Víva La Resistánce!
Masquerading as a cute panda, this is the perfect tool to launch the robot revolution. BEWARE HUMANS! THE END IS NEAR!

Note: Photon laser eyes must be installed separately.

Sensor Troubles
We bought this toy elsewhere, and we've had a few problems.
1) It constantly thinks it's being moved, and complains and whines about being motion-sick, all while seated on the floor, not being touched. (This is obviously a MANUFACTURING DEFECT, but I haven't been able to get a response out of Wowwee about it).
2) It doesn't always register on its various touch sensors. (Presumably also a defect)

But aside from the fact that our panda is defective, there are these issues:
a) The packaging took 20 minutes to dismantle.
b) It takes a vast amount of batteries
c) It's loud
d) It's whiny

If I don't get a response from the manufacturer, this thing is going back to the store, and we'll try something else. . .

Whiny Toy. Doesn't teach good things to kids.
First of, if you want kids to behave properly, don't give them this toy. It's whiny and the way it talks, its very demanding and rude. It's not a fun toy. It acts like a brat. You don't want your kids emulating this piece of junk.

I Had High Hopes For This Toy!
I had high hopes for this toy. However, I can only give this a mediocre rating in my review. Although this toy is probably one of the most sophisticated robotic toys on the market, it is one of the least lifelike of this years crop (herd) of robitic animals and really gives the lowest illusion of interactivity. TheFurreal Kitty Cat or the Hasbro FurReal Friends Squawkers McCaw Parrot are far less sophisticated, but actually seem more alive.

What's the problem? First, the sensors are used more like pushbuttons than actual touch sensors. The panda tells you to touch certain parts of its body to get it to do certain things like tell stories, play games, etc. Second, they really SHOULD have designed this toy with a soft exterior, even if it was a soft smooth exterior. It just does not have a warm and friendly feel.

Second, the product needs voice recognition. The interactivity for this toy reminds me of the old "Eliza" software program that gave the illusion of interactivity. The illusion soon falls apart.

The concept behind the toy is definitely a good one and we can hope that future toys execute the vision a little better. Research shows that robotic pets can be beneficial to the elderly who can't have pets and children who have problems with social interactions often are able to interact and learn to interact with computerized of robotic entities. However, I'm afraid affordable technology has not yet caught up to the vision that created this toy. I saw this toy on sale for $50 after Christmas. Given the shortcomings of the toy, this is a much better price point.

All talk, no interaction...
I'm glad we got this toy essentially for free (we had some gift cards to the Sharper Image that had been laying around for so long that they were essentially "found money") because I would have been pretty angry if I had dropped $150 on this thing. It talks and talks and talks... and asks questions, but has no sort of voice recognition... even a minimal sound sensor like, say, NeoPets have... so it never manages to create the illusion that you are interacting with it. The interaction is limited to touch sensors on the paws and head and back, but these seem hit and miss, and often don't seem to register as they should. Any attempt at being cute and cuddly is ruined by the constant WHIRRR of the internal motors, which make the whole thing come off as kind of creepy.

I'll also echo one of the other Amazon reviews in pointing out that the Panda's conversation often borders on rudeness. At one point it told its toy stuffed panda to go away and not to "let the door hit you on the way out"! Like my 5 year-old needs to learn obnoxious catch phrases from a robotic Panda??