Sphero - Mini App Enabled Robotic Ball - White

Does everything it says it does.Easy to setup with my Note 8.One thing I will say is be careful with the plastic case its extremely fragile.My thumb got stuck when the the plastic snapped off.

Sphero is best known for Star Wars toys (BB-8 and others). The Sphero Mini uses a lot of the same technology in a small (ping pong ball sized) package. It includes Blue Tooth, accelerometer, gyroscope, and LED lighting components along with an app to control and move the Sphero Mini. This little robotic ball has a lot of potential but requires a lot of patience and effort to master. One huge problem is a lack of instructions to use it. There is no "quick start" guide, just three somewhat cryptic diagrams on the box flaps which show the app, separating the ball and charging it. Sphero really likes packaging. To use the Sphero Mini for the first time you have to remove tape holding an outer band around the package, slide off that band, then untape the plastic storage cube from the lower portion of the box. The lower box contains a charging cable, a bag of tiny bowling pins & traffic cones and a document. You pull out the document, expecting (logically) it to be instructions but find to your dismay that it is just a long list of legal disclaimers and warnings in numerous languages! Someone at Sphero is really worried about being sued but apparently not concerned about helping their customers use their product. Open the plastic cube and you have the Sphero Mini in your hands. But you then have to carefully remove a clear tape which secures the two halves of the ball. Once you do that, carefully squeeze the ball to separate it and access the device inside to charge it up. Then attach a micro USB cable to the inner device, plug it into a power source and wait. The inner ball with light up and cycle through multiple colors while charging. Eventually (after two hours the first time) the light changes to a solid green when fully charged. Put the ball back together and it is ready. While charging up the Sphero, download the Sphero Mini app (available for both iPhone and Android). When you open the app for the first time you again encounter a ridiculously long legal document which you must scroll down and accept in order to use it. Then a colorful animation plays, along with some techno-music and a Connect screen appears. Tap “Connect” and an update with download and the device will connect via Blue Tooth. Next you have to “Aim” the ball. Again, there are no instructions but I found that you have to touch a white ball in a blue/green circle on the app to activate a blue light on the Sphero Mini, then carefully move the white ball in a circle it until causes the blue light on the Sphero Mini to point in your direction. This orients the ball for all games. After this process, the app shifts to “Joystick” which is a simple large blue circle used to move the Sphero Mini in the direction you choose. Again, there are no instructions in the app! At the corners of the app screen you can access drive settings (Joystick, Slingshot, Tilt and Face Drive), connect to a different robot, some settings (color of LED in ball can be varied, music volume, some nearly useless FAQs and “Support” which is just an email link to Sphero) and some games. The drive modes are fun but require some patience to master but all work. Face Drive is clever, using your phone’s face camera to read your expressions in order to move the ball, but results will vary based upon your phone’s camera. I haven’t played with the games much. Again, lack of instructions made it unclear what you have to do but it appears that you use the Sphero Mini as a trackball to manipulate actions on your phone screen. They didn’t hold my interest for long. One big complaint I have about the app is the very tiny, low contrast type used. It just adds to the frustration of no instructions. One use to which I put the Sphero Mini was as a toy for my little Yorkie. She was fascinated by the moving ball and the changing colors, chasing it and barking at it. I would not recommend that you try this with bigger dogs because they will just eat the Sphero Mini and that would not be a good dietary supplement. The Sphero Mini works fine on hard floors and low carpet but gets caught by thicker carpeting. It seems fairly durable but over the long-term I wonder how the outer shell will hold up to the need to unsnap it for charging every time you use it. Replacement shells in a variety of colors cost about $15. Running time before recharge is about 45 minutes but I doubt that you would play with it that long at any session. Then you are facing a long (1-2 hour) charging time. The box mentions coding but I saw no way to access any coding function. Maybe it is there but hidden like so much else. Overall, the Sphero Mini gives you a lot of potential for the price but the app really needs a lot of work. Someone at Sphero needs to pay less to the lawyers and more to someone who can help out its users with some decent instructions and guides! This is a good toy for gamers but definitely not for small children or for those who need step-by-step guidance.

Sphero Mini Intro My first time playing with this robot was not pretty but at least I know that this little guy can take some torture. I mean, I was crashing it on walls and furniture or anything in the way. Mind you, I fly drones and drive RC cars but this robot gave me a hard time. I’m going to blame it on the smartphone that I am using to control it. When Sphero crashes into a wall or obstacle, it spins as if it was dizzy. After awhile, I got used to it. I practiced by easing down on the controls and that’s when I got addicted. I found myself fending off my 5yr old daughter and 8yr old son just so I can play. My daughter actually got the hang of it quickly. One thing on the wishlist would be an autonomous feature where you can set certain routes and make them repeatable. There’s four ways to control Sphero. Joystick, facial, slingshot and tilt. In Joystick, you get a dot on the screen and you drag it across the screen where you want it to move. In Facial, you use your smile and frown to control it. Smile and nod up and down and Sphero will go forward and backward. Frown and move your head left and right and Sphero will move accordingly. In slingshot, you pull down on the dot and let go and off goes Sphero. In Tilt, you control Sphero by tilting your smartphone in the direction you want it to go. The app has three games. Round Trip, Lightspeed Drifter, Exile II. In these games, you use Sphero as the controller. It connects through Bluetooth so it gets about a 10m (32 feet) range. It takes about an hour to charge and you can play for about 40 to 50mins depending on how you play with it. Pros - Fun and addicting - Can withstand a bit of punishment. I wouldn’t drop it though. - Sphero’s LED color is adjustable to various colors through the app Cons - no autonomous control - Fun and addicting Outro Like I said, frustrating at first because I was not used to the controls but once you get the hang of it, you tell the kids to go to sleep early just so you can play with it. Sphero is part of the STEM educational toys so go ahead and let the kids play too. It comes with a USB charging cable (charger not included), 6 small multi colored bowling pins (pink, blue & yellow) and 3 orange traffic cones. You can buy more shells from Sphero.com for $13.

If you've seen other Sphero products, the Minis are very similar but much smaller, about the size of a golf ball. The package includes a charging cable and tiny cones and other obstacles. The acrylic box it comes with is re-usable. They connect to a phone or tablet that supports the Sphero Mini app or using the Sphero Edu apps, via Bluetooth Smart (No pairing required). They go quite fast for the size, and the shells are strong enough to take some hits. Unlike the Sphero (full-size balls), it's not water-proof and in order to charge them, the shell opens in two, and with the internals exposed, there's a micro-usb port. The shells can be bought separately. We got the white and the pink. The color ones have a stripe around the shell. The Balls light up (There's a full spectrum of colors configurable on the app), so I think the white looks better. The Edu app is interesting particularly in technology classes or similar settings, or with curious older kids that want to create movement programs, while the Mini app is pure gaming fun. There are various controller settings (Joystick, Slingshot, tilting, etc.), and a 'face' mode that's supposed to work by changing facial expressions, although my kids couldn't make it work. The Mini app also has a game controller mode where there are a few skill games to choose from, and the games are controlled by holding the Mini similarly to a trackball. My 10-year old likes these games a lot.   Two issues I found that can be a concern to some: • When trying to control more than one Mini, the app distinguishes by their factory-set code, but they cannot yet be renamed. • Doesn't work with Amazon Fire tablets: There is no Mini app on the Amazon app store and the Edu app doesn't work with Kindle Fire tablets. It would've been great for me because my kinds use the Amazon FreeTime service.

I had no idea how much fun a little robotic ball can be! This is a much smaller version than other Sphero products but doesn’t lack any features. Its small enough to be slipped in a pocket or in your backpack. All you need is to download their app and you will be shortly racing around with your Sphero Mini with your finger on the app. It comes with a mini USB charging cable, miniature bowling pins, and miniature cones for you to interact with your Sphero. I’m surprised how responsive it is with controlling it with the app. No lag and it pairs via Bluetooth without any additional input by the user. Charges in less than an hour and provides up to 45 mins of fun. I haven’t drained the batteries yet in multiple sessions of playing with the cat and showing my coworkers how cool this little robotic gadget is. At this time in writing, there is only one supported app in the app store that will work with the Mini. They have announced that the Sphero Edu will support the Mini soon too. This is fantastic as it can be a learning tool for kids to learn basic programing. The geniuses behind the Sphero also integrated a few games into their apps that you can play by using the sphero as a controller. Spin, rotate, or move the sphero on your desk with your hand will manipulate the games accordingly. This increases the “re-playability” of the Sphero Mini and reduces the chances of you shelving this toy to collect dust. I highly recommend this to anyone from young to old as this will surely put a smile on any ones face. This would make a perfect birthday present or holiday stocking stuffer.

This is a fun little robot. Great for kids (and a nice workout for cats.) Fun to steer around the house. App is intuitive and easy to use. What makes it more than just a little remote controlled toy is the ability to code it with instructions with the Sphero Edu app. Great way for kids to learn how to code by giving it a set of instructions and see it run the program and then make changes. Only con is not sure how well it will hold up if it takes a big dive off a table or down a set of stairs. Definitely going to get a few of these for nieces and nephews for the holidays.

I was given the chance to mess around with the Sphero Mini. I had a lot of trouble connecting at first and worked with Sphero's awesome tech to find out I had a defective unit. After getting a replacement, I actually had fun messing around with friends and family. The Sphero Mini is a "robot" inside of a plastic ball casing. You can remotely control the Sphero via Smart device. You'll get a load of laughs messing with friends having a ball roll out of nowhere. The app it self is pretty easy to use. The app does all the updating when it needs to. There are a few ways of controlling the Sphero: remote control app, Facial expression, tilt, and slingshot. The remote control app is exactly as it sounds, you use your thumb to maneuver the ball where you want it. The facial expression control, you use silly and fun facial expression to control it. This was pretty entertaining seeing my friends try this and making silly faces. The tilt is a fun and easy way to control it. If you were willing, you could make a little make out of foam and use your phone to control the Sphero just like the tilt style video games on the app store. The last control style is the slingshot controls, just imagine angry birds style slingshot. The further you pull back the faster it goes. I didn't own a pet so I borrowed my neighbor's cat. The cat had a blast messing with the Sphero, I would say it was a PAWSitive experience. Ba Dum Tss. Thank you folks I'll be here all day. hahah. If you're looking for a good stocking stuffer or a fun gift, the Sphero would be a good idea.

Larger Sphero devices tend to run from $100 and up. This Mini device can use the same Edu App as all other devices so a child can continue to hone their Coding skills. Big plus is that is charges quickly (about 30 minutes compared to an 1 1/2 hr charge time for larger ones.) Downside is it doesn't run a true path, so that can prove somewhat frustrating. As one who works with kids, I have recommended this product to parents as a more financially feasible means to gift their children one of the coveted Sphero products.