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Karotz hits the US, has a lot of catching up to do on Twitter, Facebook

Brian Heater — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:01:00 EST

After a rather graphic trip to the FCC, we suspected that Nabaztag's more pronounceable, if largely aesthetically identical successor Karotz was slated for arrival here in the US any day now. The time has finally come. The WiFi-enabled lagomorph is now available on our shores, bringing with it boatload of friendly connectivity, including Facebook and Twitter integration and the ability to send messages, audio files and pokes directly to the rabbit. And if you really want to get your friends' attention from afar, you can move its ears and change its colors remotely. You can pick up one now for $130 from Karotz's site and a number of online retailers. Video of the rainbow-eared white rabbit in action after the jump.

Continue reading Karotz hits the US, has a lot of catching up to do on Twitter, Facebook

Karotz hits the US, has a lot of catching up to do on Twitter, Facebook originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nabaztag robotic rabbits rise from the ashes at midnight

Andrew Munchbach — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:14:00 EST

Twas a sad day when Mindscape was forced to shutter the online service used by its collection of Nabaztag robotic rabbits -- as the tale goes, the domain's demise left the tiny, Linux-running hares inanimate, mute and nearly useless. But just five short months later, things are starting to look up. Via email, the company has confirmed that nabaztag.com will come (back) alive on midnight of December 24th (a timezone was not specified), allowing Nabaztag users to communicate with their coney comrades. "At midnight you can turn your rabbits on without changing anything," writes the bunny builder. That's not all. The company is promising to "enrich" the devic's modules with "community contributions." If you're a Nabaztag owner, step away from that eggnog and put on a pot of coffee... Christmas is coming a full 24-hours early.

Nabaztag robotic rabbits rise from the ashes at midnight originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nabaztag successor Karotz cracked open by the FCC

Brian Heater — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:53:00 EST

We haven't seen anything this heart-wrenching since Pleo last made its way through the FCC. There's just something depressing about watching an adorable little animal robot get torn down in the commission's sterile government labs. Karotz, the successor to Nabaztag's friendly WiFi-enabled throne has followed Pleo down the FCC rabbit hole, getting poked, prodded, and pulled apart, to assure that it won't be shooting any harmful bunny death rays at you, the consumer. Also of note: the strangely ominous "Your New Life With Karotz" user manual cover.

Gallery: Karotz hits the FCC

Nabaztag successor Karotz cracked open by the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mindscape pulls the server plug on Nabaztag, hands source code to developers

Joseph Volpe — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:22:00 EST

Mindscape's ambient hare progenitors are officially headed off to that matrix briar patch in the sky. Turns out a battle with the server's host has left the company in a sticky financial situation, effectively shutting down support for the WiFi-enabled bunnies. In a recent YouTube announcement, CEO Thierry Bensoussan addressed the community's concerns, offering up source code that ensures a homebrew future for the Little Linux-Bunny Foo Foo forebears. Hobbyists hoping to snag that Nabaztag.com domain for themselves will instead have to accept a url redirect, as the site remains firmly under the software publisher's lock and key. But don't mourn your news reading, weather-forecasting buddy just yet, you can always replace it with the discounted love of lil' bro, Karotz.

Mindscape pulls the server plug on Nabaztag, hands source code to developers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Karotz to start shipping, Nabaztag to return from dead for Easter

Brian Heater — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:51:00 EST

Cadbury aside, nothing says Easter quite like a good resurrection tale, and this story's got it -- starring a rabbit, no less. Owners of Nabaztag, the email-reading / weather-forecasting / and generally adorable WiFi-enable desktop buddy, have been reporting a massive die-off of their beloved ambient bunnies, a tragic end due to a recent server move. The rabbits' manufacturer tells us that the network issues should be resolved by next week -- something of a belated Easter celebration. The rebirth is also perfectly timed to welcome Nabataztag's second coming as Karotz -- those who pre-ordered should start seeing the glowing woodland creature in their mailboxes next week.

Karotz to start shipping, Nabaztag to return from dead for Easter originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MindScape's Karotz continues the proud Nabaztag lineage

Paul Miller — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:21:00 EST

It's been a while since we've heard anything on the Nabaztag front. Violet, the company that built the original "ambient" bunnies, went bankrupt but was snapped up by MindScape a year ago. Now MindScape is ready to show off the latest addition to the Nabaztag family, dubbed "Karotz." The WiFi rabbit runs on Linux, with a 400MHz ARM CPU, 64MB of RAM and 256MB of storage, so it should have plenty of headroom for that vibrant hacker community that sprung up around the first two Nabaztags. Karotz can also run off batteries or be plugged in via USB, and has the same RFID reader functionality of the Nabaztag/tag. The biggest new feature is a webcam, which will purportedly have face recognition (to be paired with Nabaztag's existing voice recognition), along with allowing you to check up on your home from a smartphone app. Karotz will retail in France starting in November for €150 (about $210 US), followed by the UK in December and February in the US. Hopefully Karotz can find a bit more market success than its ill-fated predecessors.

Gallery: Karotz press shots and a peek under the hood

MindScape's Karotz continues the proud Nabaztag lineage originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nabaztag can't make RFID cool, has to file for bankruptcy

Darren Murph — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:27:00 EST

We always knew that any company courageous enough to take a technology designed to help mega-corps monitor their inventory levels and make it mainstream would face an uphill battle, but we never envisioned Nabaztag caving entirely to the pressure. If a snippet in a recent issue of Les Echos (a French financial paper) is to be believed, the creator of the rabbit-inspired Violet RFID Mirror has filed for bankruptcy, giving any company interested in keeping the brand alive until September 4th to toss out a cash infusion. Not like we're looking at you, Mr. VC, but we're definitely hoping to not be sobbing about this in just under a month. Tick, tock.

[Voa Loic Le Meur]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wireless

Nabaztag can't make RFID cool, has to file for bankruptcy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nabaztag's Violet RFID-readin' USB Mirror now available

Tim Stevens — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:46:00 EST

Looking for a brighter, cuter way to search for those RFID implants the government has hidden somewhere in your body? The Violet RFID Mirror is your gadget, and it's now shipping. Those not running from the NWO will find the $59.99 gadget has a myriad of other uses as well, letting you tag all sorts of things and have them trigger various applications. You could set your keys on it and have it launch a traffic report, or put your wallet on there to bring up your bank statement. You know, useless but still interesting stuff -- a lot like the company's multi-colored bunnies that seem to love to sit upon them.

[Via I4U]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Nabaztag's Violet RFID-readin' USB Mirror now available originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nabaztag's Violet debuts "Mirror" general-purpose home RFID reader

Paul Miller — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:10:00 EST

While we'll always know Violet for its iconic bunnies, the company is branching out into a more direct RFID application. The Mirror RFID reader is a USB-pluggable little platter that can read RFID tags and launch an assigned action on the computer when it spots a tag it knows. Examples we saw included a tagged post card of Vegas launching a corresponding picture on the computer (lame), a tagged toy car bringing up a map (getting warmer), a tagged umbrella launching the weather forecast (now we're cooking with gas), and a cute little mini-Nabaztag figurine doing whatever it wants (en fuego / choose your own tired metaphor). We could see the reader being put to use for the computer illiterate, or children having their first go at a PC, but we're more excited to see what hackers can make of the tech -- old people and children are overrated. No word on price or release date yet, but Violet has a press conferenced planned for Monday, so we should know more then.

Gallery: Nabaztag's Violet debuts "Mirror" general-purpose home RFID reader

Filed under: Peripherals

Nabaztag's Violet debuts "Mirror" general-purpose home RFID reader originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Nabaztag reads bedtime stories better than daddy

Thomas Ricker — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:36:00 EST

The Nabaztag WiFi rabbit learned a new trick at CeBIT: reading RFID tagged children's books. Violet already loosed a book in France at Christmas and now plans to launch its first English language book in the UK within the month. Right, that's one less parental responsibility for you. It's also cooking up "ztamps" which are RFID stickers you can attach to anything you like. When each unique sticker is held to Nabaztag's nose, it responds with a predefined action like playing music, sending an email, reading off the latest headlines, etc. Really, it's not as crazy as it sounds. Check the video after the break -- now that they've fixed last year's service issues caused to overwhelming demand, parents might want to give this critter a second look.

Continue reading Video: Nabaztag reads bedtime stories better than daddy

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Robots, Wireless

Video: Nabaztag reads bedtime stories better than daddy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PC Gizmo fills IM alerts with rainbows, unicorns, chocolate covered teddy bears

Joshua Topolsky — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:03:00 EST

Meet PC Gizmo. Sure, it's a cheapo, USB-interfacing Nabaztag knock-off... but it loves you. Don't make PC Gizmo cry -- let it alert you to IMs, emails, VoIP calls, and its insatiable need for hugs. See PC Gizmo do its thing in the video after the break.

Continue reading PC Gizmo fills IM alerts with rainbows, unicorns, chocolate covered teddy bears

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

PC Gizmo fills IM alerts with rainbows, unicorns, chocolate covered teddy bears originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keepin' it real fake, part XCVII: Nabaztag's sad little knock-off

Joshua Topolsky — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:25:00 EST

You know the Nabaztag -- the lovable, WiFi-sporting, olfactory-equipped plastic rabbit which wormed its way into our hearts. Sure, everyone wants to nestle up to the little critter's twinkling LEDs and soothing expression, but what about Nabaztag's pitiful, cheap, single-function cousin, the Rabbit Sensor Night Light? That's right -- not a lot of love for this one-trick-pony, a simple night light which won't play back your favorite podcasts, recognize the scent of a carrot, read you a book, or act as your Cha'Dich during your trial on Qo'noS concerning the attack at Khitomer... but it will glow softly through its pink plastic casing. Look, it automatically turns on when it detects movement, and it's dirt cheap ($12.99) -- isn't that enough?

[Thanks, kristofer b]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Keepin' it real fake, part XCVII: Nabaztag's sad little knock-off originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nabaztag/tag users up in arms about spotty service, missing features

Paul Miller — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 11:16:00 EST

While we typically question the sanity of anyone who would pay $200+ for a talking rabbit (not really, we're just jealous), it looks like Nabaztag/tag fanboys/girls have a reason to be upset. Out of the box, many buyers of the cute little bunny found that they had just purchased a cute little paperweight, since Violet's API was down for days at a time. Now that those server problems have been fixed and the Nabaztag/tag can actually receive info from the service, buyers are finding that Violet expects an extra fee for some services, and completely failed to include other features in the box, such as RFID tags compatible with the bunny. Other features are hopelessly bad in their execution, such as instances of asking tag/tag for the weather, and receiving a response three minutes later. Hardly the virtual pet nirvana most users were hoping for. Violet has indicated that it has heard the complaints of its customers, but still hasn't issued a formal response to address the issues. We'll keep an eye out for such a word, and until that day we'll put our hope in Violet-alternatives such as OpenNab, which promise to help "Unleash Your Inner Bunny" without all the hassle of tangling with the company that gave it birth.

[Thanks, Mark B]

Filed under: Robots, Wireless

Nabaztag/tag users up in arms about spotty service, missing features originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Feb 2007 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nabaztag/tag enters the wild, our hearts

Paul Miller — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:25:00 EST

As of midnight in France -- 6PM EST -- the Nabaztag/tag went live, bringing with it RFID, a VoIP belly button and a whole lotta love. We're not quite sure yet if we're most excited to talk into this thing's belly button, allow it to sniff our various vegetables, or observe the RFID functionality at work -- a recent demo of the rabbit showed the Nabaztag/tag reading a children's book based on RFID encoded data. Violet, the creator of Nabaztag and its new successor, is also rolling out a software update that will affect all current Nabaztags, including personalised MP3 messaging and expanded newsfeeds. Sadly, we can't get the Violet site to load right this minute, so you might have to wait a bit for the server elves to do their thing before you can make this bunny yours.

Filed under: Robots, Wireless

Nabaztag/tag enters the wild, our hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nabaztag/tag can smell!

Thomas Ricker — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 09:05:00 EST

Wondering what all the Nabaztag/tag hubbub is about? Then check the video of this v2 WiFi bunny who not only emerges from DEMOfall with a mic stuffed in his fake plastic belly, he snagged a sense of smell too. That's right, in the demo he's able to detect a big dirty carrot held in front of his felt-tipped "T" of a nose and respond accordingly. Somehow this all seems perfectly fine and even a hare arousing when explained by mister French Elvis. Oh Nabaztag, we know this world is killing you.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wireless

Nabaztag/tag can smell! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Oct 2006 09:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nabaztag gets a smarter sib, meet Nabaztag/tag

Thomas Ricker — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 09:53:00 EST

Nabaztag was only just birthed onto these golden shores to the quivering delight of geeks a-plenty. Now, just like you'd expect from a dirty, drrrty French bunny, Violet got busy on the quick and conceived Nabaztag/tag for release into the Internet wilds. On display at DEMOfall starting today, Nabaztag part deux brings all that 9-inches of WiFi interactivity only now with a fully-functional mic in the belly for two-way, verbal communication and the ability to play podcasts and web radio. Just an additional Jackson to take the $169 Nabaztag/tag home starting November 18th.

[Via NetworkWorld]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wireless

Nabaztag gets a smarter sib, meet Nabaztag/tag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Sep 2006 09:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Creepy USB Kitty keeps intruders away, us awake

Paul Miller — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 13:04:00 EST

If you were looking for some cutesy Hello Kitty paraphernalia, turn away while you still have your sanity. This USB Kitty might look cute on the outside, but it's clear the feline sentry harbors ill-will for the race of men. The USB device has dual infrared ports, and watches your computer for "intruders," which it then hisses, meows and shakes its evil head at. USB Kitty can also sing melodies (no doubt its method of removing souls), and includes a calendar and alarm function to alert you of events. Best of all, the device is a mere $24, so we're looking forward to a few hackers getting their hands on this thing and plotting a USB Kitty vs. Nabaztag fight to the death. We say USB Kitty FTW.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Creepy USB Kitty keeps intruders away, us awake originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Sep 2006 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nabaztag hops into the US

Ryan Block — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 09:11:00 EST

Alright everyone, calm yourselves, we have some news: not a year and a couple of weeks since the day we first wrote about the Nabaztag, it's found a US distributor. You'll never guess who's picked it up, too. Ok, ok, we'll tell you, it's ThinkGeek. We know, you're probably hyperventilating right now, especially if you were the intended recipient of a WiFi rabbit from Engadget's Valentine's Day gift guide, but got flimflammed out getting it because it was previously only available from French sites. Well, it's time to put up a fuss, because this thing'll set you or your kind, gift giving significant other back $150 -- about right, including interest, if they never got you anything for Vday. Bienvenue en Amérique, lapin.

[Thanks, Veronica]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wireless

Nabaztag hops into the US originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Apr 2006 09:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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