Dolphins enter cute-animals-using-iPads race, are in it to win it

Researchers at Dolphin Discovery in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico have been teaching two year old Merlin how to nose-touch operate an iPad by matching physical objects with their virtual representation on screen. Merlin is a dolphin. "This is an easy task for a dolphin, but it is a necessary building block towards our goal of a complete language interface between humans and dolphins," said one of the insane people attached to the project.

[Lord Vader Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:01AM]

Holy Forcing Sith. The Dolphin Rebellion has begun

[Professor Hubert J Farnsworth Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:17AM]

@Lord Vader
What do you suppose we do, my Lord?
They just seem too adorable to obliterate.

[zeroinfinity2 Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:23AM]

@Lord Vader I lold. At this and the article.

[kiyu727 Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:38AM]

@Lord Vader
My Lord, I caught a rumor that they are defenseless once you snap the water away.

[skyblaze Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:42AM]

@Lord Vader

seems dolphins give the iPad more

*puts on sunglasses*

....porpoise.

[kopmis Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:43AM]

@Lord Vader Quit it. Seriously.

[spy323 Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:50AM]

@kiyu727 Not true. According to a Bart Simpson they've can walking on land.

[Apple Google Microsoft Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:55AM]

@skyblaze

Good one!

[Slowrollin Posted Jun 3rd 2010 12:19PM]

We don't have anything to worry about with the dolphins, unless they all disappear during a rousing song and flip number.

[manofchao5 Posted Jun 3rd 2010 1:37PM]

@Lord Vader "If someone else has to waterproof it for you, you blew it"

[acidhax Posted Jun 3rd 2010 2:33PM]

@kopmis
Yes please. Vader. Give it up. Not funny.

[Shatenjager Posted Jun 3rd 2010 3:12PM]

@skyblaze YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

[Old fogie late bloomer Posted Jun 3rd 2010 8:33PM]

@skyblaze @Shatenjager

Stop it, you guys are killing me llol (literally laughing out loud)....

[McHoffa Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:04AM]

it's Darwin's great grandfather!

[wangowezz Posted Jun 3rd 2010 5:59PM]

@McHoffa
after many tedious years of learning to communicate with humans through the iPad, the first message from the dolphins was this:
So long, and thanks for all the fish.

[Joonyaboy Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:05AM]

Yeah, but can he pinch to zoom?

[216 Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:20AM]

@Joonyaboy: No, but they can pinch-to-kill just fine

[qaddodi Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:07AM]

@216 indeed, he could pinch to zoom out also

[EviLCuLT26 Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:52AM]

@Joonyaboy he can zoom by opening/closing mouth

[jeremynmo Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:15AM]

I bet that dolphin would appreciate a screen that was easier to read in the sunlight.

[Bshaw1090 Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:14AM]

New ipad ad "ipad, so easy a dolphin can use it!"

[Junyor Mynt Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:18AM]

Dolphin says,"No Flash? I'll get a JooJoo."

Hey at least they are not using it for illegal porpoises.

[Nzad Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:22AM]

@Junyor Mynt
http://bit.ly/bG0NTh

[n8equalsd Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:23AM]

The dolphin blew it.




Through it's blowhole.

[engadgetcomexcludeengadget Posted Jun 3rd 2010 3:02PM]

@n8equalsd No, you blew it.

[redtalon Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:27AM]

Dolphin can be sheep too...

[herloboy Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:33AM]

There's an app for that

[investmentrep Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:56AM]

Next Headline: Dolphin Types out 'Suck it BP' on iPad
my blog: http://theinvestmentreporter.wordpress.com/recent-news/

[BabyShaker Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:12AM]

A complete language interface? Will that be on OS4?

[kopmis Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:45AM]

"Researchers"
More like hobbyists. How will this help anyone?

[calvinki Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:45AM]

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish!

[xanatos451 Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:56AM]

@calvinki Damn! Beat me to it.

[onlymyrailgun Posted Jun 3rd 2010 1:22PM]

@calvinki
And thanks for the iPad!

[aeonys Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:47AM]

Exclusive!! The Dolphin first words!
Can I have an Android instead?

[CL114C0777498D Posted Jun 3rd 2010 12:01PM]

the last line of this article made me laugh a lot. engadget is the best :D

[mrbips Posted Jun 3rd 2010 1:14PM]

So long... and thanks for all the fish

[onlymyrailgun Posted Jun 3rd 2010 1:25PM]

The author of this article clarified that Merlin is the dolphin, necessarily.

[FauxNews Posted Jun 3rd 2010 1:28PM]

Wow, the commenters on this article are hilarious! I'm so glad Engadget weeded out all of the trolls.

[iucidium Posted Jun 3rd 2010 2:28PM]

Pedophile trains dolphin to browse child porn sites...

[iucidium Posted Jun 3rd 2010 2:29PM]

Nonce trains dolphin to look for 'dodgy pictures'

[thisNthat Posted Jun 3rd 2010 4:39PM]

All the nonsense comments aside...

A language between humans and dolphins would be insane. They're smarter than most people...

[jrs Posted Jun 3rd 2010 6:35PM]

Man... after seeing how they source dolphins in The Cove, I just can't see dolphin parks with the same warm and fuzzy that I used to get.

[vargis Posted Jun 4th 2010 7:08AM]

dolphins do have a dark side that most people dont know about.gang raping there females too name one of many...was a show called the dark side of dolphins i think...but it was a different view of dolphins showing that they act humanlike in bad ways........but now we will see them type as stewie would say imm goin to kill you:)