Keromin and Ko-Keromin (Little Keromin) may be foreign to people outside the Land of the Rising Sun, but this cute Japanese toy is actually somewhat popular in the country, with its adorable charm enthralling many to enjoy its melodic talents.
Today, Troche announces the end-year release of the latest version of Ko-Keromin, the Ko-Keromin Lime 3, which features a significant upgrade in its ‘singing’ database. The new Ko-Keromin now has a total of 50 different sounds and syllables, allowing the harmonic frog toy to sing more tunes, play more songs, and apparently, speak in a clearer manner that exceeds its Soramimi (blabber) mode. When hooked to its iKeromin iOS app, users will be able provide it with upgraded speech functions, and any user can now simply plug Ko-Keromin to an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, to transform it into a froggie voice synthesizer (in Japanese of course).
By default, Keromin is already programmed to speak short syllables and letter combinations, which its Soramimi mode uses to generate random sounds that seem like it’s trying to speak. With a wider syllable range however, whole words and phrases can now be spoken. The new Ko-Keromin can now be used much like how Vocaloid programs are used as makeshift speech synthesizers. The iKeromin app makes the process even easier, more convenient, and almost instantaneous. One thing though, we don’t think pressing buttons on a capacitive screen count as ventriloquism.
Of course, much like all the other Keromin toys that preceded it, the new Ko-Keromin Lime 3 can also be used in tandem with the iOS app to extend its singing functions. It can still play other instruments, and the added drum function is still there. The modified ‘frog talk’ functions are all still there for its users to enjoy.
Ko-Keromin Lime 3 will be available in Japan on December 26, with an equivalent price of $86.00. The latest version of the iKeromin app is free to download at the App Store.
