[CES 2012] Violet has just announced the launch of the Karotz, a “Smart Rabbit Robotic companion”. Touted as the first ever hardware device made especially for Facebook, the Karotz is the third generation of internet-connected rabbits that were launched back in 2005 as Nabaztag (in case it looks familiar to you). Violet believes that this cute little robot will be pretty popular in the US with over 157 million Facebook users – or potential customers.
The Karotz lets users link their Facebook (and now, Twitter) account to allow other people to interact with them via the robot. Karotz has a belly light that lights up with different colors to notify users about updates and can be used to send updates via its built-in webcam, and mic. Updates can be posted as audio, text, or photographs to its user’s Facebook wall.
The robotic rabbit can also be used to answer questions, perform searches, play music, read emails, read the weather forecast, tweets, RSS feeds and more. And if that’s not enough, it also works with RFID chips to launch apps or send emails – a handy way to tell if your child has got home safely while you’re away at work. Karotz’s looks can also be customized with a USB tail or Skinz tattoos.
The Karotz smart rabbit is available now with an MSRP of $129.99. Android and iOS apps to control the rabbit are also available from the Android Market and Apple App Store respectively. Check out some videos of Karotz:
Updated (1/11): There were some errors in the article which have now been fixed.
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