Hasta La Gadget!

Worried that your holiday celebrations just wouldn’t be able to take place without an autonomous robotic dinosaur roaming the halls and frightening the grandparents? Fret no more. With under a fortnight to go, Innvo Labs has managed to put the revitalized Pleo RB (Pleo Reborn, if you must know) on sale, with a stiff $469 getting you a newborn dinosaur with a Li-Polymer battery, a charging cradle and a training leaf. Yeah, a training leaf. Unfortunately, the MSRP here is a fair bit higher than the $350 that Ugobe charged for the original, but at least the price premium does include a tougher hide, a newfangled RFID sensing system and a stronger, longer-lasting battery. And really, who could say no to a smile like that?

Continue reading Pleo RB robosaur now on sale for $469, Christmas now cleared to take place

Pleo RB robosaur now on sale for $469, Christmas now cleared to take place originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former Israeli electronics and defense engineers wouldn’t be the first group of people we’d peg to leap into the robot massager biz, but that’s exactly who’s behind the Wheeme from DreamBots inc. According to the firm’s about page, the Wheeme was developed to meet “the increasing demand for smart products that offer the natural feeling of caressing, relaxation, falling asleep and even just tickling.” True to those goals, the device works by moving slowly across a person’s body to provide a gentle massage using its soft silicone rubber “fingerettes” (a.k.a wheels). Special tilt sensor technology ensures it won’t fall off or lose grip while motoring either — making the Wheeme a master at its trade — at least for customers lying down. Officially this rover will start shipping in the spring of 2011, but pre-ordering the device which costs $49 plus shipping will guarantee you don’t miss out on any of the drive by goodness. To view the Wheeme going to work while narrowly avoiding crashes, check out the embedded video after the break.

Continue reading Wheeme massage robot asks where it hurts to drive away the pain

Wheeme massage robot asks where it hurts to drive away the pain originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 02:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We were fairly impressed with Computer Engineer Barbie‘s Linux laptop and cellphone when we last saw her at the Toy Fair in New York City. Well, the doll is available now, and her gear has gotten an upgrade for the retail version. The pink laptop now boasts some kind of custom Barbie operating system, and yes, she seems to be sporting an iPhone these days. We assume this is a tie in with Mattel’s Barbie ‘I Can Be’ iPhone app, but we also remember from our childhood that Barbie is an intense tech geek who always has to have the latest gear, so we can’t say that we’re surprised. Computer Engineer Barbie is available now for $12.99. A shot of the first Computer Engineer Barbie we met is after the break.

Continue reading Computer Engineer Barbie now available, and her phone has been upgraded since we last saw her

Computer Engineer Barbie now available, and her phone has been upgraded since we last saw her originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Given the mobile OS’s rapid increase in market share, it
seems a pretty safe bet that you’ve got at least one Android users on your
shopping list this year. This Android Plush Robot from Think Geek is quite
possibly the most adorable tie-in you can buy them this holiday season–and best
of all, it’s on sale.

The stuffed robot features posable arms and legs, and is guaranteed
“three laws safe” (i.e. it won’t hurt you and will generally obey orders). The
Android Plush Robot will run you $9.99 (marked down from $12.99), and is
compatible will all of the major carriers and your love (though you’ll have to teach it what that emotion means).