Sony Aibo: a drunk puppy in body armour

Crave has taken digital living to its logical extreme today -- by making an Aibo dog our new pet. Sony's Aibo Mind 2 copes fairly well with the rigours of modern life, balancing a bone on its nose and rolling a ball around. Impressive stuff, but it's difficult to shake the 'it' moniker when referring to the 'dog'. It will never replace the real thing, but if you're a digital junkie and you see it give you a wave or do a funky dance, you'll swear it's better than a flesh-and-blood cocker spaniel.

The only problem is that its movement is lethargic -- you want to see it running around just like a real puppy, but our Aibo, affectionately named Derek, seemed like he'd been out for a night on the tiles before arriving at Crave. He was dazed and confused -- not willing to move much further than his dock just in case he needed a lie down.

Just like with a real puppy, once its cuteness has worn off and you realise you're going to need to teach it some new tricks, you might find yourself looking up 'Battersea Dog's Home' in the Yellow Pages. We're yet to set up the wireless networking facilities on the Aibo -- it will tell you when you have email waiting -- but we'll let you know how we've got on during the week with a full diary blog on Friday. -GC

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