It’s like a docking station, except it’s shaped like a little robot dog and your iPhone serves as its face. You’ll need the SmartPet app, of course, but that will allow your little plastic companion to wag its tail, walk around, sit up and more. And yes, there’s voice recognition in there for commands, as well as gestures and touchscreen interfaces. The iPhone “face” has several expressions too.

Considering that the SmartPet is coming by way of Bandai, it’s not surprising that some of its Tamagotchi digital pet heritage is spilling over too. You can add accessories, check the health of your digital pooch, feed virtual medicine through the touchscreen, and more. Unlike real dogs, the SmartPet can be used to play music too. Look for SmartPet to hit Japanese retailers later this month for 7,800 JPY (about US$100).

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As you may recall, the guys at Bandai decided to release a color version of the Tamagotchi last year, but that wasn’t really enough to get people interested again. We’re much more interested in the PSP Go and Nintendo DSi, right?

For the newest iteration in this franchise, Bandai is coming out with the Tamagotchi ID. From what I can see, it gets the 1.44-inch color display of last year’s model, but you also get the ability to “customize” it to some extent. There’s also mention of downloading content from the mobile web, like virtual items and mini-games.

Look for the Tamagotchi ID to launch on November 23. Look for it in Japan in your choice of six different colors for $57 each. I’d say that a Tamagotchi smartphone app could be more successful, but you have to remember that Bandai is targeting seven to nine-year-old girls with this. Then again, this is Japan. They might have smartphones already.

Source: Crunchgear

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