I love my gadgets, no question there. I also love toys, and count the days until my daughter can be used as a viable excuse for weekly Target toy aisle shopping sprees.
So you can imagine how bad I want a Pleo. Unboxing opens one up and convinces me to start saving my pennies now.
If you are unfamiliar with Pleo, it’s a robotic baby dinosaur toy that was conceptualized by Caleb Chung – he also co-created Furby. It’s modeled on a one-week-old Camarasaurus dinosaur, and mimics the behavior of a newborn baby. Pleo thinks and acts independently, and Ugobe goes as far as to say “just like a real animal.” When you first turn it on, Pleo begins it’s birthing stage. It won’t react to you much, but you should still pet it and give it attention, as that will set the stage for the personality it will eventually have. After about 5-12 minutes, depending on your level of interaction, Pleo enters the hatchling stage. This lasts until the battery charge runs out, which is typically about 45 minutes. This is where it’s basic behavioral drives will start to kick-in. He’ll ask to be fed, he’ll start to walk and explore his environment, take short naps like a baby, and he’ll start to exhibit a wider range of emotions. He will begin to experiment with new sounds he can make.
Anyone want to make a donation to the cause? I take PayPal. Anyone?
