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Engadget giveaway: win a Darkside Ollie courtesy of Sphero!
If you've been out of the loop for the past few years, you may have missed the original app-controlled Sphero robot, but late last year its action-centric sibling the Ollie, hit the ground running rolling. The Ollie can be controlled from up to 100FT away with an iOS or Android device and cruise at speeds of up to 14MPH. For those who prefer subdued stylings, Sphero even released a special edition: the Darkside Ollie. This high-tech (and hackable) toy can do off-road rambling and snake its way into nearby skate sessions to pay tribute to its namesake. Practiced users can have the Ollie doing an array of edgy tricks, all with a little help from the built-in accelerometer and gyroscope. In the name of fun, Sphero has given us three of these obsidian speedsters for a trio of Engadget readers to enjoy this week. As always, simply head to the Rafflecopter widget below to get up to three chances at winning your very own taste of the Darkside. Winners: congratulations to Victor W. of La Jolla CA, John N. of St. Louis MO, and Matthew P. of Hillsboro, OR.
Engadget UK giveaway: win a Sphero 2.0 or Ollie bot courtesy of Orbotix
The best kind of presents to receive are often ones you have no legitimate need for; the gifts intended purely to put smiles on faces. And, having a little fun is exactly what this week's giveaway is all about. To get you in the Christmas spirit, our friends at Orbotix have been kind enough to supply no less than four of their speedy, app-controlled robots for us to send the way of big and small kids alike. We've got one of the company's Sphero 2.0 ball-bots to give away, as well as three of the newer Ollie bots, including an all-black and limited-edition Darkside model, meaning everyone has a whopping four chances to win. As is tradition, you can enter up to three times via the Rafflecopter widget below, though we'd advise a quick scan of the rules beforehand, if you wouldn't mind. Winning: congrats to David S. from Thames Ditton, Adam T. from Newcastle, Nihal C. from Warrington and Jon R. from Oldham.
Win an Ollie, Sphero 2.0 or Darkside Ollie from TUAW and Orbotix
Sphero and Ollie from Orbotix have been TUAW favorites for quite a while -- I mean, how can you not love fun and educational robots that are controlled and programmed from your favorite iOS device? Well, the good folks at Orbotix are making it easy for three lucky readers to pick up one of their products through a giveaway that will be running through 11 PM MST (10 PM PST) on November 30, 2014. How do you enter? Just click here, read the terms and conditions of the giveaway, fill out the simple form and click or tap that Submit button. One winner is going to get a Sphero 2.0 (above), the latest iteration of the app-controlled ball that does it all! Valued at US$149.99, Sphero zips around at up to 4.5 mph, glows in a rainbow of colors, can be controlled via a huge and growing variety of apps, and even programmed through SPRK. Want something with a bit more speed? One winner is going to get an Ollie (above) valued at $119.99. Ollie is the app-controlled robot driven by adrenaline and can speed around at up to 14 miles per hour! Built-in LEDs let you drive at night, and the Ollie app can give you the power to do insane tricks. The last prize is a Darkside Ollie (that's it in the photo above) valued at $149.99. Using Bluetooth LE for control up to 100 feet away, Darkside Ollie not only looks really cool, but comes with 2 nubby tires, 2 turbo tires, 2 prime hubs and 2 flux hubs. Like its sibling Ollie, Darkside Ollie can drive for over an hour on a full charge and can be programmed with MacroLab or OrbBasic on either your iPhone or iPad. Do we have you excited yet? Here's the link to the giveaway page again. Go and enter, and in the meantime, enjoy a few videos.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: Orbotix
Like cool vehicles you can control from your smartphone? Boy have we got the company for you. Orbotix celebrated CES 2014 with the release of a new kind of Sphero. The 2B has two treads, moves fast and is available at a lower price point than its older sibling. We'll be speaking with the company's co-founders. January 9, 2014 2:30:00 PM EST
Sphero's 2B smartphone-controlled toy is quick, easy to control and a lot of fun (hands-on)
We know, we know. Sometimes a poem just doesn't do it when it comes to a product announcement. Thankfully, Sphero's new budget 2B rolled into CES Unveiled just in time. The smartphone-controlled toy will retail for $100 when it drops in the fall -- that's $60 less than Sphero 2.0's current asking price. The company had a handful of models on the floor, and while all of them are prototypes, they worked remarkably well. We got the hang of it from the first moment we picked up the iOS app. It's responsive and handles a lot better than its predecessor right out of the box, no doubt owing to the slightly more traditional form factor -- that is, if you can use a word like "traditional" to refer to a device like this. Also, in spite of being a prototype, the 2B is pretty rugged, as we found ourselves playing Sphero bumper cars. The rep we spoke with told us that the final version will likely have IR built-in, so multiple 2Bs can interact -- and with the lower price point, it'll be that much easier for people to pick up a couple of devices for their home. The final version will also have more lighting effects built-in. Those nub tires you see are removable, by the way, so you can customize your device. The company was also showing off a 2B rocking smoother tires, which was even faster, with speeds of up to 14 feet a second, a fair bit zippier than the pricier Sphero 2.0. Nicole Lee contributed to this report.
The announcement of 2B, Prince of Sphero: Act 3, Scene 1
2B or not 2B: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler to spend $100 On a budget device, not technically a sphere, But more reminiscent of a monster truck; With two giant knobby wheels on either side Of an oblong polycarbonate body in black or white. O 'tis capable of traveling at up to 14 feet; Controlled by an iPhone or Android device Up inclines and o'er bumpy terrain But lo, it will not be available until the fall: Ay, there's the rub.
Weekly Roundup: Smartphone buyer's guide, Hyperloop, Windows 8.1 release date, and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Daily Roundup: Tablet buyer's guide, Outlook goes down, Windows 8.1 launch date, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Sphero 2.0 rolls out at speeds 'slightly slower than a Lamborghini' (video)
A robotic ball you control with your phone? What's not to like? Well, we managed to find a few things when we took a look at the first generation back in 2011 -- that's what we do. Most of the criticisms of the original Sphero came down to pricing and the admittedly short list of things it could actually do at the time. Sure it was pretty great at driving feline friends completely nuts -- but that alone wasn't enough to justify the $130 price tag. Orbotix has made some improvements since then, and more importantly, the open API has given users a much fuller experience, with around 20 or so compatible titles currently available on the iPhone. This month, the company is refreshing the device itself, with the simply titled Sphero 2.0. The particularly astute among you will no doubt notice that nothing has really changed here from an aesthetic standpoint. Nope, it's the same white plastic ball with the cartoony Sphero mascot on one side and all of the fine print (FCC info, "Made in China," etc.) on the other, with a series of interlinking, barely visible lines across its surface. There have been some hardware changes to the toy, but everything's on the inside, namely brighter lights and faster speeds -- as the company insists in its press material, it's "only slightly slower than a Lamborghini." Of course, scale's important here.
CES Unveiled: Sphero reveals new apps to roll around in
The good folks at Orbotix, makers of the little roly-poly robot Sphero, were also in attendance at CES Unveiled last night, where they were showing off a number of new apps coming to add more functionality to the robotic ball. Sharky the Beaver was shown off a while ago, but it was on display last night as well, and it features the robot's complicated augmented reality system, where you can use the camera on your iOS device to spot Sphero, making it be displayed as something else (in this case, a cartoony beaver). Orbotix also told us about Nyan Cat Space Party, another app for the ball that's out right now, that allows users to control the famous Pop-Tart/cat hybrid with Sphero itself. And the last app we saw was an upcoming release called Zombie Rollers, where you can use the ball as a hand-held controller to roll a little character around to crush zombies. The game looked really fun, and Orbotix told us it should be available in January for free. We asked about sales figures for the little ball robot, but unfortunately, Orbotix didn't have any clear numbers to share, only telling us that there are "hundreds of thousands" of the balls out there in the world right now. And when we asked for other plans for the ball this year, the company's rep just explained that it's focusing on software development for the moment, both working on things like the augmented reality system for third-party developers to use in making games and apps, and working on its own mobile Sphero-enhanced software as well. So it seems like a catch-up year for Sphero -- now that the ball itself is out and available (you can buy it online for US$130, or find it at a number of big retailers like Target and even the Apple Store), the focus seems to be on building up the library of software you can use it with. That's good news for Sphero owners, and of course the more apps that become available, the more luck Orbotix will have in convincing new customers to get on a roll themselves.
Sphero gets an improved, multifunction Drive app, we go hands-on
Just about a year ago we got to review Orbotix's Sphero, and while it was an amusing little remote control orb, its controls left a lot to be desired. A couple months ago, the company gave Sphero some new firmware that included the "Vector Drive" feature, which eliminated Sphero's meandering ways and gave it far more precise steering. Now, the company has improved its Drive app and combined it with the old Sphero and Cam apps. This new version of Drive has a tool that lets users aim the ball with a single finger -- a small, but welcome improvement over the old, fidgety two-finger method. Additionally, the app has a new Auto Heading function that keeps Sphero aware of the orientation of its controller to provide a much more intuitive driving experience. After giving it a go ourselves, we can attest that it's a marked improvement over the prior iterations of Drive. We no longer had to plan out Sphero's routes, and we could drive feeling confident that the ball would roll as directed. Check out how the refreshed controls work in our video after the break.
Sphero releases a new slate of games, more coming this year
Sphero is the little robot ball that you can control with your iOS device (or other mobile device), and the company behind the toy has announced that it's releasing a new series of games for Sphero. There are already a few out there, but this new lineup will include more titles with different types of gameplay, as well as a few sequels to previous games with better interactivity and smoother features. You can play Tag with your Sphero, or ColorGrab, which requires you to pick the ball up when it flashes a certain color. There's also an updated version of the Golf game, and a brand new controller app with more options to connect and more ways to use the cute little ball. Sphero's got an app catalog set up to show off the apps that work with the ball, and you can buy the device itself at Brookstone or an Apple Store near you (the MSRP is $129.99). Sphero says it's aiming to get up to 20 more apps out before the holiday season is over, so we'll expect to see even more titles available soon.
Orbotix pits Sphero as an advanced 3D controller, details upcoming Augmented Reality Engine (hands-on)
During the wind down of E3, we were able to spend a few fleeting moments with the folks from Orbotix to talk about its latest batch of upcoming software for Sphero. If you're unfamiliar with the gizmo, it's essentially a Bluetooth-enabled robotic ball that can be controlled using your Android or iOS device. While Sphero is certainly a unique toy, we grew bored of it quickly -- it ended up best serving us as spendy dog toy during our review. The toy does have constant app development in its favor however, and the company insists that it will continue to offer free apps that open up the roller's capabilities. Head past the break where we'll detail two new advancements on the platform: augmented reality and advanced 3D control support.
Sphero adds first third-party app with Last Fish
Sphero is a little rolling ball robot that's controlled via iOS or other mobile devices. We last covered it when it was being previewed at CES, but it's been available for a while, either online or at a Brookstone store near you. But now the little ball has added a new trick to its repertoire: With a game called Last Fish, Sphero now works as a controller. I'm not completely clear on how it exactly works, but I think you can just roll Sphero around to control the luminescent onscreen fish, which seems like a really good idea. You're effectively translating a 2D screen into actual, 3D space. The game seems very artistic and well-done, if a little simple, but the added charm of using the Sphero device makes it worth checking out. We'll look forward to seeing the Sphero used in other ways in conjuction with third-party iOS apps.
Orbotix Sphero review
It's been just over a year since we first heard about Orbotix's little smartphone-controlled cue ball named Sphero, and since that time, we've seen a couple of pre-production units strut their stuff. Apparently, we weren't the only folks left intrigued -- there were so many folks wanting one that production capacity couldn't meet demand. So, while the company can't deliver every pre-ordered orb by its initial December delivery date, the first few Spheros are going out today and will be in the hands of some owners by the end of the week. Whether you're waiting for yours to arrive or are debating whether to get in on the robotic ball action, join us after the break to find out if it's a techno toy worth $130 of your hard-earned cash. %Gallery-142059%
Sphero shipments delayed due to high demand, won't be here-o until January
Our hearts were aflutter with anticipation when the Sphero went up for pre-order last month, but that excitement has since been supplanted by a big knot of disappointment, because the smartphone-controlled robotic ball won't be hitting the market until after the holiday season. In a letter published yesterday, Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian attributed his company's setback to a fundamental economic quandary. "Demand has been greater than expected and our production capabilities are slower than we planned," Berberian wrote. "What that means is only a handful of orders are going to be fulfilled before the holidays and the majority of orders will be fulfilled in January." Writing on behalf of the manufacturer, Berberian went on to accept full blame for the delay, with rather admirable honesty: "We simply underestimated the number of units we'd need to make and, more importantly, we miscalculated how long it would take to bring up the production line." To make up for it, Orbotix is offering free expedited shipping to all customers who pre-ordered the device in time for the holidays, along with a free Sphero t-shirt.
Holiday Gift Guide: Accessories for all
Welcome to TUAW's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! We're here to help you choose the best gifts this holiday season, and once you've received your gifts we'll tell you what apps and accessories we think are best for your new Apple gear. Stay tuned every weekday from now until the end of the year for our picks and helpful guides and check our Gift Guide hub to see our guides as they become available. For even more holiday fun, check out sister site Engadget's gift guide. Let's be honest -- while you might plunk down the cash for a MacBook Air or iPad for your loved ones, you're probably not going to go all out on a brand new device for your co-workers and acquaintances. But that doesn't mean you can't still support the various Macheads in your life -- no matter how many Apple devices someone might have, there are many more accessories for those various devices lining the shelves at Best Buy. Cases, plug-ins, covers, and stick-ons, oh my! Let us take you on a quick tour through the Mac accessory landscape, and help you find some really great recommendations of all different prices for all of the Apple devices in your life. Even if there isn't a Mac fanatic around you who needs some of this stuff, no worries. Just bookmark this page, and come back after the holidays, whenever you yourself have unwrapped that big package "designed in California" that's sitting underneath your tree this year. The PlugBug Perhaps the hottest Mac-cessory this year, the PlugBug turned all kinds of heads when TwelveSouth finally released it earlier this month. Yes, it's just a charger, but no, it's not just a charger -- it's a super useful and well-designed accessory that already works with those cords you got in the Apple box. You can charge both a MacBook (or Air or Pro) and a USB device like an iPhone or iPad from just one outlet, and all you need to pack in your bag is the usual cords and this little red adapter. It's a great, smart device that adds just a little bit of color to an already very Apple way of thinking. ($34.99 from TwelveSouth) The iCade There were a few arcade cabinets for the iPad out this year, but the original iCade by ThinkGeek and Ion Audio. It originally started up as an April Fool's joke, and then was made real: An actual miniature arcade cabinet, complete with buttons and a joystick, that you can plug your iPad in to play arcade games on. The list of compatible titles is long and growing, so anyone in the house who loves playing old-school games on the iPad will really enjoy this one.($79.99 by ThinkGeek) TenOne's Fling and Fling mini for iPad and iPhone Again, there have been some very similar competitors pop up in this space, but when it comes to attaching a physical joystick to Apple's touch screens, the Fling is the original and the best. It's suprisingly simple, but feels and works great, especially on games where you'd normally use a virtual joystick, but it provides the tactile feedback that Apple's no buttons policy just can't match. Go ahead and buy a two-pack -- you'll need them both. (Two-pack is $29.95 for the iPad, $24.95 for the iPhone at TenOne Design) Keyboard covers by KB Covers Whether you're typing on a MacBook or a wireless Apple keyboard, a good keyboard cover can keep things clean and make your keyboard last longer and work better, no matter what your fingers have been touching lately. And KB Covers are the best we've seen -- not only are they made of a nice tough, stretchy plastic, but they're extremely useful, providing easy visual access to custom shortcuts for almost any app or International keyboard layout you'd ever want. No matter what Mac or keyboard model you have, or what you're doing with it (from editing in Avid to playing World of Warcraft), there's a KB Cover for you or your gift-getter. (Various prices, at KB Covers) The Peel The Peel system can be complicated, so it's not necessarily for everybody. But for just the right person on your gift list, it might be perfect. The Peel consists of both a "fruit" unit that sits on your home entertainment system and plugs into your television, and then an app that runs on your iOS device, and can be used to not only control your A/V setup, but also find various shows and things to watch according to your tastes. We didn't think the Peel would work as your usual remote, unfortunately, but for the right gadgethead interested in using an iOS device to make their TV watching experience a little better, it would be a great gift. ($99 at Peel) A case! Yes, there will undoubtedly be a lot of iPhones and iPads sold this year, and odds are that everyone who gets a new one under their tree will also need to find an excellent case for it. Many times, this tends to be a very personal choice, so you might want to think twice about getting a case for some one, or at least remember to be gracious when you find out it's not exactly what they wanted. But still, there are plenty of great cases out there, from cases that make your device look like a book, to something you can use with a little more functionality as an actual wallet. Cases can be as individual as the people who buy them, so be a little careful as to which one you pick out, but the right choice for the right person can be a terrific and memorable gift. (Various) Remote-controlled fun Sure, functionality can be important, but sometimes you just want to have a little bit of remote fun with your Mac. How about a remote-controlled USB missle launcher that can even be activated over the Internet? One of those Ar.Drone quadricopters that can be controlled with your iOS device? Or you can even be the first to nab a Sphero, a little remote-controlled ball that's arriving just in time for Christmas later on this year. There's lots of kooky fun to be had with your Apple devices -- sure, it may not be too practical, but if you've already got all of the power Apple has put into these machines, why not put a little bit of it to work in real life? (Various) A hard drive Finally, we'll leave you with a choice that's a little more practical than those toys: Even with the advent of iCloud, the one thing any Mac user will always love getting is more hard drive space. With all of the apps coming out all of the time, and lots and lots of content being made and edited, anyone with a Mac or even an iPhone or iPad could probably use a few more gigabytes (or even terabytes) in their lives. Western Digital has released a few excellent standalone hard drives meant for Mac this year, but especially during Black Friday and the holiday season afterwards, Best Buy or any of the other big box electronics stores are usually running some great deals on external hard drives, so you can easily pick one up for around $50 or even under that some times. If you want to go a little more fancy, you can check out the Iomega Mac Companion, meant specifically to work with a Mac as a high-capacity backup drive. But whatever kind of storage you choose, there's no question that the Mac fan in your life will appreciate the extra digital storage space. Happy holidays! Here's hoping you find just the right gift for the Mac lover in your life this year!
Sphero goes up for pre-order, ready to roll its way into your heart
Our favorite iOS / Android-controlled toy ball is coming soon to an annoyed cat near you. You can pre-order Sphero now for $130 through Amazon, and it'll start shipping in December, just in time to remotely find its way into a stocking or two.
Sphero available for pre-orders now
We got to see Sphero, the remote-controlled ball toy controlled by an iOS device, way back at the beginning of this year at CES, and if you're still interested, it's now finally available for pre-order. The toy's been priced out at $129.99, which is a little high, I think, but then again if you really want to be the early adopter on this one, it's probably worth the cash. Plus, the ball will come with six different apps, including Sphero Drive (the standard remote control app), Sphero Golf, Sphero Blox (where you can set up commands for the ball), and SpheroCam, which will give recordable access to the onboard camera. The company is also promising a puzzle game called Chromo, and an app called "Sphero World," which makes the whole experience social by combining information and results with others around the world. When you talk about all of that functionality, that price isn't too bad, actually. The company says Sphero is shipping as soon as December of this year, so if you've been waiting to get your hands on this thing, the wait is almost over. You can pre-order directly from the Orbotix store, and we're told it should be on Amazon soon.
Sphero boasts new look, launch set for later this year
We saw Sphero in action in January at CES 2011, and the company has released some details on the final prototype and an actual release. The little iOS-controlled sphere is still planned for release sometime this year, but it's got a new design that you can see above. Don't worry, it's still a ball, as that blue base there is just for charging and storage. The design is new, and the shell of the ball itself is different from when we saw it. It's supposed to be a very sturdy polycarbonate material that still lets the LEDs inside shine through. Perfect for playing with cats? There's still no price or actual date for release yet, unfortunately, but that can't stop you from being able to preorder one of your own if you like. Hopefully we'll hear more about this soon. If the short time we had with it at CES was any indication, this little device should be a lot of fun when combined with your iPhone or iPad.