WowWee Chatterbot Looks Like Robot Hell-Hound, Does Friendly Banter [Robots]

Move over iBuddy and Availbot, the masters of robo-companionship toys have arrived on scene. This is a WowWee Chatterbot, a USB-powered desktop companion that reacts with some motion and a bit of chattering to “trigger” words typed into emails, IM, calendar entries and the like. It’s not as smart as Robosapien, of course: basically it just spouts out jokes and bits of commentary. Because we all like hellish dogs with eerie eyes responding to our typing, don’t we? The video reveals the toy in action.

If the doggy version is a touch too scary for you there’s also an Angel and Devil, and a Fairy Godfather version, and I’m hoping they’re somewhat friendlier. The little guys were apparently shown at CES earlier this year, but we’ve only just caught sight of them now, in this Slashgear review. It does look like their sensitivity is a bit off, since they seem to miss some trigger words, but that’s the sort of thing that might be addressed in a software update at a later date.

At least these animated toys have another function besides annoying you as you type: they have a speaker and battery-powered action so you can plug in an MP3 player and use them standalone. They’re PC and Mac compatible, and are available for $49.99. [Chatterbots On the web via Slashgear]

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The class action lawsuit brought against Apple for PowerBook and iBook power bricks with the potential to spark has been settled. If the final approval for the settlement goes through, Apple will pay $25 to $79 to customers who “bought an adapter made by Apple or another company to replace a failed one.” [LA Times, pic from Don Ramsey]

Via [gizmodo]

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Cargo Laptop Sleeves With Added Pockets
Notebook sleeves are simple, single purpose objects. Slip in your laptop and throw it into any old bag, confident that the dust-bunnies and scratch-goblins will be kept at bay. Some people, though, mistake the simple slipcases for full-fledged luggage. You’ve…

Notebook sleeves are easy, single purpose objects. Slip in your laptop and throw it into any old bag, confident that the dust-bunnies and scratch-goblins will be kept at bay. Some people, though, mistake the easy slipcases for full-fledged luggage. You’ve seen them, cramming in the power supply, the mouse and the thumb drive as if it were a holdall.

To save these people from the inevitable cracked screen and scratched case, you might point them to these cargo sleeves from Built. The neoprene slip-covers have three pockets to hold the gubbins you need to run a laptop for more than a few hours. Handy, too, for the quick trip to the web café when your home connection goes down. $40-$50.

Product page [Built NY via Uncrate]

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