Roland’s VIMA Concept Keyboard: Digital Media Hub and … Karaoke Workstation?

Finally, the wait is over. As technology companies battle for the living room, Roland has built the ultimate convergence device. The VIMA concept keyboard addresses the need of the average home consumer to play organ and keyboard sounds, manage digital photos and videos, and perform karaoke using a single, integrated product. The days of having to play 88-key keyboards without the convenience of transforming your digital video and photo content into interactive karaoke performances can now be a distant memory.
Translate what I just said to Japanese, and I think it might make sense.
Roland has just unveiled VIMA (rhymes with ZIMA), “a new concept keyboard that blends various musical and visual content applications into one consumer-friendly unit.” Yes, previously you needed a Mac with iLife to make soundtracks for your videos and photos, a digital piano, and a karaoke machine, just to get the functionality that’s now combined in the VIMA. I know there have been countless times where I wished I could transform my keyboard into a karaoke machine, so this should come as a major relief.
Side note: I know we have some CDM readers in Japan, so maybe you can tell me if it is in fact more likely that you’d find an 88-key digital piano / karaoke workstation in a living room there than here. If so, your country really is awesome.
I never do this, but in this case you have to read the whole press release to believe it:
![]()










