RoBoHon gets a price drop, but also loses its cellular function. This cute little guy has a hefty price tag (Photo via Sharp)
There is always something to demand our hard earned cash. Another robot wants to walk into our hearts and take that money.
Sharp’s almost too cute to handle robot phone, RoBoHon, stole our hearts when it hit the market last year. What wasn’t so cute was its $1,800 price tag. If you’ve been waiting for a price drop, wait no longer. As of now, you can pick up RoBoHon for roughly $1,230 (138,000 yen). While it’s still a steep price, the difference is still a significance $530 (60,000 yen) drop from the original price tag. But before you run out to get one, there’s a catch: this cheaper RoBoHon isn’t equipped with cellular function.
The original RoBoHon has basic smartphone functions built inside its body. Not only can it make calls, but it also walks, talks, dances, and even has an embedded projector inside its head to display photos and videos. The new, cheaper version may not offer cellular function, but it retains the other features. The Wi-Fi only bot comes with the same Snapdragon 400 chipset, Android 5.0 OS, 2GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, an 8-megapixel camera, a 720p pico projector, a 1,700 mAh battery and a 2-inch QVGA touchscreen, all which comes with the original bot.
Aside from this, RoBoHon acts as a personal assistant. It can set alarms, reminders, such as when to take medication for older users, hail a taxi, or serve as a baby toy for a few hours. And if you want to show off your new robot friend, RoBoHon can bend its waist on any surface to take selfies with you.
Considering the high price tag and the odd concept, RoBoHon feels like a niche product. As previously noted, the touchscreen seems spotty with its small size. According to Sharp, the aim here is to reduce the need for screen interactions. To achieve this, the bot is equipped with three different voice recognition technologies, including offline voice recognition. Though to access the feature you’ll have to pay a monthly fee. Ouch.
Though we can’t predict whether the more affordable RoBoHon will boost sales of the bot, but Sharp is looking to push this version to shops, tourist spots, and restaurants. The bot is currently available only in Japan. Maybe if the new model proves to be successful, we’ll see RoBoHon on US shores in the near future.
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