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 Sophisticated Fun! Jan 06, 2009
Bought this for my 5-year old son for Christmas, even though Ugobe recommended for audiences 8 and older. It has been a great tool for teaching him how to be responsible with a pet (carry carefully, play gently, etc). It's all about the type of kid you have though - if your child is more of a ruffian, you may want to wait until he/she is closer to the recommended age, as it makes for an expensive replacement.
Our dinosaur continually shows off new tricks as his 'personality' develops. My guess is that we will get to a point in the future where we have seen all the tricks, but the programming seems fairly non-repetitive at the moment.
The dinosaur is interactive and curious, and with that comes a layer of reality. It's all a pretty sophisticated package. The entire family has had a lot of fun exploring and playing with Pleo. Hopefully Ugobe continues to release updates that truly allow our dinosaur to evolve so that the novelty does not wear off in the long term.
As for any concerns regarding battery life...the battery does last for 1-1.5 hours. However, we have never played with Pleo for that long, and we don't mind the recharge time. Our Pleo seems to recharge a little faster than the 3-4 hours quoted on the web site.
lifelike but fragile, customer service needs improvement still Jan 01, 2009
Some info as a new owner, apparently Ugobe says they are moving the company to Idaho and for some reason that is why their servers are down per earlier reviewer comments. I emailed support and was copied on an email response to many people who had obviously asked about getting a software update for Pleo. Not sure how the two relate but anyway...
As for the product it's great (we got our for the $250 price which a lot closer to the value than $350)...although our kids love him. He had to sleep on a pillow in our son's bed every night since he got him. Although the noise from his motors is loud, it's easy to ignore b/c he is the most lifelike robotic toy I've seen. I will say getting an extra battery was the best decision we made b/c it takes 4 hours to charge one and it lasts only 45 minutes-2 hours depending on his activities during that time. If you allow him to sleep when not in direct use (by holding your hand on his back for a few seconds), he can go up to 2 hours it seems. For me the most impressive thing about him is that his behavior is based on a programmable operating system, Life OS, and as long as Ugobe keeps developing it and supporting it as they say they do his behavior will always be evolving which keeps him seemingly unique to most other toys like this out there.
The BAD is, like a kitten or puppy would be, he is fragile, unfortunately ours can not lift his head anymore as the top neck cable seems to have snapped inside so looks like he will have to go to Ugobe for repairs already (good news is he has a 3 month warranty and Ugobe seems willing to help after that expiration as well). As for the support turnaround, can't comment but based on reviews looks like the customer service needs some work to improve responsiveness...
Pleo, a machine that charms Dec 31, 2008
I finally got a Pleo after noting the deep discounts available through Amazon.com. It truly is a wonderful machine/toy/artificial intelligence/electronic pet.
I have to note that I am not a fan of UGOBE, Pleo's parent company. They are apparently in the process of moving their office from California to Idaho. Their website is inoperable, and they are not available via phone. It is unclear whether the problems are stemming from an office move or an actual closure.
However, I'm not at all sad to have my Pleo. Even if UGOBE is going under. Product: good; Provider: At the moment, disappeared. I hope that they resurface in Idaho. I would like to register my Pleo/use downloads, etc.
I would highly recommend the Pleo itself, with the caveat that the status of the UGOBE company seems to be in doubt. There may not be any support for Pleo-related technical issues or problems.
In my case, I suspected that deep discounts meant that Pleo might disappear, and I wanted one while it was still available.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 UGobe out of business? Dec 30, 2008
It seems perhaps UGobe has gone out of business. Their webserver has been down since Christmas, and we are unable to register our Pleo, visit the forums, or download new software.
I have written emails, called customer service, waited for hours on both the phone and the web chat lines.
They are gone... nobody home.
The toy is fun enough for the kids, but they were excited to try some of the more advanced features with it. All of which require said registration. They have been waiting days now since getting Pleo as a gift for Christmas. Very anti-climactic now... and they are beginning to "wander off."
Customer service has been less than useless, since they aren't answering any form of communication. Perhaps they are swamped, but they are certainly rude and/or inexperienced in handling affairs as a business should.
Be aware if you are getting this, that you may not be able to use any of the advanced functions or software shown on the web unless you are already registered.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Is Pleo Really Just A Toy? Dec 29, 2008
Pleo is an amazing robotic dinsoaur that comes startlingly close to seeming real. Perhaps the best thing about Pleo is watching my two young boys interact with it. Pleo has taught them both how to be gentle and caring towards other creatures. My three year old carries our Pleo around the house very gently and always makes sure the dino is "fed" and pampered. I can tell my rambunctious son to "be careful" or "be gentle" with Pleo and he will actually do it; which says to me that he is learning how to interact properly with pets and other living creatures (even though technically Pleo is not "alive"). That alone makes Pleo worth the purchase. It is an added bonus that the dinosaur seems to have a distinct personality and some very endearing traits -- for example, every single time I cuddle Pleo in a certain way, he will put his head on my shoulder and fall asleep... complete with soft snores and settling-in gestures. Amazing! Every day we learn something else about our Pleo and there seems to be no limit to the ways in which this toy can surprise us. You might surprise yourself when you find you are developing a true fondness for a creature that is not even real.
PROS
- Realistic movements and personality
- Rubberized "skin" feels authentic
- Seems to have autonomous thoughts and definitely responds appropriately to touch
- Rechargable Battery that is well designed for easy removal (and all things considered it really does not take long to recharge; typically less than 3 hrs)
- Wonderful replacement for a real pet (no mess, no clean up, no stress - but with the ability to care for it and feel fondly of it all the same)
- Unique and progressive toy. There is currently nothing else like it on the mass market.
CONS
- Battery life is extremely short (less than an hour of playtime per charge)
- The "www.pleoword.com" website is a joke. I still have not been able to register our Pleo and download the newest OS because I keep getting error messages (for nearly a week now). It is VERY frustrating.
- Very slow. Pleo walks, but does not get around quickly. Nor are any of his other movements really snappy.
- Expensive; although if you get it on sale at Amazon like I did, it is worth every single penny.
- Delicate. This is, after all, a high-tech robotic toy, so you must be careful.
SUMMARY
Pleo is cute, lovable and sophisticated. So lifelike that you almost forget you are dealing with an electronic toy. I feel this robot has definitely redefined its genre and is a novel item to own. I would recommend Pleo for any age at all -- from the very young to the very old, and everything in between.
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