Hello Barbie gives iconic doll some Siri-style sass
Barbie is getting her most significant makeover yet, with Mattel somehow finding room inside the iconic doll's improbable figure to fit WiFi connectivity that turns her into a smart playmate. Set to hit stores this fall, Hello Barbie will be capable of two-way conversations, playing games, and telling stories, but perhaps more importantly the doll will learn from what its owner has talked about and then use that personalized understanding to pick what topics to bring up later on.
For instance, if ponies come up regularly in conversation, then Hello Barbie might opt to tell a story about horses over other topics later on.
The toy uses a microphone and speaker, along with two multicolor LEDs hidden in Barbie's necklace, but like Google Now and Siri does its processing in the cloud. That side of the equation is the handiwork of ToyTalk, a startup which has so far specialized primarily in iPad games that can interact in real-time with the children playing.
For Hello Barbie, those smarts have been baked into a doll instead, with the battery – squeezed into Barbie's legs – said to last for about an hour of play.
Mattel's push to make one of its best-known toys more competitive against iPads and consoles isn't the only move in such a direction from the company recently. Last week, it announced a partnership with Google to reboot the View-Master, borrowing the Google Cardboard technology to make a smartphone-based virtual viewer along the lines of Oculus Rift for kids.
Hello Barbie also isn't the first tech-blessed character we've seen. Yesterday, CogniToys launched a Kickstarter to raise money for its chatty dinosaur, using IBM's Watson supercomputer to handle conversations and questions, and piece together impromptu lessons delivered through play.
Mattel says Hello Barbie will arrive in stores this fall, priced at $74.99. Over time she'll get smarter and receive new firmware updates, too.
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