Violet, the smart object company, has launched Nabaztag, the "first Smart Rabbit in the U.S." Nabaztag is an interactive rabbit that uses non-intrusive, 'calm technology' to perform a variety of intelligent and emotive tasks for its owners and connects wireless Internet users globally with other people and their passions in a fun, personal way.
At nine inches tall, with perky ears and an abundance of personality according to the company, Nabaztag can read text messages and emails, monitor the weather and play MP3 and MIDI files, listing just a few of its functions. Nabaztag can also interact with other rabbits around the world, making the online experience more personal through this innovative, Wi-Fi connected device that appears more friend than gadget.
Selected for inclusion at the prestigious DEMO Fall 2006 technology conference in San Diego, California, Nabaztag (the Armenian word for "rabbit") responds to commands issued wirelessly from the Internet. Nabaztag's fully mobile ears can engage in "ear play." Just move the ears of your rabbit, and the ears of your significant other's rabbit will move in the same way.
Violet co-founders and Nabaztag creators, Rafi Haladjian and Olivier Mevel, are pioneers in the European technology industry, with a fifteen-year history of online innovation including the launch of France's first commercial Internet Service Provider, and the development of a range of extraordinary intelligent devices.
"Nabaztag is not just a rabbit, but a messenger of emotion creating another layer of communication and expression between individuals online," said Violet co-founder, Rafi Haladjian. "Nabaztags take on the personality their owners create for them. Your Nabaztag can tell your spouse you are sorry, or remind a loved one that you are thinking of them. Nabaztag is about play, about joy -- and of course, about love. These are the reasons we connect with one another as human beings, and what makes the Internet a marvelous medium."
Violet co-founder Olivier Mevel believes Nabaztag is the ideal invention for the post-PC generation. "Wi-Fi connectivity brings new opportunities to an entire generation that is no longer confined to seeing online communication in the shape of a PC, or in the guise of pixels on a screen. Nabaztag is the embodiment of calm technology -- using technology softly and non-intrusively to bring useful information or emotion into other people's lives. We are breaking the mold on what Internet communication should look like, should feel like, and should sound like. This is the tip of the iceberg for connected things and intelligent devices. Nabaztag represents the dawn of the Internet of Things."
Nabaztag experienced a sell-out launch in Europe last year. Nabaztag/tag is the next generation smart rabbit, with enhanced features including a belly button microphone for two-way, verbal communication. Additionally, Nabaztag/tag will have unlimited time playing capability for podcasts and web radios.
