Welcome to the first American site devoted solely to the Nabaztag. This site will eventually offer support, hacks, Nabaztag talk, stories and Nabaztag experiences to share.
Keep checking back frequently for new and exciting things for our little wi-fi friends
If you haven''t already...purchase yours at one of the few distributors in the U.S.
Nabaztag/tag users up in arms about spotty service, missing features
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.
Posted by larry on Sunday, February 11 @ 10:43:01 CST (1374 reads)
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Paris Tuesday, December 26, 2006. Press release from Violet
Nabaztag’s platform has buckled under the weight of all the new Rabbits !
On Christmas day, Nabaztag’s registration and configuration sites experienced serious disruptions. The servers were not able to support the huge influx of Rabbits whose new owners attempted to register them and were forced to reject many of them.
The first Rabbits were unwrapped the morning of the 24th of December. The problems with the platform began around midnight of the 24th. At noon on the 25th, Violet’s directors decided to close access to the site my.nabaztag.com, (which allows you to register and send & receive messages from other rabbits). The deterioration in performance had rendered the use of the site unreliable and the temporary closing of the site was preferable to a frustrating user experience.
The disturbances have only affected the web platform of Nabaztag. They have nothing to do with the correct functioning of the Rabbits themselves. The closing of access to the website and the collapse in performance have not affected the Rabbits that are already connected. These Rabbits have continued to deliver their services as usual.
« Of course we had predicted a significant influx of new rabbits between the 24th and the 25th of December, » says the co-founder of Violet, Rafi Haladjian, « Not only did the Rabbits all register at once, the users were all extremely motivated. They all began to use the services very intensively, much more intensively than those that use their rabbits ordinarily. We have also come up against an exceptionally high number of active problems since the more Rabbits there are, the more possible activity there is between them. The breadth of this interactive dimension was difficult to foresee. »
Violet launched the brand new version of the Nabaztag platform 15 days ago to coincide with the release of Nabaztag/tag. The platform was designed to handle the planned, huge influx of new user connections. It was precisely the devices that were supposedly increasing capacity that have caused the platform’s fragility.
« Frankly, we feel a bit sheepish, (that’s the most appropriate word I can think of), » says Haladjian, « and grateful towards the Nabaznauts who have born their troubles patiently and who have accepted our indulgences. »
Violet’s technical teams and its third-party providers are moving at full force on the 26th to re-establish the platform and improve its performance. If the site my.nabaztag.com is back up on the 26th, it may be possible to register new Rabbits, although the return to full functionality will take a few days.
Posted by larry on Wednesday, December 27 @ 05:12:48 CST (756 reads)
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Next-Gen Nabaztag Wi-Fi Rabbit Delayed in U.S.
By Mark Hachman Nabaztag The second generation of an odd Wi-Fi "smart rabbit" has been delayed in the U.S. after issues with the Federal Communications Commission.
The new "Nabaztag," whose new model is called "Nabaztag/tag", is the creation of French design house Violet, which began shipping the new gizmo in Europe on Wednesday.
The new Nabaztag/tag was expected in the U.S. in mid-November for a price of $169, slightly higher than the $149 price tag that the first Nabaztag carries.
However, the device was apparently delayed because of concerns by the FCC, according to a posting on the Nabaztag development blog. Those concerns have apparently "just" been satisfied, and the Nabaztag/tag will hopefully begin shipping to U.S. customers sometime soon, the developers said.
"Tag/tag should be available in France today,' the post read. "In the UK and the rest of Europe by the end of the week. For North America it is still unsure because of difficulties with the FCC (which apparently were just cleared up) but there are still some small logistics to get over."
Representatives at Violet were not immediately available for comment.
Nabaztag can best be described as a white plastic Wi-Fi stylized bunny, whose antennas serve as "ears" that can rotate and move like independent conductor's batons. The plastic body also contains several integrated LEDs, which can flash according to various patterns to visually give its owner information, such as the movement of a particular stock or the arrival of an email. The Nabaztag family also includes a text-to-speech generator that read emails or Web pages. Violet offers various service plans for a range of fees, although the free option offers RSS inputs, reports on Parisian traffic, and sudden outpourings of poetry.
The new "Nabaztag/tag" adds a "belly button" microphone for two-way, verbal communication. Additionally, Nabaztag/tag will have unlimited time playing capability for podcasts and web radios, Violet has said.
The launch of the Nabaztag/tag at 12:01 AM on Dec. 13 was also accompanied by a shift in the Nabaztag server infrastructure, which turned off the Web service for several hours, Violet said.
Posted by larry on Friday, December 15 @ 07:23:32 CST (1048 reads)
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New Nabaztag
Taken from 14U.com
A new version of the wi-fi rabbit Nabaztag is here. It is strangely called Nabaztag/tag. I do not want to even think of what the 3rd edition will be called, Nabaztag/tag/tag...
The original Nabaztag came from France to the US in April.
The new always on bunny learned the following new tricks: - Voice Activation – Talk to your Nabaztag/tag or give him orders. - Voice Messages - Leave messages for yourself or a friend; engage in rabbit to rabbit conversation! - Ambient Noise Detection - By analyzing the sound in the room, the Nabaztag/tag can tell if anyone is around. - Limitless Talk Capabilities – No longer bound by a 45 second limit, the Nabaztag/tag can stream audio from the internet all day long. - Scent Recognition – The Nabaztag/tag can be trained to recognize certain scents and take pre-determined action accordingly. - Audio Out – mini-jack plug output allows you to hook your Nabaztag/tag to an external stereo or other component. - WPA Encryption – On top of the WEP encryption, it is also compatible with WPA protected Wi-Fi networks. - My.Nabaztag.com – New and fully redesigned to allow for easy, quick and more intuitive control over the rabbit’s functions, as well as constantly updating content and services.
Posted by larry on Saturday, November 18 @ 14:12:35 CST (995 reads)
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