Olive has just unveiled a stylish all-in-one high definition music product to allow users to enjoy all of their music in their home in one place.
The Olive One is an elegant circular aluminium device that features a responsive 7-inch glass touchscreen on its gently sloping surface.
It has been designed not to be hidden away in an entertainment unit but kept on display out in the open.
The Olive One makes it easy to navigate your entire music collection whether it is stored on your computer, hard drive or streaming through online services like Spotify, Pandora and YouTube.
Also onboard is Bluetooth and wi-fi which means it can connect directly to speakers and wireless headphones as well as to other devices like smartphones and tablets to stream your music.
These mobile products can also be used a remote control.
This same wireless connectivity also comes into play to access content within your network and outside your network from your online music subscription services.
And in terms of audio, the Olive One has some impressive credentials which will impress even the fussiest listeners.
Under the hood, the audio is processed by a 32-bit/384kHz Burr-Brown DAC and dual HD amplifiers which will make audiophiles sit up and take notice.
It also has a processor onboard which is designed to optimise the sound output based on the specific brand and model of your speakers.
There also plans to release modular wireless speakers to deliver a Sonos-like experience and it will also be possible to use several Olive One controllers on your home’s network.
There will also be options for customers to include a 1TB or 2TB hard drive to allow an entire music collection to stored locally on the device.
Olive has decided to adopt an open architecture with One with for the SDK (software developer kit) to me made available in early 2013 to developers to create custom apps.
Due for release in mid 2013, the Olive One is being crowd sourced to raise funds for the launch through IndieGoGo.
This will allow the company to ramp up production at a lower cost and keep the development of the product in San Francisco.
Anyone interested in investing can start at $50 or $100 for a gift card that can be used as a deposit on a future purchase or $399 plus international shipping to guarantee a unit when it is officially released.
Stay tuned for full review of the Olive One on Tech Guide in the coming months.
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