Slashdot Mirror
Nabaztag the WiFi Bunny
carre4 writes "A French company named Violet, the smart object company, has come out with Nabaztag, a 23 cm tall WiFi-enabled bunny that tells you about the weather, traffic jams, new emails through flashing lights and moving its ears. They have a Flash demo with Nabaztag's different messages. The company also makes 'La lampe Dal', a lamp that changes colors based on the weather and 'Le Pad Osmooze', a USB device that releases an aroma when you receive an email from a loved one."
... is the names of their products. I mean "Nabaztag the WiFi Bunny"? It sounds either like a cartoon villain, or a new kind of pharmaceutical. Perhaps a failed idea for Pfizer's mascot? And "Le Pad Osmooze" ... I'm going to hope that sounded better in French. The only thing "Osmooze" brings to mind is 'osmosing ooze.' What the hell was on that focus group's mind?
Anyway, the products are mildly interesting, but their applications are weak. It seems like any time a company comes up with a peripheral, the first thing they do with it is find some way for it to notify you when you have email. For God's sake stop it, there are enough email notifiers out there already. There's got to be something better you can do with a 95-euro, 23-cm tall, talking, WiFi enabled, suspiciously Pokemon-esque talking bunny.
Isn't there?
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
ok, i believe the connected part. but how is it living and intelligent? because it's got colored lights that change colors?
i dunno, these "smart" objects seem like pretty stupid and useless novelties with very mundane technology that's just hyped up with dumb descriptions for marketing like calling them "smart objects" that are living and intelligent, or a lamp that can blush just because it can change colors.
With a catchy name like that, what can possibly go wrong?
We apologize for the inconvenience.
This should be possible. Why the hell isn't it already here?
I can tell you haven't spent much time working with the state of the art in devices that use voice recognition. (Your cell phone's voice dial doesn't count.)
In a word, because it would suck and be immensely frustrating. Only people who are clueful enough to realize they have to speak cleary and evenly and remember to turn off the TV and get everyone else in the room to shut up would be able to get the thing to recognize them with an acceptable level of accuracy.
Buy Konfabulator. It'll be cheaper, easier, and more useful.
Somewhat, although unlike the Orb this doesn't appear to require a monthly service charge. I always kinda liked the idea of the Orb, but paying for service for a wireless device that would always be in a WiFi covered area seemed silly to me.