side, and it's bulky enough that it won't disappear into thin air (as typical remotes seem to do) as soon as you set it down. The top panel, however, has all the buttons you'd expect a TV remote to have, except its volume adjuster is a knob.
The company says you can use the device to, say, watch TV from across the house without having to crank up the volume. In case everybody's asleep, you can also plug a pair of headphones to it. The device is splash-proof, so you can use it while cooking, and it has a special speaker that separates the human voice from other sounds. In addition, since it's meant to be a portable speaker, it has a built-in battery that can last up to 13 hours and can be fully charged within three. The remote-speaker hybrid will be out in Japan on February 22nd and is now available for pre-order for JPY20,000 (US$182).
