Update on the Nabaztags’ services
May 17th
Hello to all rabbit fans!
Please find below a review of the actual situation of the services.
- The weather forecast is fixed.
- The RSS feeds, the national and international information and the TV program are working, except when the links have got broken. If links have changed or have been deleted, we will update them by and by.
- The traffic is also working most of the time. We are currently correcting the code, that can generate other bugs.
- The written messages from violet.net should also work. If they still do not work on your side, please leave us a comment and please precise what kind of voice you are using.
- The stock exchange also are fixed.
- The podcasts are working again, except when the links have changed. We will update them by and by.
- The standby modus is also fixed.
- The replay of MP3 files is ok. If you still experience problems with your MP3 files, please delete them and upload them again on the Violet website. If this still does not help, please send us a comment, and please precise if you get error messages.
- The speech recognition is operational.
- The RFID recognition should not be a problem no more.
And here is the list of the services that we are still testing and repairing.
- The recognition of the Bookz
- The e-mail alert
- The reminder
- The flashing signals
and all the other services that have not been mentioned above.
For the Facebook statuses and twitters, we need to modify the code to make them work again, because the API of these two services has changed.
Finally, regarding the Nabaztags’ connection problems, we succeeded to identify the main source of the problem: The Load Balancer restrained the connections to the server. We will try to remove this machine in order to provide more connections. During this operation your Nabaztags will be disconnected and will reconnect again automatically.
See you soon!
Update: Repairs on Nabaztag
May 5th
Please find below an update on the advancement of our works on the Nabaztags. They are processing without difficulty.
Our team continues to restore the various services. The problems with the voice synthesis and the text messages are now fixed. Please tell us, if everything works fine on your side. Our next aim is to fix the automatic standby modus.
Regarding the servers, after the big cleaning we are now correcting the code in order to stabilize the services. This will take us some more time.
The Nabaztags continue to connect to the servers one by one, but some rabbits still did not succeed to connect. The problem is that the number of connections is limited to 50 per hour. We will try to break this limitation.
We thank all Nabaztag owners for your patience and your understanding. We don’t forget about you!
The developers’ API: zoom on the web application K-ontrol
May 2nd
Hello everybody!
We start this week with some news from the community. The applications created by some developers start to pour into the Karotz Lab. Their validation and publication will soon follow.
In the meantime you can gain insight into a likable web application named K-ontrol, developed by Kamel, alias melka, and who describes himself as “a lover and passionate of the VOOS who ‘tinkers his stuff in entire humility’.” (VOOS is the name of the server actually used by Mindscape/Violet for Karotz.)
The application will permit to listen to web radios: Fun Radio, SkyRock and Absolut Hits in a first version, and more web radios in a future version. A virtual remote control will make it possible to stop, play or pause the media, as well as to change the colour of the LED and to move Karotz’ ears. You can watch a video about the functioning of this web application below (in French).
We will soon present other new applications created by developers in this blog! So please stay with us!
Contests to win Karotz!
Apr 29th
Hello!
We are excited to announce the different ways you can enter to win Karotz and Karotz accessories! All you have to do to be automatically entered to win a Karotz is “like” the official Karotz Facebook page and follow the official Karotz twitter! When both pages reach 1000 friends/likes and followers we will give away a Karotz to a friend or follower in the Karotz online community! As a bonus we will also give away 5 pairs of chrome ears! Good Luck!
Like Karotz on Facebook! www.Facebook.com/KarotzSmartRabbit
Follow Karotz on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/Karotz
Available applications for Karotz
Apr 29th
Hello!
We are excited that Karotz has arrived in many homes and we hope that all of the new adoptive parents are enjoying the new bundle of joy! Thanks to everybody for your support!
Karotz will continue to evolve in the following months, and new applications will be available each month. We would like to give you a summary of all available and coming applications.
Today several applications are already available on www.karotz.com:
- @Home: Receive an e-mail with or without photo, when you show a RFID accessory to Karotz, f.ex. a Flatnanoz or a Nanoztag.
- Weather: Gives you the weather forecast of your choice.
- Tai Chi: Karotz plays zen music, flashes and moves its ears.
- Demo: Karotz explains it’s capabilities.
- Horoscope: For your sign.
- Divers RSS feeds: Read the news about sports, culture, technologies, people, etc.
- My RSS: You can add the RSS feeds that you are interested in.
- Webradios: Default and included radios.
- My webradio: You can add the webradios you like, but they must be in MP3 format and not in Flash!
- Music Player: Plays the MP3 files that are saved in Karotz’ USB tail.
- My podcast: You can add the podcasts you like.
- Moods: The same as for Nabztag, you can change the Karotz LED to fit your mood.
- Karotz Controller Apple: Control your Karotz from your iPhone / iPod / iPad. Take photos, send text messages, listen to MP3 files in the USB device, change the colour of the LED, or move the rabbit’s ears.
Applications coming in May:
- Twitter: Choose what you want to hear (mentions, private messages, tweets).
- Facebook: Choose what you want to hear (notifications, private messages, etc.).
- Smartphone to Karotz: Call Karotz from your smartphone, with Wi-Fi connection.
- Eyes@Home: See on your computer what happens at your home.
- Karotz Controller Android
Applications coming in June:
- Family Quizz: Play with your family and answer 2,000 questions.
- Stories and songs: Save stories and songs on your computer for your children.
- Karotz Community: Can be accessed from iPhone / iPod / iPad.
Applications coming later:
- Alarm clock: The development will take some more time, because we would like the alarm clock to work even when Karotz is not connected to the Internet.
- Reminder: We still have some work to do to get Karotz able to store messages. This is an embedded application that needs an additional development.
- Karotz to Karotz: We are working on the sound to make the communication easier.
- Karotz Wedding: We need to define what this application should do. We would like it to do more than just synchronize the ears and the LED. If you have any ideas please post them in the comments section!
- Rabbitcasts: We have to define the options of this application.
- Traffic: We are currently working on the options of this application, because we want it to provide a richer service than just a colour code for the national highways.
- Stock Exchange: We are working on the specification of this application’s options.
Karotz is facing the future with courage, and new applications will be added before summer. There are even more applications coming created by the developers of the Karotz Lab. We will talk about them later.
Have a nice evening!
PS: You have a lot of technical questions about Karotz. To answer them all, we will try to be present on the official forum http://community.karotz.com/forumz.
Update: Technical problems with the Nabaztags
Apr 29th
Hello!
Nabaztags are back! Many of you have been asking when we will have an update regarding technical problems with the Nabaztag, we are pleased to inform you that the problem is also completely resolved. Nabaztags are connecting one by one, at a rate of about 50 per hour. Please leave your rabbit on and it will soon come back to life, if it hasn’t already! All 25 servers have been repaired and all of them are fully functioning, except the violet.net server which unfortunately did not survive. We are still working out the bugs that existed before the server exchange, please be patient!
Here is the status update:
The following services are now running at 100%: Tai Chi, weather forecast, stock exchange, radio, MP3. (If you ever have issues MP3 player please delete the app, reload and install it from http://my.violet.net/.)
We are still having issues with the Nabaztag talking too much or reading old messages, this is most likely due to server overload and we are working diligently on correcting these issues.
Traffic, air and stock exchange indicators are now functioning at about 80% and we are working on repairing the voice synthesis for text messages, Facebook, Twitter, e-mails and RSS feeds. We are also aware of the problem with automatic standby modes; it appears to be an issue with the code which we are working to modify. If your Nabaztag doesn’t wake up or sleep at the time you have set please configure your standby time adjustments again, you can also delete all your applications and reinstall them on your account via http://my.violet.net/.
Update: Technical problems with the Nabaztags’ servers – recovery in progress
Apr 26th
Hello!
Please find below an update on the Nabaztags’ maintenance.
But first of all we want to thank you for telling us what does and what does not function on your side!
Here is the list of the applications that have been fixed:
- Tai Chi with sound
- speech recognition for the weather forecast, traffic, air and radio
- radios
- written messages: currently 2 voices out of 6 are functioning
- MP3 replay: Please don’t hesitate to upload your MP3 files again if they don’t work.
- RFID detection
And here is the list of the applications that will be repaired very shortly:
- speaking clock
- moods
- voice synthesis for RSS feeds
- reading of e-mails
- various problems on violet.net
See you soon!
The Karotz are sent out today!
Apr 22nd
Good morning!
Lately we spoke a lot about the problems with the Nabaztags. But today we have some news about Karotz! All the Karotz will be sent today, which means that they will arrive at your home at the beginning of next week!
But first of all we want to thank you for your reservations on www.karotz.com!
You will receive an e-mail with the confirmation of your delivery, as well as your Colissimo tracking number.
Next week we will publish another article to explain which applications already are available, and which ones will be available in May and June.
Happy Easter and see you soon!
Update: Technical problems with the Nabaztags’ servers – progressive return to a normal state
Apr 20th
Hello everybody!
The Nabaztags are coming alive one by one. Yesterday evening we counted more than 5,000 rabbits that succeeded to connect to our servers. The connection of all rabbits is a little bit slower as we first imagined. But everything seems to run “normally”. The servers are running fine, and the rabbits are connecting in a continuous rhythm. Nevertheless we continue the cleaning of the discs by deleting obsolete events and by transferring data on other discs, in order to create enough free space.
At the same time we are also about to recover various services. That is the reason why it is still normal, if your Nabaztags connect and disconnect, if they fall asleep and wake up again, if they flash in a strange way, or if they react weakly or not at all.
Here is the list of the applications that already work again: the speech recognition, the weather forecast, the radio, the MP3, the Tai Chi, and the flashing signals.
And here is the list of the applications we still are repairing: the moods, the time, the TTS, the RSS feeds, and the e-mails.
You can leave a comment and tell us what does and what does not function on your side. On our side we continue the tests, too.
Thank you and have a nice day!
Update: Technical problems with the Nabaztags’ servers – progressive return to a normal state
Apr 18th
Good morning everybody!
As you maybe already observed, the Nabaztags’ servers are running again, including the platform and the website. The rabbits are connecting one by one. Actually there are 1,400 Nabaztags reconnected, and more and more continue to connect.
However, please be aware that there are still problems left. It happens on a regular basis that the servers crash and that the rabbits get disconnected, because of the heavy traffic. Many people attempt to connect at the same time and the several events that are blocked since 10 days attempt to emit at the same time. So we will continue to clean up all the events that have become obsolete today, for example weather forecast requests or time requests, and we will continue to liberate more free space on the servers.
On the other hand we start to test the applications and services in order to find out which ones work again, and to repair those that didn’t resume their work.
Therefore we will ask you again for your patience. Please wait until your rabbits are reconnected and until they function normally again.
We will try to keep you up to date in the course of this week.
Have a nice day!
