New Elmo Nightmare for Parents…

Hi all…

Ok. Here’s the next scary thing on the horizon for parents. This Elmo robot is going to be available for the 2008 holidays…

(Check out this video on YouTube…)

This thing scares the heck out of me. Anything that can dance and talk and act this articulately would seem to be something out of a Stephen King novel.

That said… I think this will be the next big thing in demand by little ones. It’s supposed to go for $60 when it hits the market sometime in October. So rev up your shopping engines. The Elmo Terminator is coming for you!

Good luck!
–Fitz

Pleo the Dinosaur Robot – for kids with expensive tastes

Hi all…

Thought I’d write about another little critter from Ugobe I saw recently that I thought was very cool until I saw the price… Talk about sticker shock!

This little dude is amazing. He is a robot who acts like a one-week-old dinosaur and learn, explores his environment, and interacts with people and other Pleos.

The Pleo has a significant array of sensory devices (nearly 40) that allow him to see, sense, touch, and detect objects in order to explore on his own without a remote control. He can also hear from either side and identify which direction a sound is coming from.

Pleo also has 100+ gears and 14 motors for articulated movement. And he’s sensitive enough to the limits of his components that he’ll shut down during trauma to avoid internal damage.

He’s run by a rechargeable battery and appears to be very draining to his power source, taking 4 hours to charge and only allowing 1 hour of activity.

The amazing thing to me is not only is this guy technologically advanced, but he’s expandable. He comes with a built in mini-USB port for online downloads, an SD card slot, and an infrared receiver that allows for Pleo to Pleo communications.

On Amazon, it appears you can buy this little guy for… wait for it… $300-$350 plus shipping. I believe the price after reading the specifications, but geez. This isn’t a toy for kids. It’s for RICH kids or adults who have disposable income.

So check out the website… It has some very cool video of the Pleo doing it’s thing. I can’t say I will be buying one soon, but it’s still a pretty darned cool toy!

–Fitz

Pleo Dinosaur
A Ugobe Life Form

For the Football Fan…

Hey all…

I’ll admit it. I’m a rabid football fan. Sunday you’ll find me on the couch watching different games hoping that the players on my fantasy football team (yes, I’m one of those) manage to get me enough points to beat my opponent for the week. Well, it turns out that my youngest daughter could care less about football, but loves the little FOX Sports NFL football robot that jumps around in the corner of the screen during games televised on FOX.

Funnier still… They’ve released an action figure of this funky dude for folks to purchase and put in their collections or play with! I can foresee battles at my house between Barbie and the FOX robot coming… <shudder>

Here he is in all his glory…

Anyway… You can find this fun thing at the FOX Sports website here.

Check it out… For $19.95 it’s a steal for all your football fans!

Until next time…

–Fitz

Radio Controlled Build a Bot from Discovery Store

Hey all…

I’ve been looking for toys for my nephew, who’s a bit of a tinkerer. I thought this would be a perfect choice.

This cool little guy comes with 14 interconnecting pieces to put together in different ways and instructions on how to create 10 different robot designs. With lights (light up eyes), sound effects, and the ability to move it around with the controller (forward, back, turn), this little guy should provide hours of entertainment for my nephew and his tinkerer parents.

It’s recommended for ages 3 and up and is only $29.95 from the Discovery Store online.

I’m sorely tempted to order one for myself!

–Fitz