Sony, the company that brought you the egg-shaped music player and the dog-like robot, has now created the transparent tube speaker. Called Sountina - a combination of "sound" and "fountain" - the $9,600 acrylic speaker goes on sale June 20 in Japan with sales elsewhere still undecided. Sony Corp. said the 3.3-foot speaker spreads high-quality, natural-sounding audio 360 degrees around itself by vibrating and can fill hotel lobbies, wedding halls and other large spaces.

Sony officials said the speaker's exact coverage depends on an area's interior surfaces.

The tube, slightly thicker than a baseball bat, was shown to reporters at Sony's Tokyo headquarters Wednesday.

LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, in blue, amber, pink and purple at the bottom of the tube are reflected in the stainless steel at the top of the tube. In a darkened room, they reflect off a steel string dangling inside the tube.

Sony Senior Manager Noriyasu Kawaguchi acknowledged some people may prefer more blast and heavier bass.

"Maybe it doesn't work in the way some American consumers are expecting their speakers to work," he said.

The Sountina is for sophisticated consumers, including businesses seeking a speaker that blends into an interior, Kawaguchi said.

Sony has produced many products that show off technology but aren't expected to sell in numbers, such as the Rolly MP3 player, which went on sale in Japan last year and is promised to arrive in the U.S. this year. Another attention-getter, the Aibo dog robot, was discontinued in 2006.

Written By YURI KAGEYAMA

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