Sphero 2.0 product reviews

A while ago my husband showed me a video of this cool new toy, I thought it would make an awesome Christmas present for the kids so we kept our eyes open for it. One of the national technology stores had it's grand opening and they had them, we couldn't resist and purchased one, then being the big kids we are we couldn't put it away for Christmas and just had to play.

We have the apps installed over a couple of devices (Android), one has the main Sphero app and the other can't use that so uses the Multidrive app instead. Both are really easy to use, takes a little to get used to setting the orientation and remembering not to spin the device around as it will affect where you go. I like the fact that you can use tilting the device to get Sphero to move, or you can use an on-screen d-pad which is ideal for little hands that don't have as much control of the tilting.

As well as just running the ball around there are missions to perform to "train" your Sphero, they can be quite simple as bumping into things, or avoiding bumping into things, becoming more complicated as the latter can often be at speed. Achieving these missions unlocks boosters such as making Sphero jump, rainbow colours as you move, or croaking like a frog.

There are also daily supply drops where you drive Sphero around collecting points that you can use to purchase bonuses, these are quite fun and really test your control as you try to locate the exact marks to collect your drop.

While Sphero takes a while to charge the play time once it is charged is excellent, we have often gotten tired of playing while waiting for it to run out of battery! Charging is by induction which allows the unit to be completely water proof, we have actually used ours in an empty fish tank with one of the accessory covers (nubby) to supply the friction to move, dry it off with a towel and use it on the ground again.

Our 6 year old gets as much enjoyment using this as we do so I really do see it as a "toy" for all ages, add the accessories and other apps and there's almost limitless possibilities with what you can do with it. If you're that way inclined you can get the orbBasic where you can programme Sphero to behave how you want it. It may seem a little expensive for something a similar size to a baseball but how much other technology can you buy that you are encouraged to bump into things, drop off small ledges and put in water, I certainly think it's well worth it.