Everyone, meet the cutest creation ever. This cuddly little fella is named Pleo, and
he’s the next evolution in the virtual pet. Everyone remembers the Tamagotchi, the Aibo robot dog, and all those
other constructs designed to interact with humans in some manner. But they were cold and didn’t have much
personality.

Pleo, quite frankly, is as cute as a basket of newborn
kittens, as inquisitive as a basket of newborn puppies, and like any real baby
animal, he grows, learns, adapts to his environment, and responds to your
treatment. Cuddle him, feed him, train
him to do tricks, pet him, love him and he’ll grow into whatever sort of pet
you want him to be.

What exactly is Pleo? According to the creator (the guy who invented the Furby), “Pleo is an
autonomous robotic life form modeled on a one-week-old Camarasaurus dinosaur.
Pleo is designed to mimic life which means Pleo thinks and acts independently,
just like a real animal.” He also senses
light, movement, touch, shows emotions based on how you treat him, registers
surprise, independently explores his environment, and even gets tired after a
lot of new experiences and movement.

I cannot explain just how much I want to snuggle that little
critter! Pleo, who’s going to retail for
an MSRP around $350, comes out October 15, 2007, in the United States and is
available for preorder now at Target, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, Best Buy, and toy
retailers throughout the world.

Special thanks to Gear Diary for making me aware of this
adorable little fella’s existence.