Print

[Alanae]

I have been watching Pleo evolve since its inception.  Although when Pleo first came out I desperately wanted one and harassed my poor husband to death, he did convince me that with our small children at the time that Pleo more than likely would not survive our household and I was forced to concede.  Since then I have watched as the first gen went to dust and the second gen was introduced and now the PLEOrb.  With our children getting a little older, and even more since they are all in school and I now have some free time on my hands during the day,  I am once again searching out the mysterious Pleo and drooling with complete want!

This is the thing though.  Simple watching the Pleo versions come and go leaves me stumped.  What is the difference between the 1st and 2nd gen Pleos?  Are the newer Pleo rbs worth the extra cost?  Seems the more I search the less "recent" information I seem to find.  With most of you here owning multiple Pleos from 1st gen on I was hoping you could help me.  My goal this year is to FINALLY purchase my first Pleo and with my husband finally giving in (its only taken him how many yrs to realize my infatuation wouldn't subside?) I just want to make sure I make the right decision since this is still quite a bit of money for my family to spend.

The only thing I am certain of is that the older 1st gen Pleos had a horrible battery life that seemed to cause people an incredible amount of frustration.  I believe it was something like 4hrs of charge time for 30min of playtime which would drive me to insanity I'm sure.  I also realize how much more advanced the new Pleo rb is compared to the 1st and 2nd gen versions.  I was just hoping for a bit "more" of an explanation from actual owners with their own thoughts.  What is the BEST things about Pleo 1st gen, 2nd gen, rb?  What do you least like or wish they had improved upon?  Do you find you still prefer your 1st or 2nd gen over the new rb?  If so than why?  Those are just a few of the many questions rattling around in this old head that I can't really seem to find any answers on.  Any direction people on this forum could give me would be GREATLY appreciated since I am so excited and can't WAIT to finally order my new friend, but again I want to make sure I order the right one.

Also with the older Ugobe versions since Ugobe is now defunct can you still find anywhere to do the updates? get items or add-ons?  Also I was a bit more concerned since any Ugobe versions still floating around are now of course no longer holding any sort of warranty.  All in all I guess you can say I am utterly confused

Thanks!

[Crewella]

Hello and welcome!

To make things easier, the Innvo 2009 Pleo was basically the original Ugobe Pleo with slight modifications - better skin and neck cables mainly.  They can both run the same software, and both come with the same NiMH green battery.  You can get the Ucube Li-Poly egg charger batteries to run in them and they make things a lot better.  So as the differences are so margina, it's really between the classic Pleo and the Pleo RB.

I'll have a think and come back to you on that one! 

[Alanae]

With the older model Pleos can you even still get the add-ons or updates for them anywhere?  Part of me is still a bit concerned to purchase an older one and then find that I can't update it, buy spare anythings other than ebay, ect...  Sorry if any of this has been addressed before but I really couldn't find a post that answered all my questions, but I swear I did look first

[Crewella]

That's OK - when you're new you get scared that you might have missed something.

I have several Ugobe Pleos all running different versions of the software (at least one on each) - all classic Pleos run all the different softwares (except the software for the RB).  You can get the later versions from the PleoWorld website, and all of them from the downloads section on here.

[Alanae]

And do you have a preference as far as the older version pleos vs the newer rbs? 

[InmemoryofRomeo]

I like the newer, but the older ones are very sweet, and many here like the relative simplicity of the older models.

Classic Pleo FAQ http://bobthepleo.com/forums/index.php?topic=1617.0

Pleo Reborn FAQ http://bobthepleo.com/forums/index.php?topic=2315.0

A thread on the differences/similarities http://bobthepleo.com/forums/index.php?topic=2724.0

[Crewella]

Personally, I really cannot decide I'm afraid - it kind of depends what you want from them.

The Pleo RBs are more interactive and do more in the way of tricks, but I tend to like to leave mine to wander around the house and the Ugobes will wander further.  You can buy a Ugobe for $100-150 these days, or less, it's often a good place to start.

[Alanae]

If you buy a Ugobe version to start with is it better to buy a new one or a used one?  I was wondering about changing names and the fact they they already hatched and can't be reset from what i hear.  Any thoughts?  Although I am starting to think I "might" need a Ugobe AND and rb .. *wonders if hubby can be talked into it*

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Remember a Ugobe and a RB can't communicate. But if I were getting a Ugobe I'd go for new, especially as it is your first.

[Alanae]

Is there anywhere other than ebay to purchase one?  I know the RB blue/pink ones that were sold overseas aren't being sold anymore and I'll be stuck with a green one through pleoworld if I go with an RB.  But for a Ugobe model is there anywhere to purchase one with people you trust?  I have looked on ebay and even some of the older Ugobe's are going for $350+ why in the WORLD would I pay that when for a $100 more I can get the newer RB?  I simply don't understand people sometimes

[Crewella]

Ugobe's don't have voice recognition so you can call them what you like!

There is a way to reset them, and you can downgrade/upgrade.  The latest OS2 upgrade also goes through a short 'hatching' process anyway.

If you're not sure, and you want to introduce a Pleo to your children, a Ugobe is a good place to start.  As all Ugobe's are now out of warranty, it's really down to how carefully you want to buy and how much you want to spend.  As with all things a used model may or may not have been well looked after.  TBH, I doubt you'll be able to resist a Pleo RB once you've owned a Ugobe, but I'm biased!

Happy hunting!

[InmemoryofRomeo]

The pink and blues can now be purchased through Pleoworld, BUT they are not yet up on the official site and you need to contact support to order.

Pleoworld confirmed this on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/PLEOrb

Cheap, new Ugobe http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-Ugobe-Pleo-FREE-Shipment-Extra-Battery-/220919279015?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336fd0ada7 several members have purchased from this seller.

[Alanae]

Thank you for all your help you have definitely given me ALOT to think about!  My poor husband is going to be home in 45min or so and I think I want to make sure there is a nice dinner on the table waiting for him before I hit him with all this tonight  Mostly I think he has agreed to my purchase just so that I'll leave him alone, but heck I'll take what I can get!

[Crewella]

As IMR says, but I don't think you can buy a Ugobe from many, if any, places these days apart from eBay.