Japanese toymaker offers cat-language interpreter after Bowlingual

TOKYO (AFP) Jul 16, 2003
Takara Co. of Japan will launch a device that translates cats' meows into human speech in November after the smash-hit dog-language electronic interpreter Bowlingual, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The nation's number two toymaker aims to sell 300,000 units of the hand-held gadget by March 2004.

"We do not have an immediate plan to sell (the product) overseas but this could be a possibility," said the spokeswoman.

Shares in Takara soared 42 yen or 5.68 percent to end the morning at 781 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, in contrast to the key Nikkei-225 average, which slipped 0.9 percent to 9,663.07 points.

Meowlingual shows "translations" of cat language on its liquid crystal display when held close to the animals, the spokeswoman said.

The device will be priced at 8,800 yen (75 dollars), less than the 14,800 yen dog owners pay for Bowlingual.

Bowlingual has sold 300,000 units in the six months to March 2003 since its launch last September, and would have sold more had supply kept pace with demand.

The 120-dollar gadget ventured overseas to South Korea in late May and is set to make its US debut in August.

SPACE.WIRE