I received the Sphero BB-8™ – the app-enabled Droid™ for free however the review is my honest opinion and includes affiliate links.
When the first series of teaser trailers came out for Star Wars: The Force Awakens there was these crazy little droid tearing along the sands. It was completely round but had a little head on top. People lost their minds wondering how that could even be possible. How could there be a completely round droid rolling around with a head unit. It looked likes something impossible but yet… Sphero created a personal miniature sized version of the droid, BB-8 and it is incredible.
When I first got the Sphero BB-8, I was impressed by the packaging. It was so cool. BB-8 was encased in foam to keep from bouncing around and his inductive charging base in the foam directly below. I downloaded the app for my Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and my Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The app loaded smoothly and worked well. With it I was able to interact with BB-8 on many levels. I could drive him with remote control. I could record holographic message that BB-8 could play back. I could even interact with BB-8 using my voice. This is such a great gift for Gadget Geeks in your life.
After opening up the BB-8 box carefully, I placed BB-8 on the inductive charging base. The bottom ball of BB-8 is completely smooth. The head is magnetic and has little wheels so that it easily rolls to stay on top at all times. There are moments where driving BB-8 very fast and you make him change directions very quickly that the head will come off. It isn’t often but it can happen, however it is very easy to put it back on and continue to play. You can even use the app to put BB-8’s maximum speed lower. This is good when you are having the kids play with BB-8 for the first time. That much power can be more than they can handle right off the bat.
I did most of the driving and the kids were thrilled. Our cat, James, was not. He was following BB-8, then running away and my wife said that he was twitching and on edge for the next half hour. We took turns giving BB-8 voice instructions and enjoying the hilarity that ensued. BB-8 should be on your list of Gifts for Kids.
BB-8 is an incredible little toy. I have only scratched the surface of what he can do. I’ve watched many of the holographic videos and made more of them on my own. I haven’t really let BB-8 do much exploring on his own but there is autonomous behavior built into BB-8 and he adapts the more you interact. Once I start playing with him more I’m sure I’ll see more fun things from him. Here he is in action. I kinda let him get away from me. He’s fast.
BB-8 can be a little tough to track down but you can find him at Marbles: The Brain Store. There are a ton of other great toys that you can find there as well but it is a place that you can certainly find this elusive character. Oh, and you get FREE Shipping, too!