Voice messages are also possible from Violet.net by first configuring Flash’s Camera and Microphone Access. The Ztamp mailbox handles all these incoming messages but rather annoyingly, once the message is played it can’t be replayed. Sent images appear full screen when received but can’t seem to be saved.

In a way, it probably makes sense, as this approach to communication is somewhat frivolous. Given that anyone, even a non-Mir:ror user, can sign up for a Violet.net account and, when granted permission, communicate with a Mir:ror user’s objects, detritus could rapidly accumulate. Spam is even a possibility, which is why the site features blocking options.

As a concept, the Mir:ror did seem to imply that behaviour modifications were necessary to get the best out of it, but this was largely due to Violet over-hyping its offering's uses. Having watched the promo video on YouTube, the idea of waving a fish food container over the Mir:ror to know if you’d fed them, suggested users with memories akin to their cyprinid companions.

Nano:ztag: more colours than the iPod Nano line-up

Verdict

The communication aspects will no doubt appeal to the socially anorexic because, in the end, it’s all about being tied to a computer to be notified of things that might be better experienced in real time using the phone, which is rather more mobile and can also receive messages. Still, the Mir:ror can be useful in accessing applications or information quickly, and it’s not too pricey either. It’s just a shame the software is so half-baked in places.

So if you’re alarmed when your nearest and dearest says she’s going to buy a rabbit to help with the daily grind, take heart - it’s highly likely she’ll need your help to use it in front of the Mir:ror. ®

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