Sony's Aibo Goes to Doggy Heaven

Akihabara News reports that Sony will stop producing the Aibo line of robot pets.

I wasn't too keen on them when they were first announced back in 1999, but I have to admit that after spending a half hour playing with a second-generation model a few years later, I was pretty much hooked -- it didn't take long for me to start referring to the Aibo as a "he," not an "it." I'd be hard-pressed to say the Aibo ever had any truly practical value beyond novelty and hackability, but I've always found it encouraging that a company could invest the time and energy to create something that's just plain interesting.

What's that? Oh, don't mind me. I've just got something in my eye.