When WowWee sent us its latest desktop companion, Chatterbots, I expected a lot from the robot manufacturer. Unfortunately, after just one minute, this $50 USB toy left me completely and tragically bored out of my mind.

Chatterbots are available in dog/cat, fairy godfather, and devil/angel models, and when connected to your computer via USB, are supposed to entertain you with "its unpredictable stream of jokes, dialog, and comments about your virtual life," according to the company. On top of that, it says random things while you're typing. Lame! Not to mention, the integrated speaker is located on the bottom of the Chatterbot, which makes it very difficult to hear what it's saying in the first place. (Which turned out to be a good thing, considering it's so annoying.)

I tested the dog/cat model, which features a dog sitting on top of a cat in what appears to be a sandbox (or kitty litter). First, I installed the software program, which takes forever. Next, I connected the Chatterbot to my computer and powered it on. And I waited. I waited for something to excite me. To wake me up. Nothing.

The included app is a small box that runs on your desktop, offering six commands: Factoid, Random, Body Function, Punish, Praise, and Sleep. Click on Factoid, and listen to the dog give you some random fact about the moon or shrimp. Can't I just go to Wikipedia for that? With Random, it says something, well, random. Body Function is probably the only entertaining button. Press it, and you'll hear the dog burp and fart. Nice. Punish was a weird button to figure out. I guess if the dog is bad, you click on that button, and the dog will complain that it's being punished. So high-tech, right? Praise is just the opposite. And with Sleep, you can put the dog to sleep. Not dead, just sleep.

The software app also has an integrated search box. Type in weather, and it starts mouthing off about the weather. However, it didn't respond to most words I typed in, like computer or sex. Below that is where you can adjust the volume levels of the Chatterbot, which is definitely needed so as not to annoy your co-workers.

Another weird feature of the Chatterbot is that there's a plug-in for iTunes. I clicked on this feature, opened my iTunes, and the Chatterbot started playing ABBA. It didn't sound pretty, of course.

In terms of animation, the dog's mouth will move in sync with its speech, and its eyes light up in blue; the black cat's eyes light up in an eerie green color, but it doesn't have a moveable mouth. Hey, how come the dog gets all the fun?

Needless to say, don't waste your money on this blabbering buddy, unless you want to drive yourself insane at the office.