Meant to be Seen

I love karaoke, but it amuses me how many joints don't even have a digital songlist, instead favoring a cheapskate telephone book of songs. Hong Kong's completely pimped the karaoke bar, with Panasonic's 103-inch TV, Kinect and Microsoft Surface.

RedMR's only just opened, with the five VIP rooms costing the equivalent of $255 (though it's not clear whether that's per hour or for another time period). Each room has its own schtick—a Panasonic 103-inch TV, Xbox 360 Kinect or even a Forza 3 racing chair, for killing time while waiting for your turn. What they all have in common though is awful, tuneless-singing, 65-inch 3DTVs and a big fat Microsoft Surface table.

Customers can upload photos to Facebook or email them using the Surface, but everyone knows you need booze to lubricate any karaoke session. That's when the Surface really comes into its own, reading a tag on the bottom of the bottles of alcohol, displaying information and presumably allowing you to order more.

Only in Asia, eh? [Engadget China and MIC Gadget]

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