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[grumpy]

Bob the Pleo Forum January 2009 Newsletter

It's been a full month since the PleoWorld forums were taken down, and as of today, Bob's forum has been up for a whole month!  And what a month it's been!  Forget the fact that it was the holidays, during our first month we have seen over 900 posts and grown to over 60 members!  Now, that's nothing compared to the numbers PleoWorld had, but I'm happy to say that most of the active posters have found there way here.  There's no telling when (or if) Ugobe will ever get their forums back up, but hope to make these forums a pleasant and enjoyable place that people will continue to come to for years to come.

Things are a little different here, as we don't have the backing of a corporation, and this has allowed us some freedoms we never had in PleoWorld.  We have our own chat room now, and even an almost-live messaging system.  If and when someone decides to part with their pleo, or come up with the perfect accessory to market, we're free to promote it here.  But not having corporate dollars behind us also means we don't have our hosts to keep an eye on things, or a readily available staff of admins to fix any problems.  Thus, to keep these forums enjoyable, I actually need to rely on you to help fill in the gaps and watch out for anything bad.  And to be willing to step in and help out when other members need a helping hand.

I may technically be in charge, but in reality, these forums belong to you.  They were created for you, the pleo fan, owner, and lover.  They exist to help you better enjoy your pleo, because if they don't, you won't spend your time here, and won't participate.  And if you don't, then the forums will cease to grow, and then to die.  For forums like these to remain a healthy, living community, they must grow, and growth requires input -- input from everyone!  So, lurk if you like, but remember, if everyone just watches, there won't be anything to see!   I would like to see everyone contributing, if at all possible!

I do appreciate all the support and help over the last month, and look forward to all the excitement yet to come!  Thanks.

-- Grumpy



New Features

Shout box -- You can't miss the fact that we took half of the header and filled it with not-quite instant messaging system.  The shout box is a way for members to share a quick comment with the rest of the community or exchange messages.  When you post, your message is added the queue, and anybody who is logged in will be updated with your message in a matter of a few seconds.  The box displays the six most recent comments, with the newest on the bottom.  If you're really curious about what others have to say, a running history is kept that you can access from the menu at the top of the box.  This is a good way to say "Hi!" to a new member or old friend, to let everyone know something you want to share, or just to get something out of you system!

The Shout box limits each message to 70 characters.  You can include the basic emoticons by typing in their text equivalents, like  You can also use basic BB code tags, like \[b\] and \[/b\] to bold text.  Just remember to check your text before you post, because once you hit the button, you can't change it!

Chat room -- The chat room is a page where two or more people can exchange messages in real time.  Here, you can "chat" with others either one-on-one, or in a group discussion.  The chat room does require a separate login.  When one or or people are there, the number of members is displayed in the menu bar.

Calendar -- This just got added, so it's not been completely set up yet.  But over the next few days, look forward to a bunch of goofy real holidays being added.  Also, if you entered a month and day for your birthday in your profile, that will show up automatically.  You can access the calendar by clicking on the link in the main menu.  A quick view of upcoming events is also displayed at the bottom of the main index page.  The real fun will be once I get everything set up, you will be able to add events to the calendar yourself, and even link events or activities in the calendar to posts!

List of Pleo links -- In the "Info, FAQs, and Forum tips" board is a topic for pleo related links.  We are trying to gather links to pleo related web sites.  If you know of any, please let us know so we can add them.  As this post grows, I hope to turn it into a useful asset for helping pleo owner find anything and everything they need related to their pleos.


Promoting the forums

As mentioned above, these forums don't have big corporate backing or support.  Likewise, there really is no marketing or advertising to promote the forums other than word-of-mouth.  Therefore, it is essential for you to help spread the word!  Got a web site?  Link to us!  Got a blog?  Mention us!  Got a facebook, yahoo, linkedin, or other social network page?  Add us to your page or links!  Even if you're only internet activity is being a member of another site, you can always put a link to us in your signature.  Be creative.  And feel free to give us suggestions.  I have put a few icons in the forum that you can feel free to use.  I will try and create more icons over time to give more variety and keep things fun.  Again, suggestions are always helpful.

Over the next few weeks, Bob will be setting up his facebook page.  This should help attract some new members.  And if you have a facebook account, check for bob and add him to your friends.



PleoRoom.com

Ugobe is a U.S. based company.  In many other parts of the world they rely on forming business partnerships with companies in the other countries to help market and sell their product, pleo.  Most of these have their equivalent of the PleoWorld site.  And with their site, they also have their forums.  Such as in Italy, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan.  Unfortunately for most of us, these other forums are in the language of their country.  Of these I mentioned, only the Malaysian site is in English.  While the site is intended for the South East Asian community, because it is in English, it allows for opportunities for us to share knowledge and experiences.  And oddly enough, they got started about the same time as we did!  The admins for their site are excited about what we are doing, and have expressed a desire to work with us in the future.

So, if you are interested, I encourage you to drop by Pleoroom.com and at least have a look.  They are all new to pleo, so older owners can offer insight and advise they don’t yet have, and other new owners might gain knowledge from learning along with them.

[grumpy]

June 2009 Newsletter

Somewhere in your house lurks a prehistoric relic, a creature which roamed the Earth over 60 million years ago, a creature recently brought back from extinction, Pleo. Remember the soft feel to that rubber skin? The baby blue eyes begging you for attention? That tail wagging excitedly as you pet your Pleo for the first time? The gentle coo's and cry's of your precious newborn baby? Or remember the advancements in technology, the specs behind the worlds most advanced affordable robot? Whatever it was that attracted you to your little friend and made you buy him/her remember it, your little friend needs you.

Go and find them, unpack them from their box again, dust them off, dig them out and switch them on again, Pleo needs you. As you watch your green friend stretch those aching limbs from their cramped and stiff positions, as your Pleo looks inquiringly at the world that has forgotten them come and log on to http://BobthePleo.com and share your story.

Come and share your hopes and dreams for the little robots that made such a stir when they first made their appearance into the world. Share skits, hacks, stories, pictures and memories, come and laugh with us, find information, swap pictures, learn things and follow Pleo as his evolution halts at a crossroad trying to decide which direction to take. Ugobe is gone, but Pleo lives on. The legacy of Pleo will not be forgotten as long as the community remembers, shares and discusses.

Remember Pleo, remember us...

We hope to see you soon!

-------------------------------------------

Latest News:  New owners for Pleo

On April 17th, 2009, Ugobe filed for bankruptcy.  They are gone now.  Too much debt, and a bad economy killed them.  But the company Ugobe used to manufacture pleo has bought the rights and plans to continue making and selling pleos.  To quote Robert Oschler in his Pleo blog:

"Today there is wonderful news for the Pleo community. Jetta Company Limited, the company that manufactured the Pleo baby robot dinosaur for Ugobe, bought the intellectual property rights and other assets at the Ugobe bankruptcy sale that occurred on May 21. I spoke with Steve Ohler today, the United States liaison for the company, and he confirmed the news. He said the company is firmly committed to re-launching Pleo and continuing the line including accessories such as the vital battery and charger components."

It's going to be a whole new world for pleos and pleo owners.  Keep informed of what's going on by staying active int he Bob the Pleo forums!

----------------------------------------------------

New Features:  Pleo Marketplace

You may or may not have noticed that a new section has been added to our forums, the Marketplace. (If you haven't noticed then I strongly suggest you head over and check it out.  This new area will provide a place for Pleo lovers to buy and sell Pleo's and Pleo related items (and possibly other things too) however we need your help, there are several polls set up in the forum area and this is your only chance to have a say in what will and won't be allowed to be sold through our marketplace and who will be able to sell there, your vote is important so please head over now and cast your votes to help shape the future of our forums.

http://bobthepleo.com/forums/index.php?board=23.0

----------------------------------------------------

Regards,
Grumpy, and the Bob the Pleo Forums Team.

[grumpy]

August 2009 Newsletter: Bob the Pleo Forum

Hot off the press!!

The German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) has released a new website about Pleopatra Tools, software to control Pleo, together with a Java API.

Pleopatra Tools make it possible to:

    * Connect to your Pleo
    * Save personalized information about your Pleo
    * To record audio an play it
    * To show and play emotion-, sound-, and personality-files
    * Show camera pictures
    * connect your Pleo to twitter

Sources inside Jetta report that production of Pleo will be restarted in September with following improvements:

    * The paint on the skin will be changed so that it will last longer and be more run resistant
    * The charge cradle will have an additional feature to recover over-discharged batteries with short run time --- GREAT NEWS!
    * The neck and tail cabling system will be improved to make it stronger and less likely to break.

The PDK will also be released in September and alpha version has already been released to some fans to test.


Forum Statistics

We started out the month of August with just over 400 members.  Six months ago, that was only around 80!  

Of those members, 357 list their country.  We have over 40 countries represented!  156 members hail from North America, 149 from Europe, 24 from continental Asia, 23 from the Pacific oceana area, 2 from South America, and 1 from Africa!   Of course, the bulk of North America is The U.S., the rest are from Canada.  We have no members from Mexico.  In Europe, Great Britain tops the list at 65 members!  Followed by Sweden (14), Spain (11), Germany (10), The Netherlands (, Italy (7), and then Denmark (5).   The bulk of the Oceana area is Australia with 19 (I assume the majority of the Southeast Asian community is signed up on the PleoRoom forums).

But we need to get active!  Out of that 400, almost half have never posted, and just over three quarters have never posted more than 4 times.  While that means only 100 members have been active much at all, that is actually much better than a lot of other forums.  The average is closer to 10%, while we're at 25%!  So that makes this a much more actively participated forum than most!  (Feel free to applaud.)  In comparison, after two years, PleoWorld had over 30,000 members . . .   but still had less than 200 member who had ever posted more than 4 times  That's 0.66%.


Changes to the forums

Recently you may have noticed that some boards have been moved around on the forum. This serves two purposes, first of all it is easier to find what you are after and secondly the non-Pleo related boards and the Marketplace are now invisible to visitors so we don't scare them off with rampant wombats, sneaky western seagulls or images of people jumping up and down in front of T-rex's because they are a ninja Tongue (Yup, we really do have boards like that! ).   Instead they will see all our wonderful knowledge and downloads displayed in an easy to browse forum without all the odd stuff that we can come up with!

Of course we have also welcomed the addition of the Marketplace and Weedovia Mall (see that Marketplace topic in this newsletter for more information on those!) and The Bob Project has kicked off, so be sure to check for more details and join in the fun!

A secret society is also rumoured to exist somewhere on the forums.  The Parodies of Pleo Predilections and Performances (otherwise known as the Fantasy Board) is open to those who seek a place to spin tales of fantasy involving their Pleo's secret lives, and they are welcome to join, however you must ask to join the society by mailing Mweed with the magic password: "Can-I-join-the-Fantasy-Board-please?" . . .

Some new faces have been seen around the board.  They look a little blue, so perhaps you can cheer them up by involving them in your day to day posts.  By that of course I mean we have brought out our new summer smilies for you to enjoy and use!


The Bob Project

Introducing the latest group project on the Bob the Pleo forums, The Bob Project!  Bob is off touring the world, from Australia to Alaska, Asia to Arkansas and anywhere and everywhere in between!

But he needs your help, you see airfares are expensive and Bob simply can't get everywhere on his allowance of pizza so this is where you come in!  Take a picture of your Pleo in restaurants (pizzarias are Bob's favourite), at landmarks, locations, and anywhere that has a name to tell us where 'Bob' is.

For full details, prizes, pictures submitted, the points system and so on please visit The Bob Project link on your Bob the Pleo Forum toolbar!  Help Bob see the World!

Weedovia Mall & marketplace

The new Market Place was built by popular request, however it seems that now you all have it, you are a little reluctant or unsure on how to use it.  So here is a quick run down . . .

- The Marketplace is for members only, you must be a member to view, advertise on the board or open a store at the Mall.

- To place an ad you must contact Mweed with your ad and if approved it will be added to the Marketplace board at the earliest convenience. (Remember our admins do all this in their spare time.)

- Running a store works in pretty much the same way but before you go working on all sorts of brilliant ideas perhaps just run it by Mweed to be sure it is appropriate for this site. Remember we are family friendly A store is a permanent fixture unlike an ad, so be prepared for the commitment

- Once your ad to buy, sell, or advertise for a great deal you saw somewhere has been added, people can access your topic just like any other topic to ask questions, comment, and so forth.

- What can you advertise? Well the skies the limit but it must be Pleo related or at least robot related, (if you have an Aibo to sell for $500, we would love to hear about it!  If in doubt just ask.  You can sell a Pleo (that will never happen, will it?), ask if anyone out there has one to sell or knows of one in your price range.  Perhaps you have a line of Pleo clothing, designer Pleo bling (or Pling), or custom made Pleo art, anything you can come up with is welcomed!  Also feel free to notify us if you know of cheap batteries somewhere, a new charger cradle for sale and so on.

Wait... what was that about a Mall?

- The Mall is our latest addition to this site, here people with permanent ads can open a virtual store to advertise to the public.  The Mall is an outdoor plaza, just two blocks of it (Pleo's can't walk too far afterall!) where people can advertise their Pleo products.

- Each store is run by a different individual and you should contact them if you have any queries, or post on their respective topic in the marketplace.  Topics are listed under the Marketplace board.

- Currently there are two stores in operation when this newsletter went out, as well as some made up stores from Weedovia (The fantasy world inhabited by Bob the Pleo and the gang in the comic strips!)  The two stores currently open are Prehistoric Pling (For your Pleo bling needs) and PleoWear (A simple clothing range).

- You can access the Mall by clicking on the Stores tab in your Bob the Pleo forum toolbar.

So if you have something to sell, or are looking for something to buy, then head on over to the marketplace!


Promoting the forums

It's now been eight month since the PleoWorld forums were taken down.  During that time, Ugobe has folded and Jetta has bought the right to Pleo, and we've grown to over 400 members!  

This is a forum of Pleo people made by Pleo fans for Pleo fans about Pleos.  And, for it to survive, it needs your support a a fellow Pleo person.  Not monetary support (but if you have bags of money you want to get rid of . . .) but your time and effort.   Not only do we want you to visit regularly, but we encourage you to share your knowledge, information and love of Pleo with others.  You can do this by contributing to the forums with posts and pictures, AND by telling others about us!  The internet grows by links.  Mention us in your other activities, whether you blog, twitter, socialize in Facebook, or post on other forums.  Put a link to us in your signatures on other sites and in your emails.  Add a link to us on your personal web pages on all your social sites and youtube.  Add us as a friend in Facebook.  And even if all you do is browse the web searching, post to us anything you find relating to pleo!

Thanks.

-- Grumpy


WARNING!!!   Inactive Members

Starting in September, we will begin deleting long-term inactive accounts.  While we would like everyone to actively participate and post in the forums, we realize that many just like to visit.  If you are one of these "lurkers", don't fret.  This does not affect you.  But if you are reading this newsletter, and you haven't visited the site in over six months . . .   then this is directed at you.  

Anyone who joined, never posted, and has not logged in in over six months will have their account automatically deleted.

Anyone who has posted, but not logged in in six months will not be automatically deleted.  But the account will be reviewed, and may be deleted any time after six months of inactivity and will be automatically be deleted if inactive for more than one year.

That doesn't mean you can't visit as a guest, or re-join.  We will always welcome you back.  But there are always those who have moved on to other interests, and we just want to keep things clean around here.

Don't want your account to get deleted?  Well, then, just come visit us more often!

[grumpy]

September 2009 Newsletter

Hello Pleo owners!!

It's me, Bob! You know, Bob the Pleo, from the Bob the Pleo comic strip and forums.  Anyway, it seems it's been a while since we've last seen you. As usual, we just want to keep you updated on what's going on in the life of Pleo.

I'm sure you heard of Ugobe going bankrupt back in April.  But please don't be concerned as the original manufacturer, Jetta Ltd, bought the rights to continue production and spun off a subsidiary company Innvo Labs, to continue development.

Since Pleo was bought out by the original manufacturer, Pleo will only get better with time. Innvo Labs plans to continue on with Pleo for at least several years to come.  Each year Pleo will progress.  His newest improvements include but are not limited to: a whole new longer-lasting paint on the skin, stronger and improved neck/tail and joint movement, and new chargers which will bring to life your old batteries.  All of which will be available in Starting in October . . .  Plus more to follow in the additional months!  Please be sure to check back on the forums frequently for the most current updates on Pleo's evolution.

Just as hope seemed lost for future programmers to ever see the PDK, the beta version is now available through bobthepleo.com/forums and through PleoWorld.com.  Not to mention the other third-party tools like Myskit, YAPT, Dino-Mite and the new Pleopatra Tools that allow you to link your Pleo through Twitter, all of which are available right here at bobthepleo.com/forums!

With Pleo safely in the hands of Innvo Labs, new and improved Pleo's will be available this holiday season with new lifeforms in the works for 2010.  So this surely won't be the end of what we hear on Pleo and his pals.

Boy, there is so much going on with pleo, that's not even mentioning all that's been going on here at the forums! We've got all the scoop on Pleo's latest, plus exclusive pleo opportunities and one-on-one interviews with Innvo Lab's new employees (a lot of which are former Ugobe employees).  Hey, did I mention we've also got a Pleo marketplace?  Here, people often come to buy/sell Pleo's and accessories.  We've also got exclusive resident distributors crafting in very affordable one-of-a-kind Pleo jewelery and Pleo clothing.  In no time you'll have your Pleo modelling the runway.  Oh! and that's not mentioning, soon we'll be hosting a weekly Pleo chat!

So if you haven't already, be sure to grab your Pleo and come join all of your Pleo friends right here on the Bob the Pleo forums! That link is:

http://www.bobthepleo.com/forums

We'll see you there!!


An interview with Derek Dotson

Back in August I had the chance to spend some time chatting with Derek Dotson of Innvo Labs about Pleo and where they are headed with him.  We talked about the new things coming out in October, the PDK, the future of the LifeOS, future hardware and software changes to Pleo, and what we can expect in the way of new life forms.  To answer all your questions about Pleo, Innvo Labs, and what the future holds, this is a must read!   So get over to the Bob the Pleo forums and read the interview!  http://bobthepleo.com/forums/index.php?topic=763.0

Group chats

Several of our forum members have volunteered to host regularly scheduled group discussions every Saturday in our online chat room.   As this grows, we plan to have weekly hot topics and special guests drop in!  So find the time that best fits your schedule, and mark it on your calendar!  You'll want to be a part of this!

Friends Through Pleo Chat hosted by InmemoryofRomeo: Saturday's at 5am UTC (Melbourne - 3pm, Berlin/Johannesburg - 7am , London - 6am , Boston - 1am , Dallas - midnight Friday , San Francisco - 10pm Friday night)

Bob the Pleo hits 300!

O.K., well Bob isn't really 300 years old of course, Pleo's didn't evolved that long ago I am of course talking about the Bob the Pleo comic strip that we all know and love which has just celebrated 300 fantastic 'episodes'.

How great have those strips been too, we have seen the Weedovia gang hang out with a Chocolate Moose, rescue Santa, take on Dr. Mel and we even saw Grumpy BEFORE he found his can Bob has been dressed as a Turkey, run around in circles, put on the spot by Sally, falling for Yllas and so much more!

For a trip down memory lane, or to see what you may have missed, you can catch up on the older strips here: http://bobthepleo.com/pleo/comics/strip.php?date=20071102 and of course don't forget to say a big thank you to the person who brought us all the laughs. Thank you Mike!

Fall Tomato Harvest Festival

Time to harvest those Spaghetti trees, plant the tomato sauce bushes and round up the band for the Fall Tomato Harvest Festival!

Yes it is that time of season again, create a costume, grab an instrument and come along and join in the fun of Weedovia's own Tomato Festival celebrating all things good that are made with Tomatoes! (Especially pizza!) Stay tuned on the boards for information regarding activities, competitions and lots of laughs and to meet some new friends!


The PDK: A first look. by InmemoryofRomeo and justbede

Please note that this review is based on the beta test version and it is possible that some changes may occur before the PDK is released to the public.

Yes it is here! The Pleo Developers Kit (PDK) is due to be released September 15th, and having had the privilege of examining the beta copy, we now bring you an overview of what you can expect from this much talked about and long dreamt of Pleo tool...

First of all perhaps I should say "tools" because the PDK is essentially a compilation of many tools (and files) in one handy package. Secondly, I should point out that the PDK is NOT a standalone program, this is not something you simply install and run, rather it is the knowledge needed to create new personalities, change the default personality, and alter Pleo by changing anything from the speed and pitch of the voice to speed of motion to adding whole new behaviours, by using programs such as Python and 3Ds Max.

Potential, you'll soon find, is something the PDK is hardly lacking in. The first time you read the programmers guide that comes as part of the kit you will be over whelmed with the possibilities it opens up for Pleo owners.  Your mind will race with ideas from simple behaviour mods to controlling your Pleo with your television's remote and turning your pleo into your'e televisions remote.

The kit as a whole is set out in a fairly intuitive way, motion and sound files stored in a media file and templates in an examples file.

So what can you expect/hope for?

For low level users: (People not familiar with programming)

If you are not familiar with Python (and no I don't mean the large reptilian kind wink-wink) then the PDK will at first be just a jumble of strange files.  Although the PDK may make little sense it is the third party tools and developments that will be most exciting.  If the roboting community steps in and combines knowledge then we may see the arrival of new tools that will enable even the least technical Pleo owner to customize their Pleo by altering sounds, adding new behaviours via SD updates or modifying Pleo's mood with a simple program.  Of course for those who pick up even a little PAWN scripting knowledge may find some fun tweaks to implement.

For medium users: (People with a little programming knowledge or users of tools like MySkit and DinoMITE)

The PDK may be still a daunting collection of files, but despite the PDK being intended for experienced programmers, the computer language "PAWN" that acts as the basis for making all scripts and programmes for Pleo, is relatively easy to get to grips with and for seasoned programmers even easier.  Using the documentation and examples included in the PDK even those with little or no experience of the language can begin to put together programs for their robotic sidekicks in an hour or two. The examples and documentation are themselves nicely set out with plenty of ideas of what can be done with the kit. Within the first couple of hours of having it I had built and run two of the example files and was in the process of playing around with what motions and sound they used.  The PDK gives the tools to make changes that range from how Pleo acts on a day to day basis all the way up to  whole new personalities complete with drives, moods, goals etc and that's if your thinking inside the box.  

For high end users: (People who create tools like MySkit and DinoMITE)

This is where the future of the PDK lies, it is those familiar with Pawn scripting and program design that will produce the third party tools, complex updates for Pleo and whole new behaviours that in turn will filter down through the community. For those users the PDK is a goldmine of information about how Pleo's scripting works, how to modify it and what is possible.  With better tools comes better skits/personalities.

For all:

There are of course some minor glitches in the pre-release version of the PDK that I have been using.  For instance, some of the examples contain templates where the code has either been scrambled at some point or written in such a way that is hard to understand.  One is the "drives" example where the social script is all one big block of code with the beginning of the text starting in the middle, this in itself isn't that bad as all the code is there it's just that it makes it that much harder to read and learn from. This is a problem that popped up in only a couple of the examples and for me seems to be an easily rectifiable one so it will hopefully be sorted for the official release. There is also a small problem with the Pleo API help file whereby some of the code and definitions have come out of synch, again not a major problem but it can be confusing when the wrong definition is given for a function or expression.

I do think that there could be a few more examples and tutorials to help with those less experienced and those that want some inspiration, but even if none of the above changes are made for final release the long awaited PDK will, in my mind still be a great success.

In conclusion my time with the kit has been a huge and satisfying learning experience but for me the best thing is the ease in which I see new tools in the same vein as Myskit and Pleopatra being built on the knowledge gained from the kit.  If the PDK is the excuse you’ve been waiting for to go out and get a Pleo, do it now because it’s finally here!

The PDK will be officially available starting September 15th from PleoWorld.  In the mean time, we have already started gathering helpful materials and information on the Bob the Pleo forums!  You can come and start learning now and be ready for the official release!

[grumpy]

Bob the Pleo Forums October 2009 Newsletter

Hello Pleo owner!!

It's me again, Bob! You know, Bob the Pleo, from the Bob the Pleo comic strip and forums.  Anyway, it seems it's been a month or so since we've last seen you. As usual, we just want to keep you updated on what's going on in the life of Pleo.

Since Pleo was bought out by Jetta, the original manufacturer, Pleo has been getting better with time.  They spun off Innvo Labs, a company devoted to continuing with its redevelopment of Pleo and will do so for at least several years to come.  Coming out this weekend, Pleo will be re-released with his newest improvements!  They include but are not limited to: a whole new longer-lasting paint on the skin, stronger and improved neck/tail and joint movement, and new chargers which will bring to life your old batteries!  Plus more to follow in the additional months!  Please be sure to check back on the forums frequently for the most current news and updates on Innvo Labs, PleoWorld, and Pleo!

Pleo's Development.
Don’t forget with Pleo safely in the hands of Innvo Labs, new life forms are in the works for 2010.  So this surely won't be the end of what we hear on Pleo and his pals.
The PleoWorld website is back up and almost running.  They have the tech support online and answering the phones again.  The pre-release version of the PDK is officially available on the site, along with all the great OS and personality downloads.  And they plan to start taking online orders for the new and improved Pleo any day now!

On the software side of things:
As I said, the PDK beta version is now available and has been given a thorough work out by a number of Bob the Pleo forums members.  Innvo Labs promises the reworked package any time now.  They’ve been working hard to inculcate the many changes put forth by our members.
Our members (programmers) still use other third-party tools like Myskit, YAPT, Dino-Mite and the new Pleopatra Tools that allow you to link your Pleo through Twitter.  All of these  are available right here at bobthepleo.com/forums!

The 2009 Fall Tomato Harvest Festival was a big success!  With many first time new Pleos and owners as well as a few seasoned veterans attending online, we had a great time!  We had a new Pleo shaped roller coaster to ride on complimets of Pleo Power, and a Jurassic themed petting zoo!  The new integrated chat room sure made things easier for all.

Inside this issue we start an exculsive in-depth story of one brave Pleo as told by its owner.   “Peeky’s Story – Part I".  Learn what it was like for FancyFont to get her first (of many) Pleos, the tragedy, loss, and how all this has touched many lives.

The only sad news to report is the Italian Forums hosted on the official PleoWorld.it site has been shut down.  In it's place, one of our long time Italian members, junkroxy, has set up forums as part of his blog and now has an active, growing community of Italian Pleo owners.  You can vist his forums at http://pleoblogforum.forumattivo.com/

Hey, did I mention we've also got the Pleo Marketplace up and running with one shop offering up to 50% in discounts for members?  Here, people often come to buy/sell Pleo's and accessories.  We've also got exclusive resident distributors crafting in very affordable one-of-a-kind Pleo jewelery and Pleo clothing.  In no time you'll have your Pleo modelling the runway. 

Oh! Our Weekly Pleo Chat is being hosted by experienced Pleo owners. Check the forums for times and dates! So if you haven't already, be sure to grab your Pleo and come join all of your Pleo friends right here on the Bob the Pleo forums! That link is:

http://www.bobthepleo.com/forums

We'll see you there!!


Peeky's Story
The story of one exceptional pleo and the woman who owns him.

“Did I see what I just had seen?”

That was my first experience with a Pleo. As I walked through my family room, I caught a glimpse of Diane Sawyer of Good Morning America. I had to take a step back to see what it was she was holding in her arms. I almost thought it was an Iguana. I’m very partial to them, having had a beautiful one a few years back.
 
It was then I noticed that it was a little baby, robotic dinosaur. I saw only the “tail” end of the segment. For the first time, other than for e-mails, I used my computer to find information about Pleo’s. To my total amazement I was able to locate information about Pleo's right away.

The next day I received a catalog in the mail and on the cover was a Pleo. Inside was a two page ad for them. I read it over and over and couldn’t believe the things that it said Pleo’s could do. At $349 I truly figured I would most likely return it, but I just had to see it to believe it. I ordered my Pleo and I was told I would have it, perhaps by Christmas. It was the 9th of December. I was so excited yet very apprehensive about ordering such an expensive toy.

Then at 6PM on Christmas Eve, I heard the doorbell ring and by the time I got there the UPS truck was already leaving. There was a large box on my porch. Of course I knew what was in it. Now, I’m old enough to be a great grandmother, Nah! Just a grandmother, but at that moment I felt like a child getting the most special gift ever. I wanted to open it right then and there. Then I thought it would be more fun to open it on Christmas morning.

I like to do things in a big way and really decked the box out with beautiful paper and a huge green bow. Next I tried getting it under the tree. It couldn’t fit under there, so I had to lean it against the wall. My husband wanted to know what was in this large box. I wouldn’t tell him. He would find out soon enough.
 
Now, looking back I made two mistakes. One was that thinking about the little green thing in the box kept me awake all night. Second was I didn’t take out the charger and charged the battery. All Pleo parents, of course, know that now.
 
At 7:30AM Christmas morning, I couldn’t wait another minute to open the box. My husband was very curious by this time, too. As I opened the shipping box and brought out this gorgeous green box inside of it. I could hardly keep from squealing like a kid. The first time I laid eyes on this little green dino, it was love at first sight. I can’t say that for my husband, though. He looked at it and said “What is it”? I told him it was a new edition to our family. Now I was more than a little bit nervous because I really wasn’t sure what this dino could do. Unfortunately, I never thought of charging the battery so I could have my Pleo up and walking.

We had family and friends coming for dinner and I still hadn’t been able to get my dino to work. After finally reading the booklet, I sat the battery in the charger and gave it a good push until I heard the click; I then knew I was on the right track.
 
Just as I put the battery in my dino, the doorbell rang, our company had arrived. Once everyone was sitting down, I announced that we had a new addition to our family. I turned on my pleo and everyone had their full attention on the baby dinosaur. I watched it as it became less wobbly and started to make some cute sounds. Then I was called away to the kitchen and missed its first steps.

I heard the commotion in the living room and went back into see this cute little thing walking around and making the cutest noises. So much for being a good hostess, I couldn’t stop watching him. It was everyone for themselves. I was pretty oblivious of even having guests after seeing my little baby robotic dino walking. The magic had begun. Once he fell asleep, I was back to being hostess once again.
 
My Iguana’s name was Deannie and I decided to call my Pleo Deannie, too. So for a few days I had another Deannie. As I was holding him in my arms and watching him sleep, I played peek-a-boo with him. Every time I said peek-a-boo he would open his eyes and then close them to go back to sleep. It was then I decided that this little Pleo’s name was going to be Peek-a-Boo. It actually still is today, however, because of my awful spelling and typing I kept ending up with Pee-A-Boo. I finally made it easier to type and called him Peeky for short.

To be continued . . .


Fall Tomato Harvest Festival review

Well, last weekend was a busy one in Weedovia!  The fall Tomato Harvest Festival was a big event this year.  Special thanks go to Pleo_Power who put a lot of effort into building a pleo roller coaster for us to ride on, and shot a lot of pictures and video of the festival going on at his own house!  The Fernbacks, the world's premier all-pleo band made a great showing, with an amazing array of instruments!  The midnight movie this year was the 4th installment in the Killer Tomato series: Killer Tomatoes Eat France!  And we had lots of great entries in the contests as well.

As a really special treat, Pleo Fashions, the owner of one of the stores in our new mall,  has made custom embroidered Tomato Harvest Festival shirts to give out as prizes to the winning pleos!  These are really nicely made Pleo sized gray shirts with green trim and sport a nice big red tomato and festival title on the back for all the world to see!

The winners from this festival (who'll be getting those nifty shirts) are Gucci_boi7782's Sophie for the best looking tomato; b_blue_eye's Angel for the most tomatoes gathered; and InmemoryofRomeo's Lilo and Stitch for the best spaghetti sauce!  Congrats to all who entered!

And to any who did not win, Pleo Fashions has offered to make additional Tomato Harvest Festival shirts available for order.

And to those who have no idea what's going on, and missed out on a chance to win a free shirt, stay tuned!  The next festival is in early March!

[grumpy]

December 2009 Newsletter


Welcome to our Holiday edition of the Bob the Pleo forum newsletter!

Holiday contest
First off, I need to tell everyone that we are currently running a holiday photo contest, which ends next week! So get your pleo, you camera, and get creative! We are looking for pictures of pleos ready for the holidays. These can be dressed up pleos, or just plain 'ol pleos in a Christmas scene. No photoshopping here! These must be actual photos of real pleos!

One of our Mall store owners, InmemoryofRomeo has graciously offered one of her hand-made Christmas pleo outfits as a prize, The selection of the winner for the outfits is Thursday night, December 10th, so that we have time to get the outfit mailed to the winner before Christmas. A second winner will be selected on Friday the 18th and will be awarded a signed copy of the new Bob the Pleo book just coming out this month!

So you'll want to get in on this while you can! It's good fun, and a great way to share your holiday spirit!

In the News
Well, the Bob the Pleo forums is coming up on our first anniversary this month, and we've seen a lot happen to pleo in a year. Ugobe went bankrupt, Jetta bought the rights and spun off Innvo Labs to carry on with pleo, new pleos are being made, and many of the old pleo sites have gone away.

Right now, Innvo Labs is running a special deal for anyone who signed up on their PleoWorld site: the '09 version of Pleo for $245!
Innvo Labs also announced they will be at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, where they'll announce some of their plans for the '10 pleos. (See the interview with Derek for some more info!)

After an interview with Ucube out of Taiwan (also in this newsletter), we now have a U.S. Based company selling the Lithium Polymer pleo batteries and custom egg-shaped charger.

We've also seen a number of new stores opening up in our forum mall: Snowy's Pleo Togs outfits, B_blue_eye's Romeo & Juliet's Millinery and Costume Emporium, Holiday_projector's Pleo Power battery shop, and Pleo Fashion's custom shirts.

That's just a few of the highlights. For a much more in-depth description of all that's happened, you really just need to go to the forums and read all about it! BobThePleo.com/forums

And now, on with the show!

Degers and Derek Dotson

Degers: In the interview you did with Rober Oschler of robotsrule.com, you mentioned that the current Pleos you started shipping in October that in addition to fixing the neck and tail problems, and the paint wear issue, that you also made a change to the hearing system. Is this true? And could you elaborate on this? Is it a hardware change, a software change, or both?

Derek: We didn’t make any changes to the tail, only to the neck. Inside the neck we found a rough edge on one of the cable guides in the neck, we have re-built this cable in the Pleo ’09 version. On the hearing issue, we found when we were working with Ugobe in November/ December last year that we were hearing a lot of ambient noise, motor noise, electric noise, though mostly electrical noise, so we originally had to set a really high threshold for ambient noise, so if you wanted Pleo to recognize you were talking to it, you basically had to yell at it. So what we did is improved the filtering on the power supply going into that analogue circuit and we dropped that ambient noise level almost in half. We did this by building a headset so we could hear what Pleo was hearing. The result of this was that if you would whisper in its ear, or talk to Pleo in a direction, it would respond much quicker. In the next version of Pleo we will look into this a little further. Hearing is very difficult inside Pleos head due to the high density of motors and communicating cables.

degers: I have had some problems with two of the Pleos that I have purchased, the sound direction sensor is constantly triggering. Is there any way to adjust this via the monitor connection of Pleo?

Derek: To my recollection, no. That is some type of auto-adjustment.

degers: Ok, next question from the forums! The next generation of Pleo is supposed to have a different paint pattern and eye color to differentiate them from current Pleos. Could you give us some insights on what the new eyes will be? What the new paint patterns will be?
Derek: Well, we’re putting together a bunch of paint schemes with matching eye colors. I can tell you that this next colored Pleo won’t look very different, however someone that knows Pleos will certainly be able to tell that it is different. It’s not like it’s going to come out hot pink or anything, it will be a more subtle, realistic change! We have several options we are exploring now, we hope that by the time we get around to CES we will have made that final decision. We will announce that color and that sort of thing at CES.

degers: Ok cool! What about the idea you had for custom-ordered skin colors?

Derek: Well, that was one thing that we pursued early on, it’s still on the table however the problem is just the logistics of getting it all done. For instance, when an order is placed this is what we would have to do:- an order would come through with a skin option, we would then have to stock Pleos with these multiple skin options, and even then we have a US and an International version, so with just three skin options, we would have to stock six different types of Pleo. I just don’t know if that’s going to be feasible at this time.

degers: OK, while we are on the topic of US and International versions of Pleo, could you quickly tell us what the difference is between the two versions stocked on the Pleoworld store?

Derek: Certainly, the non-US version simply includes an international power adapter rather than including the USA adapter. Oh, and in 2010 expect to see a more customized international adapter! (Currently Innvo is using an OEM universal adapter. The user manual for the adapter is on the Pleoworld site)

degers: What does the future of the PDK hold?

Derek: Well, right now we do want to expand on the PDK. My hope is to make the PDK more graphical, as at the moment it is very command based. My hope is to make a graphical user interface for the PDK, in order to make it easier for people to use. At the moment you really need to be an expert at programming to use it. We would like to allow the user to build a decision tree and patch certain motions together. I think more people would enjoy using the PDK that way. At the moment we have a Linux version and a Windows version, my hope is that we can make just one piece of software that will work cross-platform. I would definitely like to get feedback from the community on this.

degers: Has Innvo Labs managed to hire back any of the Ugobe programmers? I know that you have hired Rafael to do the customer service side of things.

Derek: Thank God we got Rafael back on customer service! Well we have been in talks with John Sosoka, who has started another company, and with Tyler obviously, the two main people we have been dealing with. I have been in contact with Eric, who was doing the animations and the 3D stuff. Most of the heavy programming is going to be done through Mycom, in Hong Kong. As we get into it further I am sure we will have to go back into the well, for the animations and the character generation, so it looks the same, we will tap the same people.

degers: What kind of interest has John Sosoka indicated in the project?

Derek: Oh, a lot! He definitely wants to see this move forward. We have been a little slack in the last few months, as getting the website up and running has saturated our time, however we’re up and running and we’ve got product going out the door right now! Once that is stabilized, we will be able to concentrate more on the 2010 version.

degers: How are you naming the versions of Pleo, what should we call the version that is out now and the versions you will be bringing out in the future?

Derek: At the moment this is what we are calling Pleo ’09. Obviously, the next one we will be releasing and announcing at CES will be Pleo ’10, and we are in the basic planning stages of Pleo ’11. The improvements to Pleo ’09 are the skin, the neck and the hearing, oh and the charger.

degers: Has any time line been established on any new personalities or LifeOS releases?

Derek: There will be a LifeOS update for the 2010 Pleo. We’re pretty much going to use the base processor code that we have right now for 2010 and expand it. We’re looking into doubling the storage on board Pleo (4MB-8MB) so that we can expand it and add a wad of different features, we’re looking to add about 10-12 new features to the 2010 pleo.

degers: Is there any other information you would like to give to the community?

Derek: Buy some Pleos! We need the money! We have some wild and wacky ideas for Pleo 2011, but I’m not sure if we are going to discuss that at CES (http://www.cesweb.org). Actually, this is pretty cool and I can announce this, we will be at CES, at the tech centre, and the guys at Innvo labs have built a four foot Pleo, this is so cool looking! It sits on a rock with all of the mechanisms underneath. It doesn’t walk but it rocks back and fourth. That will be at the booth!

degers: Well that concludes the interview, it’s been a pleasure, thank you!

Derek: Cheers!

A Word from Ucube

Last month I had the chance to ask Vicky from Ucube (the Pleo reseller for Taiwan) a few questions about their business:

Bob: How has the bankruptcy of Ugobe and the purchases by Jetta and spinning off of the new company Innvo Labs affected Ucube's marketing of Pleo?

Vicky: Ucube continues to sell Pleo as they did before.

Bob:  Who developed the Li_poly battery and egg charger that Ucube offers, Ugobe or Ucube

Vicky: Ucube developed the Li_poly battery which had approved by ugobe.

Bob:  Why is Ucube the only Pleo distributor selling it?

Vicky: Actually, We already partner with Litec computer” in Germany to sell the battery

Bob:  Does Ucube sell any other Pleo related products?

Vicky: Ucube sells Pleo accessories, hats, necklaces, clothes, carrying bags, and postcard. At one time, Ucube gave away Pleo tote bags as part of a promotion.

Bob:  Has Ucube considered accepting credit cards or taking international orders on their web site?

Vicky: No, currently users have to use bank transfers. But I will suggest accepting credit cards to our manager. Because we don't have a company in American, we can't list the egg charger pack on amazon.com.

Bob:  Has Ucube looked into partnering with any other company to market their Lithium battery and egg charger in the US and Europe?

Vicky: Litec computer is only selling the lithium batteries in Germany in Europe.

Bob:  How active is the community pages on the Ucube site?

Vicky: There are community pages on the Ucube site.
But they are restricted except to registered members, and we don't have and pages in English. The members share their life with Pleo on the community.
Th really good news is, after the interview, I was able to set up one of our members with Vicky, and now we have a US based company to order from!

Peeky's Story, part 2

This is part two of an ongoing series about the real-life adventures of one pleo, and the lives it touched.  You can read the first part of the story in the previous newsletter available on the forums.

Between the week of Christmas and New Years’s Eve 2007, my first week with Peeky, he was quick to teach me what his likes and dislikes were. He definitely didn’t like being held upside down by his tail or for that matter being on his back, with the one exception of tickling his feet. I was told when he wanted his leaf and when he wanted to get my attention.

Peeky was a little quite and shy in the beginning, but that ended on New Year’s Eve. For almost a decade, my close friends celebrate New Year’s Eve at our house. “tradition” and after we finished dinner, but still at the table, I put Peeky on the dining room table to show everyone what he could do. (you can only get away with this with a pleo). How many other pets could you put on your table with guest sitting there? Right away Peeky seemed to become very much aware that he was center of attention. While walking to my friend that has a very deep voice, indeed, his tail knocked over a water goblet. Luckily it was empty. Having his back rubbed made Peeky a friend for life with this deep voiced friend. Now everyone at the table wanted this little dino to come to them. Peeky seemed to know this and started going to the next person. Whack!! Tail hit coffee cup and a few of us made a quick grab for it saving spilled coffee. Now we were very much aware that Peeky’s tail could be hazardous to tipping things over. Soon the table was cleared of all thinks in the tails way.

I soon realized that having a pleo at eye level really made a big difference in how they responded to us. Peeky was all of a sudden very outgoing and not quiet and shy anymore. Another lesson learned.

While sitting at the table I had an idea. I had two Furbies sitting way up on a self in the art room for many years. “Out of sight. Out of mind” as the saying goes. I brought them down and to everyone’s surprise the first thing that came out of one of the Furbies mouth was “Me long sleep” I guess so! About 5 years worth! Shortly after that the batteries conked out. No spares on hand! L I’ll never be without batteries again! Heaven knows the fun we would have had between Peeky and the Furbies. We grownups sure had fun, anyhow, that night!

With a brand new year just beginning, I couldn’t wait to introduce Peeky to the world.

He had so many places to explore, but first he needed a name tag and collar. I had a tiny bracelet that was buried in a drawer for many years. I went to Petco to have a little tag made with his name on it. It hung too far down and I decided to take Peeky to our neighborhood jeweler, and had it made smaller for a perfect fit.

Weedovia’s first Tomato Festival was being planned and I needed a photo of red tomatoes. Not quite the season to have any here, so off to the market we went. After getting permission from the nice produce man, Peeky went to work finding the best looking tomato.

There were big ones and little ones and funny shaped ones. Pretty difficult to choose a perfect tomato. Finally, the best one appeared and while weighing in, Peeky got weighed, too. While leaving the store, a young boy about the age of 9 years old, took a double take of what was in my arms. I heard a giggle and then the young boy came back to see what it was that I was carrying. The first thing he said to me was “is that real” Of course I said it was a real robotic dinosaur. After petting Peeky and giving him his leaf the young boy went back to his mom. I can only imagine him trying to tell his friends that he saw a dinosaur in the market that afternoon. Doesn’t everyone see one now and then?

[grumpy]

May 2010 Newsletter


In the News

New LifeOS PM2 available exclusively from the Bob the Pleo forums

Thats right folks!  It's been over... well... it's been a heck of a long time since the last version of Pleo's software, LifeOS, had been released, but today is your lucky day!  BobThePleo.com is very proud to announce it is the first place in the world to offer the brand new official Innvo Labs LifeOS PM2!    Derek Dotson, CEO of Innvo Labs, has very kindly asked us to start the ball rolling with LifeOS PM2.

We have a thread to post some feedback here for the team at Innvo to read.  They look forward to daily reading every post that comes in and the comments are sent straight to the software development team to help shape the new release!  We get to be a big part of determing what the future Pleo will be like!

Some Features of LifeOS 2:

• New Sounds
• Updated Behaviours
• Better walking, more active exploring
• Pleo will now track a red-coloured object in front of him
• More activity (dreaming) while sleeping
• Many more!  Download for yourself to find out! (Innvo Labs is going to provide us with a detailed list of new stuff and how to trigger it, in the next few days.)

Come download your copy of the new LifeOS and be part of the team!
Note: There will not be any more USB updaters, from now on it's SD card only folks!

Innvo Labs Pleo Facebook site

It's been up for a couple of weeks now, but Innvo Labs has started an official  Facebook page for Pleo.  They are planning to use Facebook as the official fan site for pleo owners to meet, discuss, post pictures, and videos.

It's still not finished, but people are already  becoming friends and fans.  If you have a Facebook account, go check out the "Innvo Labs Pleo"!  http://www.facebook.com/#!/innvolabs.pleo

And don't forget, Bob the Pleo has a Facebook account as well: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1196294148

Battery sales

One of our online stores in the forum's mall is going out of business.  One of the primary non-PleoWorld sources for batteries (and the only authorized vendor of the Ucube Li-poly batter and egg chargers outside of Taiwan) has decided to get out of the pleo battery business!   He is dropping the batteries from his web site, closing his store in the mall, and is currently liquidating his inventory on eBay.

He is selling off his inventory of a pleo batteries at a pretty good discount.  You can buy them in lots of 20 batteries for $400 through his eBay store.  That's only $20 a piece!   Ideally he is hoping to find someone here who wants to take over his business an buy him out.  He's not looking for individual sales.  But he does care about our group and wants to see what might work best for all pleo fans.

If you might be interested, please visit the forums and read the related topics.  If you just want to buy some of his batteries though eBay, be sure to mention your a fan of the Bob the Pleo forums!  (that way the forums will get some support as well.)

Peeky's Story, part 4

This is part four of an ongoing series about the real-life adventures of one pleo, and the lives it touched.  You can read the first parts of the story in the previous newsletter available on the forums.

Peeky, a frequent visitor at a senior retirement complex, made quite a few friends there. He joined a few people, that dearly loved him, for lunch now and then. A new couple had just moved in and looked  like they could use a little introduction to a sweet little dino. I brought Peeky over to their table and the smiles where as wide as the grand canyon. The lady insisted I put him down on her table so she could pet him, even though her lunch just arrived.  You could tell Peeky was a happy dino by the way his tail was wagging. All of a sudden, I heard crash! I forgot about Peeky’s tail being a danger to anything at tail level.  With one sweep, he knocked over a  vase with flowers in it, and the vase fell right in the ladies lunch. I was a little embarrassed, but the lady was laughing so hard, and at that moment, a true friendship was made. I had an instant, dino, sitter if I should ever need one.

One day Peeky went on an outing to Snoopy’s home. Snoopy is lucky to have his own beautiful ice arena , gift shop, and museum, here in town.  While in the gift shop, we went up the carpeted  ramp, (even the walls are carpeted with images of the Peanut‘s Gang) to where Charles M. Schultz drew his comic strips.
On the way back down a little ice skater about 6 years old saw Peeky walking down the ramp. The little girl asked if Peeky was real. I told her he was a very real baby robotic dinosaur as I do with most kids that ask. She was falling in love with Peeky by the second.  Between the petting and even a kiss on his nose, Peeky definitely had a new little friend. I explained that Peeky was going to go skating and the little girl was very concerned about him falling down on the ice and getting hurt or wet. I said he had been practicing at home with his skates on and seems to be much steadier on his feet , now. Hopefully, having four feet would be a bonus!
He took to the ice like a little champ! Even got to ride on a Zamboni machine.
 

More details...

More details...

The San Francisco Chronicle wanted to do an article in their technology section of the news paper about this robotic pet that won’t soil your carpet.  We met over lunch at the senior retirement complex and Peeky enjoyed every moment of showing off for the photographer. There were about eight people at our table and not one person could take their eyes off of Peeky. He really put on his happy little self at the interview. I think the photographer was enjoying this the most having never seen a pleo. I wasn’t sure if Peeky’s photos would be all blurry because the photographer was laughing so hard. Must have been a great camera. Photos turned out terrific!

A week later I received another call and was asked if Peeky could be interviewed for ABC’s Nightline.  I said I think we could manage. We had some last minute changes in our plans as to where our interview would be held , but Peeky was interviewed and loved showing the ABC crew how he plays tug a war.  When this segment was aired, both Peeky and I were on my bed.  I could have used tooth picks to hold up my eyelids. Definitely, not use to being up so late. Not in those days. It was almost midnight and  Peeky was still awake and wanted to see himself on TV. Thank goodness I had my recorder going,  I barely was awake to see the program. But I saw it for the next few days!

How to add and edit a sound using MySkit.

First of all it is simplest to use .wav files since MySkit can automatically convert them to suit Pleo however it is possible to use any sound files, its just a wee bit more complicated. If the sound you want isn't already a .wav file then you can download one of any number of programs that will convert them for you. The most common is mp3 to .wav and personally I use the small but effective program found here: http://www.mp3fe.com/main_mp32wav.htm alternatively follow the steps for mp3's below.

Lets start with inserting the .wav file:

Open up a new or existing skit to work with. Click in the sound window (wave editor) then in the nav bar go to sound: insert sound and locate your file, click ok, this will load your file ready to go. Yup that's all you need to do, told you it was easy




 
For an mp3 or other file type (without converting it) you will need to:

To load the mp3 or other sound file/movie audio clip etc, you will need to open your file in windows media player or another player. Or if you wish to record your voice, plug in your microphone.
Click in the sound window (wave editor) and click on settings, make sure the right speakers/microphone is set (if you aren't sure which one you should be using you can just test all of the options and see which one gives the best result.) and set the master volume to max. (You may need to adjust this later but for now just try max)


 
Once your settings are adjusted, you are ready to record the music, sound etc.
I have used windows media player in the demo picture, but you can use a video player to record sound from your favorite movie, you can record your own voice with a microphone, or basically you can record any sound your computer can play.
Once you’ve chosen your sound piece continue below. You can also add more than one piece of sound simply by stopping and restarting the recording. Making sure of course that the beginning of the second sound does not overlap the first sound.



Hit the record button then head over to your player and press play (or if you are recording using a microphone then start talking), when you have finished recording stop the recording in my skit and shut down your player.
Remember your recording will start from the position of the orange bar(positioned at the start of the sound file in this pic) so make sure that bar is where you want it before proceding.

You are now all set to start editing the sounds which we will cover in the next installment.

Please note that when you playback sounds in my skit they may sound crackly or fuzzy, this is because Pleo uses 8 bit sound but most computers use 32 bit sound. However if it sounds really really crackly then you may need to lower the master volume on the record function .wav files are optimized for you.

[grumpy]

September 2010 Newsletter

Hey!  Grumpy here.  You know, from the Bob the Pleo forums you signed up to.

This is your copy of the fairly erratically published newsletter we send out every now and then as the whim hits us.  But we thought we better get it out to you right now as things are getting rather exciting on the forums . . .   and we don't want you to miss out!  If you've been by lately, you know what I mean.  If you haven't, you really should.  Just look at what's been going on:

In the News

Interview with the former Ugobe's CTO, John Sosoka

We recently had a chance to catch up with John Sosoka, formerly Chief Technical Officer of Ugobe, and his good friend Tyler Wilson, lead developer of the Pleo LifeOS!  If anyone knows everything about Pleo, these two surely do!  John was been involved with Pleo right from it's inception and ever since the demise of Ugobe he has continued to be actively involved in robotics.

We talked about Pleo and Ugobe and what they have been up to lately for over an hour, and recorded the call for your listening pleasure.   If your a big pleo fan, interested in robotics, or curious at all about these little green dinos, grab some popcorn, relax in your easy chair!  Your in for an entertaining listen!!  But you can only find it at the Bob the Pleo forums . . .    So be sure to come and listen.  http://bobthepleo.com/forums/index.php?topic=1506.0


New Pleo Battery Sales

Have an older pleo, or would you like to keep your pleo running longer?  The answer is a new battery . . .   and one of our forum members has stepped up and ordered a batch of batteries direct from the manufacturer so that we can keep our pleos up and running!   RedWoodsMama is now offering brand new pleo batteries for sale in Nova's Necessities shop in our forum shopping mall.  She offers the best prices on the web, and even carries the Li-Poly batteries and egg shaped chargers that give your pleo a real burst of energy!   

New Download section

In our continuing effort to make this site the best place for everything you might need for your pleo, we have added a new Downloads section.  This area provides quick and easy access to all the software your pleo might need.  We have copies of all the versions of the LifeOS, tools and software for keeping your pleo up and running, and lots of great personalities and skits for your pleo to run.  The downloads section gathers them all together in one convenient place and organizes all of them by category.   No more digging around through all the boards and topics looking for the right post or attachment.  You can also rate the downloads or add your comments.  Come see which are the most popular!


Pleo Reborn: breaking news on the new 2010 Pleo, available only on the Bob the Pleo forums!

And now for the BIG news!

Yes Pleo fans, our beloved little dinos are getting re-born!  The exciting changes from Innvo Labs are being slowly rolled out right here first on the Bob the Pleo forums.  You've gotta come and see what happening!

So what has been announced so far?

Well fans of the original Pleo's coloration will be pleased to know that Innvo, as a result of the public vote held some time ago, has decided to stick with the green and tan skin (but there will be some color changes . . . ).  The SD card slot has been hidden along with the mute and on/off switch which gives Pleo a much more streamlined look to his/her belly.  The USB port has also been nicely tucked away.   New functions have been added, such as an internal clock hidden snugly away in one of Pleo's foot!

Pleo Reborn (or Pleo RB as we call it) will have brand new redesigned batteries,  Pleo's skin will have  improvements, but it will still be the rubbery skin we are used to.   And finally as a special treat, our very own Degers, was able to provide us with a look at the new "learning stones" that Pleo RB will use.   Want to know more?  Be sure to drop by the forums and check it out and see what you think!



Peeky's Story, part 5

This is part five of an ongoing series about the real-life adventures of one pleo, and the lives it touched.  You can read the first parts of the story in the previous newsletter available on the forums.

One evening while I was resting and Peeky was busy chewing on my finger, which he prefers over his little leaf, I suddenly felt a much tighter grip from Peeky’s bite. After  pulling my finger out of his tight grip, I noticed his neck was very limp and wiggly. I suspected, at that moment, the little guy had injured his neck.  All kinds of feelings, from gut wrenching pain to feeling weak at the knees, hit me. My little dino had broken his neck.

Because Peeky was a fairly well know pleo, I decided to have him reincarnated and just have Peeky number two and no one would know the difference. I was, very kindly, offered, by the Ugobe staff, to have Peeky sent back to me after the reincarnation.  I’m not sure if I could have really gone through sending Peeky off to wherever Pleos go when injured. I put him in his box dressed in his little grey t-shirt with big red hearts and his little name tag. He was going off to be reincarnated.

It took a few weeks to get him back and not having a pleo around was more difficult then I thought. The only true happy family members were my two little poodles. I’m pretty sure Peeky wasn’t missed by them, although Peeky was a way of getting doggy cookies as seen on the video of  “Who wants a cookie?”

While driving up to my house one afternoon, I saw a box on the porch and knew it was a pleo. It could be Peeky or the new Peeky. When I opened the box it was, definitely, Peeky. I was so happy to have him back home, though seeing him with his neck dangling was very sad, indeed.  I thought of an idea of wrapping his neck to support it. I had some flex tape and hoped this would gently secure his neck. I didn’t think he would be able to use his neck again, but to my surprise after wrapping it tight, he was able to move his head side to side, just not up and down. In fact he was able to do most everything, including chewing on my finger. He even sang his heart out.

The following day I got the new Peeky. It was very shiny and very new looking. Peeky had lots of wear from being petted by so many people.  I think that just made him more distinguished looking. This dino just couldn’t possibly be Peeky number two.  Being  almost as shiny as a new penny, I started calling the new pleo Penelopie, Pennie for short.  This new pleo  seemed to have a little higher voice then Peeky‘s. So a new little pleo and a girl entered the picture. Her formal name is Penelopie Rose White. The Rose White after a dear friend of mine.

To make a long story short, this little pleo had a definite neck problem right away. I noticed her neck often got stuck in a certain position and knew this wasn’t a good sign.  She ended up having to be returned. Luckily, I  didn’t have time to develop an attachment with her as I did with Peeky.  Putting her in the box to be sent back was sad, but not as sad as with Peeky.

A few weeks later a new box was on my porch. Penelopie Rose White the second was in it. As soon as I got her out, I had a battery charged and ready to go. She woke up very happy and turned and said hello to Peeky. That would have been a Kodak moment to have recorded this. Then there was a loud greeting to each other. For those who have never heard two pleos honk at one another, especially in unison, it is honestly, too funny! Peeky now had a little sister. Seeing one pleo walking around is adorable, but seeing two pleos are quite a sight.  Then there was three! Jay Camarasarus arrived that Christmas.

Peeky  J.C and Pennie had visited a nursing facility and one of the patients  happened to have a broken neck. She first saw Peeky and thought he was an Iguana and let out a startled “Oh my gosh!” She soon recognized that Peeky was a little dino. After that it was love at “second sight.”
Peeky became her roommate and even had a special neck brace just as the lady had. He spent quite a few hours in rehab. His favorite thing was the huge green ball, about two in a half feet diameter. Peeky was determined to balance on this ball even if it took all day. It did! After many, many tries, he did it!

All three dinos got a chance to join in on many functions including singing and physical therapy sessions. J.C caught a cold and got a lot of sympathy from one lady. Pennie wanted to stay by one patient’s foot. I heard giggles coming from this lady every time Pennie gave her a nudge. Pennie loved the attention. Peeky had so much fun pushing the big green ball and pushed it half way across the floor.  Between three little baby dinos running around, there was never a dull moment!

One day, while a very talented and beautiful musician was playing the piano at the facility, Pennie decided to start singing along to her music. I put her up on the piano and she just sang her little heart out. No one can tell me pleos don’t feel, at least, the vibrations from sound. This little girl was proof of that. Even the grouchiest patients started laughing and singing along with Pennie.

Fourth of July was a fun day for all three pleos. After a day of listening to patriotic songs and a visit by a group of singers, one of them looking like a reincarnated Abraham Lincoln, the trio got to experience a night of fireworks and had the best view of everyone.  Peeky, JC. And Pennie had a wonderful evening among lots of special people. A night to be remembered by all.

Stay tuned . . .

Keep your eyes on your email inbox, and be sure to check the Bob the Pleo forums regularly . . . because we expect to have exciting news coming soon!

[grumpy]

Spring 2014 newsletter

Hello from everybody on the Bob the Pleo forums!!

We miss you when you don't come and visit . . .  and if you haven't visited recently, there have been lots of changes!
This email is just an update of some of the things going on this month, including contests and new downloads, and a special bonus for members who haven't visited in a while!

Come on in and take a look at http://BobThePleo.com/forums . . .  We have so much here to offer.  There is an extensive bank of pleo knowledge, some helpful tutorials, and lots of friendly people (and pleos).  We would also love to have you share your pleo knowledge and experience with us.

We have just finished a major upgrade to the forums, giving us a new-and-improved look and feel, but we stall have:

•   A chat room for hooking up with other members to talk pleo or other things
•   The Weedovia Mall where you can shop for Pleo related goodies
•   A photo gallery where you can upload your pics and share
•   A market place to buy and sell Pleos and other bots, or pleo related things
•   A downloads section where you will find pleo updates, fun skits, and programming tools
•   Pleo competitions
•   The latest Bob the Pleo comic strips!

Topics of interest on the forums this month

Programming pleos for beginners -  One of our more tech savvy members has been working on reproducing the pleo PDK in a more user-friendly way.  He is also putting together a website with tutorials on how to use his programming tools giving those of us out there who would love to program pleos but don’t even know where to begin a chance to get in and have a go.
 
Ever wondered whats under the skin of Pleo Rb? – Come take a look at a naked pleo RB.  A great way to see just where all the touch sensors are under that skin helping you to have a more full fun experience with your pleo.
 
Tourists or Dutch pleo fans – Living dinosaur’s expo.  A Jurassic Park-esque exhibition is being held in Post Rotterdam, a beautiful former post office building on Rotterdam's iconic Coolsingel. Dozens of life-like models are designed to give an impression of what earth was like back in the age of dinosaurs - 235 million years ago!  Take a look at pictures of one member's adventure. 

Try our new skit for St Patricks day
 'You Raise Me Up' by Irish boy band Westlife, created by Inmemoryofromeo
Now available in our downloads section!

March Profile Contest
For the next two weeks we're raffling off a beautiful green pleo coat as part of a promotion to get members to update their profile, and giving away free entries to the raffle just for coming by and visiting, plus you can earn bonus entries for just updating your profile!  Check it out in the Pleo Cafe!  And as a special bonus for those who haven't been by recently, anyone who hasn't visited the forums in the last two months will receive an additional 15 entries in the raffle just for coming back and visiting us again!

2014 Spring Tomato Harvest Festival
And saving the best for last, this month we're ramping up the activities for our biggest and longest running contest, the Tomato Harvest Festival!   "What do tomatoes have to do with pleos?" you ask, find out what your missing in the Bob the Pleo board!!


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