Portable karaoke machine for singing on the fly

TOKYO – Love to sing?
A Japanese toy maker
will soon sell a
portable, personal
karaoke machine so
you can belt out your
favorite tunes
anywhere, and without
having to wait for the
microphone.

The “Hi-kara” karaoke
machine, by Takara
Tomy, is a 7-cm
(nearly 3-inch) cube
which weighs less
than a pound and
works like a real
machine.

Once the singer
selects a song, which
can be downloaded off
the Internet or from
special music
cartridges, the lyrics
come up on a 2.4-inch
display. The machine
also has headphones
and speakers
attached.

“Hi-kara” will go on
sale in October for
about $100, with song
cartridges costing
about $40 each.

Shigekazu Mihashi,
marketing director at
Takara Tomy, told
Reuters the machine
was aimed at
youngsters who could
not go into karaoke
booths or parlors,
which often serve
alcohol.

According to Japanese
law, youngsters under
16 must leave karaoke
parlors by 6 p.m.
while those aged
under 18 can stay
only until 11 p.m.

“Girls who are middle-
school age and under
can’t go to karaoke
parlors by themselves
even if they wanted
to sing, but now they
can try it at home
with this new karaoke
machine,” Mihashi said.

Japan is the
birthplace of the first
karaoke machine and
the word is derived
from the Japanese for
“empty orchestra.”
Karaoke singing is
popular all over the
world, and especially
in Asia where many
families own personal
karaoke machines and
“KTV” lounges abound.