Olive ONE Crowdsourcing project perks your ears

Olive Media Inc. has come to be known for its open-platform high-end audio equipment. On Wednesday, Olive’s newest product, the Olive ONE debuted on the crowd-sourcing site Indiegogo for contribution.

Unlike Olive’s other audiophile devices which run a steep range of $999 to $5,000, the ONE starts at $379, and that includes a 2-year warranty and free US shipping. Not bad for a set top box that can wirelessly stream studio-quality music and videos to your speakers and television via Wi-FI Miracast . The small device is about the size of a Mac Mini and built with an industrial aluminum and glass design. In fact, it’s even manufactured in the United States, unlike most other tech products. Hero Shot Small

Better yet, Olive’s devices have a vibrant touchscreen so you don’t have to futz with your smartphone to select your music. Pandora and Spotify are built in, and it has access to Amazon, iTunes and Google Play (Android-based).  Its open platform policy also allows for developers to create apps for the ONE, likely making it an endless source of entertainment on your coffee table or night stand. It also connects to your smartphone and computer via BlueTooth and WiFi. Olive Media also has an iOS/Android app to control your ONE remotely. In addition, Olive’s Home Cloud Service is available without a subscription fee.

Olive’s funding goal is $200,000 and has hit just over $43,000 at press time with 51 days remaining. Contributions start at $10-30 for a membership badge and t-shirt, and climb all the way up to $10,000. This level of contribution includes a round trip flight, hotel stay, and personal pick-up of your custom-colored Olive ONE device (with 460GB of storage) at Olive Media Inc.’s manufacturing facility, complete with a grand tour and meet and greet. Olive’s ambition to stop digital degradation is a noble one, but used to apply to a certain elite niche. But at this price point, the ONE makes it easy for almost anyone to take the path of the audiophile.

Source: Olive