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Sydney MX (Australia)
August 11, 2006 Friday
SYD Edition
Wi-fi toy virtually a reality
RABBIT PROOF
In the Darwinian evolution of electronic companions, first came the
speaking doll, then the Tamagotchi virtual pet, then Sony's
short-lived AIBO robot dog.
Now, it could be the dawn of the Wi-fi rabbit era.
The plastic bunny with ears like TV antennae can read out emails and
text messages, tell children to go to bed, announce a stock collapse
and give traffic updates by receiving internet feeds through a
wireless Wi-fi network.
''It gives a visual and vocal representation of what is on the
internet,'' explained Paul Jackson, an analyst at research house
Forrester.
The bunny, which stands 23cm tall and has a white cone-like body that
lights up when it speaks, is called Nabaztag, which means rabbit in
Armenian, its creator's mother tongue. It can also wiggle its ears
and sing songs.
French entrepreneur Rafi Haladjian, who came up with the idea, says
the rabbit sometimes carries more sway over children than their
parents and can help men win forgiveness from angry partners.
''It is sad, but true,'' he said.
Nabaztag, made in Shenzhen, China, costs about $195.
Since its market debut last year, 50,000 Nabaztags have been sold in
France, Britain, Belgium and Switzerland, and Haladjian hopes to sell
150,000 by the end of this year.
The businessman is now looking to conquer the US, where he has only a
tiny presence, and is gearing up for the December shopping season.
Last December, Haladjian appeared on nationwide US television for
three minutes and received 350,000 online information requests.
''The only problem was that we had zero bunnies, we had sold them all
already and we had not even started selling them in the US yet,'' he
said.
Jackson is among several analysts who predict the Nabaztag will find
favour among the well-heeled and technology-savvy as it benefits from
the spread of Wi-fi networks around the globe.
Wi-fi technology is the latest must-have in many mass market consumer
goods, from mobile phones to personal digital assistants, laptops and
TV set-top boxes.
August 11, 2006 Friday
SYD Edition
Wi-fi toy virtually a reality
RABBIT PROOF
In the Darwinian evolution of electronic companions, first came the
speaking doll, then the Tamagotchi virtual pet, then Sony's
short-lived AIBO robot dog.
Now, it could be the dawn of the Wi-fi rabbit era.
The plastic bunny with ears like TV antennae can read out emails and
text messages, tell children to go to bed, announce a stock collapse
and give traffic updates by receiving internet feeds through a
wireless Wi-fi network.
''It gives a visual and vocal representation of what is on the
internet,'' explained Paul Jackson, an analyst at research house
Forrester.
The bunny, which stands 23cm tall and has a white cone-like body that
lights up when it speaks, is called Nabaztag, which means rabbit in
Armenian, its creator's mother tongue. It can also wiggle its ears
and sing songs.
French entrepreneur Rafi Haladjian, who came up with the idea, says
the rabbit sometimes carries more sway over children than their
parents and can help men win forgiveness from angry partners.
''It is sad, but true,'' he said.
Nabaztag, made in Shenzhen, China, costs about $195.
Since its market debut last year, 50,000 Nabaztags have been sold in
France, Britain, Belgium and Switzerland, and Haladjian hopes to sell
150,000 by the end of this year.
The businessman is now looking to conquer the US, where he has only a
tiny presence, and is gearing up for the December shopping season.
Last December, Haladjian appeared on nationwide US television for
three minutes and received 350,000 online information requests.
''The only problem was that we had zero bunnies, we had sold them all
already and we had not even started selling them in the US yet,'' he
said.
Jackson is among several analysts who predict the Nabaztag will find
favour among the well-heeled and technology-savvy as it benefits from
the spread of Wi-fi networks around the globe.
Wi-fi technology is the latest must-have in many mass market consumer
goods, from mobile phones to personal digital assistants, laptops and
TV set-top boxes.