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Business Week 12 October 1998 Page 105 By Neil Gross Edited by Catherine ArnstSMART TOYS DON'T NEED A LOT OF COMPUTER SMARTS. Witness Furby, a garrulous and ingratiating new fuzzball that could be this Christmas' Tickle Me Elmo. Like many other chip-enhanced dolls, Furbies talk, giggle, open and close their eyes, and respond to pokes, tilts, or tickles. But this latest electronic pet is amazingly convincing--in part because, like real pets and some family members, its reactions are a bit out of whack. Furby's inventor, David M. Hampton, planned things that way. In the process, he saved Furby's manufacturer--Tiger Electronics Ltd., a unit of Hasbro Inc.--a bundle in manufacturing costs.
To hold Furby's list price to $30, less than one-third the cost of Microsoft Corp.'s ActiMates Barney doll, Hampton and the Tiger development team used some ingenious shortcuts. Instead of expensive communications circuits--the kind that permit wireless messaging among various computer devices--Furbies exchange crude infrared signals to trigger spontaneous-sounding giggles and goofing sessions. As for processors, the toy's silicon brain is a low-cost Asian variant of the chip that powered the original Apple II.
Furby has trouble doing two things at once, and that's just fine, since carefully crafted software rules give the illusion of complexity. Talking, for example, always takes priority over listening. So Furby sometimes seems a little unresponsive--not unlike some children we all know. Likewise, while the toy is in motion, its sound sensor automatically switches off, which saves battery power and prevents motor noise from confusing the sensor. Furby's 1,000 bits of trainable memory manage a vocabulary of just 200 words. But these words get combined in ways that even the inventor never predicted. The effect compares favorably with a hamster, and beats the heck out of a pet turtle.
Copyright 1998, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.
Please add this onto your page! First off, I own four Furbys. If you
have lost your Instructions, or just need help, please read this note.
In this letter, P=Problem and C=Cure. ok? Here we go...
1. P: My Furby isn't working properly C: Restart, reset, change his
batteries. if this doesn't work, send him back to Tiger. (For more info,
look at bottom of page)
2. P: How do I feed Furby? C: When he is hungry, he will open his beak
and go, Ahh! Ahh! Ahh! While his beak is open, slip your finger into his
mouth. when he is done going Ahh! Ahh! Ahh! press down GENTLY on his
tongue.
3. P: Whenever I feed Furby, he says "Me no like" or "Kah/Boo/Toh-Loo"
C: He may say this if he's not hungry and you feed him anyway. Or he
might just be rebeling. They also say that when they're ill. keep
feeding him, if he's ill, until he quits sneezing (See #2)
4. P: Furby keeps on sneezing C: Feed him more
How to send Furby back to Tiger: If your Furby is not
working properly, you can send it back to TIGER, LTD.
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