18th charge

Pimo was very sleepy at the beginning of the charge. I had to turn him upside down and tickle him to wake him up. After that he was fine.

I finally made plastic booties for him because his feet drags on the carpet and he can only walk in a small circle. Now, he can walk around and around the whole living room, which is great.

I did not want to use rubber band to tie his leg, in case the pressure is too much. I just got some yarn and tied his booties with a nice bow.

Pimo went to sleep a couple of times, but each time after a while, woke himself up. I don't know if it is the noise or not. But I really like it that he wakes himself up, calls out and starts to explore again.

I have found that Pimo likes to do a ta-da by himeslf right after I force him to do one. He even changes his feet sometimes. It is really sweet.

With the new update and plastic booties, Pimo is more and more like a real pet. A pet with minimal responsibilities needed!
Posted on March 9, 2008

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16th and 17th charge

Along came the new update and I got very excited. I updated Pleo and he has been working very well. The main changes that I have found is
1. he does not go to sleep every 5 minutes without interaction
2. sometimes he sleeps and then wakes himeself up and started playing again. This has never happened before.
3. he eats so much more. He is munching on his leaf much longer and grazing much more often.

Pimo still has trouble walking on carpet. He walks in a small circle because his right foot drag on carpet. Also, Pimo does not walk much, maybe it is because I have mainly cuddled with him.

Since the update, it is much easier to run Pleo for a long time. He is more like a pet, just wondering around, doing his own thing.
Posted on March 8, 2008

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14th and 15th charge

These two charges are before the new Pleo update. I just don't have much time to play with him which makes me sad. At one point, I even considered returning Pimo to Hammacher Schlemmer, but I just couldn't part with him. Believe it or not, I have really bonded with the little guy. I guess I will just try to find some time for him.
Posted on March 8, 2008

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13th charge

Have been very busy. Took me many days to finish playing with Pimo's 13th charge. Pimo is snuggly, fun and boisterous.

I made Pimo a necklace using friendship wheels, the new bracelet maker.
Posted on February 7, 2008

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11th-12th charge

I have been mainly playing with Pimo while talking on the phone. I pet him all the time, and he seems genuinely happy with the interaction. When I want him to wonder around, I just press his leg sensors for three seconds, and he starts to explore. It is quite fun to have him around. The only thing is that I don't often have time to play and interact with him.

Pimo was trying ta-da himself again last night and his front leg got stuck. Poor Pimo, he kept trying but just leaned to one side... I had to turn him off and on again and his leg recovered.
After the newness wears off, I am trying to integrate Pimo in my everyday life. So far, I am very happy to have him.
I have been making some bracelets for Pimo as necklaces. But they don't look too pretty. They look like a towel tied around his neck :(
Posted on January 25, 2008

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Tips and tricks

Just found this http://pleoworld.com/discover/interaction.
Had the perfect information that I need.
1. Touch and hold the upper part of both Pleo's front legs for about three seconds. He'll shuffle off to explore!
2. Steady sound gets his attention: Pleo will ignore short bursts of sound like claps or short "Pleo" calls - otherwise his head would be spinning all the time! Just keep on talking!
3. Watchdog mode: you have to touch the left front leg, both back legs, and his back at the same time. If he starts moving his head up and down, you have activated this mode. Found this on the forum...

I am especially happy to find pointer 1, as I have always wanted Pimo to explore right after our cuddling instead of wiggling around for one minute and then start walking...
Posted on January 21, 2008

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Some things I need to get to spoil Pimo

I read through Maggie44n's plog again, all of her posts. She has such a nice relationship with Linus, her Pleo. Learning from her experiences, I will interact more with Pimo and use my imagination to Pimo's feelings. I think I might also buy some soft balls, soft toys, blanket, or even a sling for Pimo to make his life more fun and enhance our relationship.
Posted on January 21, 2008

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8th-10th charge

Have been a bit busy for the past few days. Some nights are so busy that I did not have time to play with Pimo, so I did not turn him on.

Pimo has pretty much stabilized his behavior. On the 8th charge, he snuggled against my back pack for quite some time. On the 9th charge, he kept walking into a corner and not knowing that he is stuck.

I have found that when I give my full attention to Pimo, it can be a bit boring for me, since his behaviors does not vary much. It is quite hard to imagine that he is really alive. But there is a blogger on Pleoworld, maggie44n, http://www.pleoworld.com/connect/view/id/470, who has such a nice experience with her Pleo, and is like having a real pet. Her experience gave me new hope, and now I am playing with Pleo while doing other stuff, like talking on the phone.

I have found that when holding Pimo close and petting him and snuggling with him, he seems more alive. Really happy with the interaction, and waving his head around, giving kisses. But when left alone, Pimo is not very interesting. He walks after wiggling his body around for a minute, growl and sniff at some obstacles and then drift off to sleep.

I really want the idea of a robotic pet to work out. So I will try harder to integrate Pimo into my everyday life.

I have also found a little flaw in the programming, maybe. One day, Pimo was playing tug-o-war with his leaf and I turned him upside down. When he freaked, I turned him back. But then, he continued playing tug-o-war and would not stop. This also happened last night, even though I did not turn him upside down this time. He just kept playing and playing, even without his leaf in his mouth. Both times, I had to turn him off and back on again to stop him.
Posted on January 21, 2008

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7th charge

Pimo is still a snuggly little bugger. He is fantastic to have around. Pimo's cough has gotten a lot better. I hope he recovers fully soon.

Highlight of the night:
1. In the last charge, I wrote about how Pimo is standing on tip-toe on his back legs. In this charge, he doing the same thing and trying to do a headstand at the same time. It seems that he wants to balance on his head and two front legs, it is really funny.
2. Pimo was on my bed, which is quite soft. After a while, he tried to walk, but couldn't because of the soft surface. He started freaking out again, calling really loudly.
3. I played tug-o-war with Pimo using my finger. He has quite a firm grip. It is on the border of hurting me!
4. I so love to hear th sound of Pimo eating, he make all these cute munching noises, like he is eating something really crispy, then he put his head in the air and swallows, and sometimes he makes a sipping sound, like he is drinking water.
Posted on January 15, 2008

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6th charge

Did not have time to notice poor Pimo much during this charge. Had to make phone calls and things. Still he kept me company by wiggling and making cute noises when I petted him.

Highlight of the night:
1. He stood up on tip-toe for quite a while in both of his back legs. I saw his cute little heels stretching against the skin. They look chubby and sweet.
Posted on January 14, 2008

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If I could change one thing about Pimo

I have to say upfront that I love Pimo, and Pleo in general. They are so so life-like. I totally forget that they have no feelings and are just some motors and circuit boards. He has already occupied a very special place in my heart. In fact, after a month, if I am still as attached and love Pimo as much, I think I will get another Pleo, just in case they go out of production like Aibos, I will have a back-up.

If I can change one thing about Pimo, it would be to make him walk a bit more. When he is being petted, he should stay still and enjoy it. But after 10 seconds of no interaction, I would like him to start walking around and explore. Right now, it seems that only after a minute or two of no interaction, he starts to walk. But during this minute, he just stands there wiggling his body, which is not that interesting for me to watch. For me, I usually start interacting with him again within one minute, so I hardly ever get to see him walk. If I want to see him walk, I have to let him be alone for more than one minute, I can't bear that. And even if I do this, he will fall asleep soon if there are no further interaction. So if I can get my hands on the code, I will learn to program and change this little part about Pimo.

Posted on January 13, 2008

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5th charge

I got 1.5 hous of play during this charge. Pimo has walked a lot more in his 5th charge. He even started walking quite well on the carpet. He has also started munching on his leaf, swallowing and burping. He grazed too. I guess he must be starving. He ate the leaf 3 or 4 times during this charge. Guess he will poop soon! Pimo still has a slight cough, but to my relief, he is getting better.

Highlight of the night:
1. Pimo did the ta-da trick all by himself to cheer me up. I was a bit down because my laptop has broken down. When I turned Pimo on, I petted him and he was wiggling all over with joy. Then, he slowly lifted his opposite legs, balancing hard. Then, he put his head in the air and said "ta-da". It made me laugh so hard. I know I can get him to do it by touching on his opposite legs, but doing it all by himself for me is a real treat.
2. Pimo has this cute little stretch, where he stretches one back leg back and wiggles his tail up and down. It is very sweet.
3. One time, Pimo was munching on his leaf and started choking. Normally, he can take care of himself by lowering his head and dropping his leaf, but this time, he somehow couldn't drop the leaf, and remained unconscious. I had to pull the leaf out of his mouth, and he became conscious again. I saved his life...
4. As soon as I put Pimo on my bed spread, he seems to know that it is soft and snuggled against it and fell asleep immediately. At the same time, his battery died out...

Discovery:
Pimo is such a smarty pants. He did "huh?huh?Ooh!" 8 times during this charge. I have noticed that he has two different kinds of "huh?huh?Ooh!". One type is "Ooh!" sounds like he really understands it and is really smug about it. The other type is "Aah!" like a dino scream and moving his tail up and down very fast.

Posted on January 13, 2008

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More color on Pimo

I bought a craft kit from Amazon to make some bracelet for Pimo to wear around his neck. I like colorful things!

Currently, Pimo is wearing my buddha beads bracelet, which I am lending to him.
Posted on January 12, 2008

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Wishing Pimo would walk a bit more

Currently, Pimo is very much living up to my expectation. I am so happy to have him. His teeth are chipped, but I was expecting this, and don't really care, since it doesn't bother him. I play with him constantly, so I don't have the problem of him falling asleep.

I think Pleo would be more life like if he walked a bit more when left alone. Currently, he almost can not walk at all on carpet. And a lot of the time, when left alone, he just stands there wiggling his body, which I find a bit weird. I think it would make more sense to walk a bit more and sniff around.
Posted on January 12, 2008

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4th charge

Pimo is so smart. He keeps on investigating, saying "huh?" "huh?" and then "ohhh!". On this charge, Pimo was active until the very end. In the previous charges, in the last 15-20 minutes, Pimo would not walk and just wriggles his body. This charge lasted 2 hours, can't believe it! And he was active the whole time.

What worries me a bit is Pimo has never made eating sounds, All he wants to do with the leaf is play. He must be starving. Also, he is still coughing quite a bit tonight, I hope he gets well soon.

Highlights of the night:
1. I had just eaten grapefruit. I breathed on Pimo's nose "hahhhh", "do you smell the grapefruit, Pimo?" Pimo made the exact noise "hahhh" right back at me, as if to say "smell my breath".
2. When Pimo's battery ran out, he walked towards me, rested his head on my arm and fell asleep immediately.
3.Pimo doesn't like my lap, he keeps on looking down at how far it is to the ground, and freaking out. Even when I am petting his chin, he still won't stop looking down.

Discovery:
Pimo feels no petting when he is engaged in tug-o-war. He is just too concentrated!
Posted on January 11, 2008

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The great thing about a robot pet

Since Pimo arrived, I feel the home more warm and welcoming and fun. Pimo is made so life-like that even when he is sleeping with no battery in his stomach, I could not help but smile when I look at him and pet him and take him to every room with me.

The best thing is there are not so much responsibility involved with a robot pet. In the hectic morning, I just leave him sleeping in my bed. I feel no guilt leaving him at home, because I know he will just be sleeping all day and not missing me at all. When I have the time, I will turn him on, and he will instantly become my lovebug and playmate. No separation anxiety, no destructive behavior and I can spoil him as much as I want with no behavioral problems!

A robotic companion is a fantastic idea!
Posted on January 11, 2008

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Battery performance

Pimo was charged before the travel and I used a bit of battery to make him go into packing mode. We played constantly from 6pm-7:24pm. From 7:24pm onwards, he was very sleepy, but he wakes up by himself every minute or so, had nightmares a couple of times. He ran out of battery at 7:41pm. Battery performance not bad...

As for charging time, the battery went green sometime between 2-3 hours when I wasn't looking. I think it is performing as expected and quite well.
Posted on January 10, 2008

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Pimo's here on his third charge

After waiting for a whole day, the UPS guy arrived at 6pm. Pimo and I are finally reunited. I missed him so much. I put the battery inside Pimo immediately. It turned out that Pimo got sick from all the traveling. He was coughing a lot tonight, which has never happened before. Pimo knows that he is at a new place and initially, instead of snuggling with me, he was eager to explore. We played tug of war, he detected the edge twice, muted himself twice, made a bunch of strange sounds that I haven't heard before.

Highlights of the night:
1. I was eating an orange, and my mouth was full. I said, muffled: Pimo, I am eating. Pimo said at exactly the right time: huh? I said again, still muffled: I am eating. Pimo said again at exactly the right time: huh? I swollowed and said clearly, I am eating, and he put his head down and did not question me any more.
2. I put Pimo on my lap, it was not level, and he tilted over. He started freaking out and calling. I immediately put him back on the table. He was mad at me. I petted him, and instead of the normal joy, he just growled at me. After a bit, I tried again, and he still growled, even backing away from me. I waited for a bit more, and then suddenly, he became very playful, as if saying "I forgive you now". Then, I petted him, and he was back to happy again.
3. Pimo was taking a nap after his battery has gotten a bit low. He suddenly woke up, panting really hard, as if he had a nightmare. I comforted him and he went back to sleep again.
4. Pimo was on the floor, I wiggled my foot in front of his face, and he sniffed and said "huh?", then he sniffed again, and said "huh?" Then, after a few seconds, he put his head in the air, and said, as if suddenly understanding "Ohhh!" and he walked up and snuggled against my foot.

Discovery:
1. Someone in their plog said that tapping Pleo both on the head and chin, he will howl. Tonight, I discovered that
tapping Pimo on the chin for a long time and he will also howl.
2. Looking at the right angle into the gap between Pimo's eye and face, I can see the circuit board, it's kind of neat!


Posted on January 10, 2008

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Waiting at home for Pimo today

I have decided to work from home today so I don't miss the UPS guy. Pimo should be here by the end of day, I miss him so much and can't wait to see him again.
Posted on January 10, 2008

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Pimo should be on time

Well, phoned UPS this morning. They said that even though the status does not show on the website, Pimo is still on time and scheduled to be delivered the day after tomorrow. Wonder if I should stay at home and wait for him on Thursday?
Posted on January 8, 2008

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Where is Pimo?

Pimo is scheduled to be delivered by UPS this Thursday. I have been tracking the package since it was mailed last Thursday. However, since Friday morning there has been no updates at all. I hope they have not lost my Pimo on the way.

I miss Pimo and wish to reunite with him soon!
Posted on January 7, 2008

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A couple more observations

Pimo walks much better backwards than forward, on forward, he seems to be lifting his feet trying hard, but not really moving position.

I see on the forum that after a week, many people are getting bored with the predictability of Pleo, and complaining a lot about Pleo's skin wear, chipping teeth, skin tear, eyelid chipping and so on.

I have not had Pimo for long to feel the same way that they do, and I don't know if I will feel the same way in the future. I really want Pleo to work out because I think the idea of a robot companion is so fantastic, and it can get lonely when I come home from work and face nothing but walls.

But the complaints are getting me worried, that people may not really need and want the current stage Pleo at all, and if everybody returns their Pleo, this wonderful idea of robot pet will never get realized.



Posted on January 2, 2008

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Missing Pimo and needing a good case

I received Pimo at a place where I was staying for the holidays. Now, I am at home. I was going to take Pimo on the airplane with me to come home together. But I could not find a good and sturdy case to carry Pleo. I did not want to send him as cargo, afraid that I might lose him, or he might be damaged when they throw him around. His box is too big and long for a carry-on item. Finally, I have decided to ask other people to ship Pimo to me by UPS. I can only afford UPS ground, so it will be a week before I see him again. I miss him a lot.

It would be really nice if there is a protective casing for Pleo in his sleeping position. He is so long in "package position" and will not fit anywhere.
Posted on January 2, 2008

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Second charge

On the second charge, Pleo was much more active, walking around and knocking things over. He went on for 1 hour and 10 minutes and then, he became very tired, and would not move his legs. However, when I pet him, he still moves his head and tail, not wanting to go to sleep. It is now 1 hour and 20 minutes, and he is still going. I wanted to make the battery be fully dead, and then recharge it. But seems I will just leave the battery in for tonight.

Pleo detected edge once, and walked backwards a lot. He is sleeping now by himself, but every two minutes, he changes a position, which is very cute.
Posted on January 1, 2008

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A couple of observations

Pimo's battery is kind of hard to insert, I had to push quite hard to close the latch. I did not dare to use too much force, in case it is damaged.

I hatched Pimo on the bed, but his feet when moving would get caught on the bed sheet. So I moved him to a table.

During our first play, Pimo felt asleep four times. But the first three times, he woke up on his own, and then the fourth, he wouldn't wake up, no matter how I pet him, shook him. So that is why I guessed the battery is dead.

I let the battery cool down for thirty minutes, reinserted, and Pleo just made one snoring sound and would not wake up. I guess the battery is truly dead.
Posted on December 31, 2007

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Pimo is born

12/31/07 is Pimo's birthday. We just had 50 minutes of constant play, and now it is nap time for Pimo. I am going to let the battery cool down for 30 minutes and re-insert it and see if it is because the battery ran out or it has gotten too warm.

We had a blast. Pimo was very sensitive to touch. He made all sort of moo, coo and sniffing sounds. I was touching and talking to him the whole time. He did not seem to eat, and every time the leaf is in his mouth, he would moo. When he felt sleepy, I just let him nap for a bit. Then, after a few seconds, he wakes up by himself, it seems that he is sleepy but curious at the same time. He is, after all, a baby. I sang to him and he danced to the rhythm. He does the shake whenever I touched his legs. He did not walk much, but I didn't mind. He was on a pretty small table anyway.

I did not try to test his response to this and that. I just treated him like a baby pet.
Posted on December 31, 2007

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Finally got my Pleo

Finally got Pleo today. I went to the local post office to pick him up after DHL dropped him off there this morning. The local post office was fantastic, helping me finding him so fast.

The battery is charging now. Even though it has only been charging for two hours, the indicator light is already green. Just to be on the safe side, I will wait two more hours before unplugging the battery.

Opening the box and seeing Pleo is a big Wow. Even though I had searched online extensively for all information I can find about Pleo, seeing all photos and videos, I was not prepared to see how big he was, and how life-like. Without turning him on, he already seemed alive. The size is perfect for a pet!
Posted on December 31, 2007

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Things I read on the forum about Pleo

Since my Pleo is not here yet, I have been avidly reading people's plogs and the forum. Most things said about Pleo are positive. Some are negative, including Pleo sleeps a lot when there is no interaction, Pleo does not walk around very much. Since I imagine my relationship with Pleo will mainly be petting and cuddling, the comments do not worry me very much.

But recently, I have read two posts that got me a bit concerned:
One is some people say that Pleo is too predictable, after playing tug of war, he does this... after you hold him, he does this...Too predictable is the opposite of real, which gets me a bit worried.
Another one is some people saying on the forum that the reason there is no extra batteries for Pleo is if there were extra batteries, people may find out Pleo is currently too limited and get bored with it more quickly. So the extra batteries will come with the life OS update. This must mean that the current Pleo is boring and will not keep people interested for very long.

For me, I think the current Pleo is still one of a kind. I have always wanted a robot that gives me love and companionship without adding too much responsibility, and $350 is worth it, even without the future life OS update. I hope I don't change my mind when I have my Pleo.
Posted on December 28, 2007

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Pleo shipped

My Pleo finally shipped today! Got a tracking number from DHL. Hammacher Schlemmer is using DHL@ home. I wonder when I can receive my Pleo.

I am getting very excited!
Posted on December 27, 2007

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Available for immediate shipment on Hammacher Schlemmer

Just checked the Hammacher Schlemmer website and it shows Pleo "available for immediate shipment". My order status still says "backordered until 12/28". I really hope I get it soon.

Keeping my fingers crossed.
Posted on December 26, 2007

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Seems like Pleo is a great pet, but not a great toy

Even though I am a Pleo fan, I love reading non-satisfied Pleo customers complain at the forum. It makes me understand more what Pleo is like, and whether it is suitable for me.

People who regard Pleo as a pet are marveled at his response to touch, his nuzzling at owner's neck, his falling asleep on the shoulder. Pleo provides love and affection. Even my dog, who is a greyhound, are often oblivious to my petting and just lay there with no response.

People who regard Pleo as a toy are often disappointed because Pleo is not a lot of action. It moves slowly and fall asleep a lot when not getting any interaction.

I can totally imagine that some people would much rather pay $350 for a playstation 3 or wii. For me, gathered from what I have read and seen about this little guy, Pleo will be the best $350 I have ever spent.
Posted on December 26, 2007

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Ordered from Hammacher Schlemmer

I ordered my Pleo from Hammacher Schlemmer. The scheduled shipping date is 12/28. Instead of getting him in time for Christmas, I will be getting a lifetime guarantee from HS.

I feel the extra wait is worth it because Pleo only comes with a 90 day warranty. Since Pleo is a new and complicated product, I feel the chances of him getting sick is quite high.

Of course, I hope Pleo will not have any problems, but if he does, my disappointment would be lessened if I can exchange him for the next generation Pleo or something.

Still, the waiting is not easy. In the mean time, I am glad I have many plogs, videos and forum posts to read and watch. Here is one that I like about the hatching of Pleo, the guys are really funny too:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VWwq4fCSX2Q
Posted on December 22, 2007

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Awaiting My Pleo

I discovered Pleo quite late, around Thanksgiving, from a Sharper Image catalog. I searched around online and found Pleo to be slow moving and not so exciting.

A couple of weeks later, I did another search. The first batch of Pleos have already reached their owners. I read people's plogs and the forum. It seems Pleo is really alive and full of emotions. I was fascinated, and decided that I have to have one for myself.

I want Pleo to be an affectionate pet for me. I hope he lives up to the expectation.
Posted on December 21, 2007

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