I just received an email from Ugobe informing me that the Pleo will be slightly delayed. No word on how back dated orders will be, but Ugobe has some what guaranteed that the preorder folks (first hatch) will still receive theirs by the holidays. The delay, according to Ugobe, is due to a slight redesign of the Pleo’s battery. Originally the battery was built into the life like dinosaur, but now you’ll be able to remove it for charging and have multiply batteries going to increase consecutive ‘play time’. I’ve read on a few other sites that Ugobe was running into battery charging issues that had something to do with overheating - Ugobe partially admits to this in the linked email - and hence why they’ve moved its charger outside of it’s belly.
Caleb (founder and designer) promises to post some videos of the Pleo to keep folks eager and excited.
I’m not going to make any grandiose claims about this new Pleo video. Hard to tell if its real, but from where I stand it looks legit. Plus, who or how did they get three of them? If you recall the “True” Budweiser commercials then you’ll get the vid.
I am afraid so. I had a prebuy ticket but like an apprehensive idiot held out thinking I might jump on the iPhone bandwagon. You can still purchase the green guy at select retailers, though.
Amazon seems to have them for Preorder ($349 w/ Free Shipping) and might be a better bet since their 30 day return policy ’seems’ to apply - Ugobe only offered a 14 day return policy and it had to be defective (my major apprehension).
I don’t know if they’ve kicked up the release date to help drum up publicity, but you’ll be able to catch Transformers the movie today (day early). Just hit up Fandango to see where it’s playing. I’m sure millions of dorks thousands of dorks will rush to the theaters to catch Optimus and Megatron square off. My Mom got rid of my Transformers - can you sense the bitterness (and lack of ‘collector items in my possession).
You’ve probably heard of the Pleo by now. It was supposed to be released March ’07 but has been pushed back to Summer ’07 due to some engineering problems (sort of guessing), and Caleb and team’s desire to seek perfection (I think they decided to add yet another sensor). We still don’t have the official release date or price, but this video will no doubt attract even more buyers and knock your socks off at the same time. If you sign up for their newsletter you’ll get preorder rights before the general product.
Remember that cute little Nabaztag rabbit that reacts to WiFi signals from your ‘puter? Well, it’s now available for preorder at ThinkGeek for $150. In case you did forget, the Nabaztag rabbit will flash, moves its ears, and even sing and talk to indicate weather, incoming email, stocks and much more.
You all seen iRobot, right? This reminds me of the animated robot faces in the film, but unfortunately this guy, or gal, is all neck up. It works by projecting a real or computer-generated face from the inside out, creating a 3d like appearance. Check the video to see what all the fuss is about.
Wowwee, makers of the many a Xmas hit the Robosapien, has partnered with Philips Electronics to create the SCOTY (Smart Companion Operating Technology). SCOTY stands about two feet tall, is composed of an ABS plastic frame and has an articulating rectangular head with an embedded camera. SCOTY is designed to be an intelligent media hub. He can recognize your presence, play music and even read your email by voice command. SCOTY can also monitor the room while you are absent and notify you by email if someone enters. He can also record video at 10 frames per second. SCOTY’s smarts are largely derived from the included software installed on the attached PC – he can run on a wired or wireless network. Not due until late 2006 and expected to cost $400.
First it was a robot that could vacuum your floor while you were at work. Next people started adding mods to it, such as web cams to watch their house. Now iRobot, the makers of the Roomba vacuum, have designed a robot vacuum that not only sucks up the dirt, but mops and wipes. Apparently, it also dries so your guests won’t slip and sue your ass.
Sony’s infamous robot dog companion, the AIBO, recently got a software update that will allow the dog to understand Spanish, in addition to many other new features.
The new software, AIBO MIND 3, helps the metal puppy say more than 1,000 English words to communicate with its owner. It now also has the ability for short term memory mapping and news reads through a version of web syndication– RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds.
The new software allows for increased pet-like actions and motions for a more natural body language. The mapping feature enables AIBO’s short term memory to track the locations of its Energy Station, faces, walls, and its favorite place or toys much faster. The entertainment robot can automatically detect the beat of the music and dance along, even to the owner’s favorite song.
The new software comes bundled with any of the new ERS-7M3 and current AIBO owners, upgrade kits can be purchased for previous ERS-7 models. The new models will sell for around $2,000 and the upgrade will cost $100.
I just received an email from Ugobe informing me that the Pleo will be slightly delayed. No word on how back dated orders will be, but Ugobe has some what guaranteed that the preorder folks (first hatch) will still receive theirs by the holidays. The delay, according to Ugobe, is due to a slight redesign of the Pleo’s battery. Originally the battery was built into the life like dinosaur, but now you’ll be able to remove it for charging and have multiply batteries going to increase consecutive ‘play time’. I’ve read on a few other sites that Ugobe was running into battery charging issues that had something to do with overheating - Ugobe partially admits to this in the linked email - and hence why they’ve moved its charger outside of it’s belly.
