The biggest film of 2016 has been Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The mix of new characters with the classic Star Wars theme blew the crowds away, bringing in a total box office of $529 million worldwide in the opening weekend alone. While the older generation of Star Wars fans couldn’t get enough of the return of the classic characters like R2-D2 and C-3 PO, new Droid BB-8 was a hit with All Star Wars fans. In the film, this Droid is a physical prop rather than just generated using CGI and for the force faithful this is definitely a welcome return to ‘real’ characters and now you can buy the Sphero BB-8 App Enabled Droid and re-create your favourite scenes from the film.
BB-8, with his unique and quirky head-balanced-on-rolling-ball motion, has taken over from the iconic R2-D2 as the ‘adorable droid’ of the latest movie in the franchise, who assists Rey and Finn in their struggle against the evil Kylo Ren.
So why is BB-8 so popular? Simple – he is witty, innocent, smart, and just plain cute. Naturally, BB-8 would make the perfect toy and a great Christmas gift for all ages of fans. The droid offers the kind of simple and fun sci-fi technology that people today are so fascinated with. With its incredible features, the Sphero BB-8 App Enabled Droid toy, available at Amazon, brings the excitement of Star Wars into your own home. This holiday season, why not roll home this year’s favourite children’s Sci-Fi character, and watch your child’s eyes light up when they receive it.
Overview of the features of the Sphero Star Wars BB-8 Droid
- Measures 4.5 inches tall and is 2.9 inches’ wide
- Bluetooth speaker
- Voice response and recognition
- 1-hour battery life
- Evolves with interaction
- App Enabled (IOS and Android capabilities)
- 30m range
- Inductive Charging
- Gyroscopic propulsion
- Record and view holographic videos
Perhaps the coolest part about the Sphero Star Wars BB-8 Droid is the gyroscopic propulsion. To see the droid rolling around so gracefully will truly make you believe in the magic of the future. To add to the captivation, the unique machinery created by the makers of the Sphero BB-8 fully equipped it with an evolving nature. It almost has a mind of its own! Not only will it roll around with you on its own, you can also hold its power in the palm of your own hand. By using the smart phone app, which is compatible with IOS or Android, you can determine where it goes and what it does. The high tech Sphero Star Wars BB-8 Droid can record AND view holographic video. Tell it to start recording something; it will recognise your voice and obey your commands.
Buy the Sphero BB-8 App Enabled Droid today at Amazon before the prices rise with the upcoming holiday season. Click the link below, you will not be disappointed:
www.amazon.co.uk/Sphero Star Wars BB-8 Droid
Using Your BB-8
After an initial 3 hours charge on its induction base (the unit used for charging looks more like a display) stand-the BB-8 is ready for pairing with your Android or iOS controller app.
To pair your device, you open the Sphero BB-8 app and place your Droid close to your tablet or smartphone. Once the two are close to each other, they will pair easily with a satisfying glow appearing on BB-8. It will immediately launch a control screen on your device. You’ll also be treated to the original Stars Wars theme tune playing during the setup.
Once paired, its ready to roam around in the room. You can try BB-8 on a table-top, but without training, it can quickly go flying towards the edge and may succumb to the power of gravity! Luckily, BB-8 is quite sturdy and tough and can easily survive falls without damage.
Until you get used to the controls it is best to keep it close to the ground and use it only on laminate, wooden, concrete, tiled or carpeted surfaces. For those who’re more adventurous, well kept lawns can be traversable though the tiny Droid might move faster there and may often end up in the shrubbery!
BB-8 can be controlled using a simple on-screen joystick. This lets you steer the Droid by moving the button within a circle. On the other side of display there is an outline that displays which way the Droid facing. You also get access to a speed boost button that allows temporary acceleration.
For all those who want a really immersive experience, the BB-8 can sporadically make authentic sounds from the Stars Wars movie, though you will have to plug headphones into the paired smartphone or tablet to hear them.
More Features of The Sphero BB-8 App Enabled Droid
App enabled- authentic movement:
The BB-8 droid connect to a compatible Apple iOS, Android or tablet and lets you explore your surroundings, you can also record and even view holographic messages without hassle.
Watch with me:
This is a new feature, just watch the Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie with your droid and get to see the amazing reactions along with the film.
Interactive and adaptive personality:
The BB-8 Droid displays its superior capabilities, unlike other robots. It is capable of recognizing your voice or that of your child and responds in regards to the commands given. The droid is capable of adapting to the given situations by changing its attitude and actions as you interact with it. You can watch the droid perk up and display a broad range of emotion.
Holographic communication:
You can record and watch several virtual holographic videos.
Induction charging:
You do not have to worry about connecting wires to charge anymore. The Sphero BB-8 App Enabled Droid is equipped with a wireless charging system for convenience and simple replenishment. The droid only requires three hours of charging that will give you a full hour of play time.
Force Band accessory:
Instead of using your smart phone the movement of the Sphero BB-8 App Enabled Droid is processed by the accelerometer and the gyroscope in the band which is worn wrist. The band displays four simple basic commands which are: move towards you, move away from you, rotate and stop. These four basic commands are sufficient enough to get the job done.
The smartphone app:
To control the BB-8 droid from your device, you must download the compatibility app from your mobile phone device and pair it with the Droid via Bluetooth. The app displays a menu on your device with four options- Patrol, Drive, Message and Settings and a menu for Force Band control- like force awakens, force training, and combat training.
The drive option lets you navigate your surrounding using the droid, however, if you when not in the mood to control the droid by yourself, the Patrol feature lets the BB-8 navigate on its own.
Durability
BB-8 droid’s body is wrapped in elaborate graphics that are very durable. Users who’ve had the opportunity to own the toy report that the droid often ran into furniture and walls, but there still wasn’t a single scratch on its body. That means the toy can easily survive whichever dangers and perils that lurk in your office or home.
The magnet will strongly hold onto the head if the droid accidentally runs into something, but it might pop-off if the droid tries to roll under something that doesn’t have enough room. But that is no worry as it is easy to reattach the head to the spherical body. You shouldn’t be worried about the tiny antennas, either. There is little risk of them snapping in case of a collision as they are made from flexible plastic.
Self-Righting Mechanism
It has a self-righting mechanism on the inside that permits it to propel itself. The self-righting mechanism works in a similar fashion with the giant inflatable spheres in the movies where someone climbs the walls of the sphere to keep it rolling. For the droid to steer itself forward, backward or sideways, it has a vertical support that holds its head in position with the aid of a magnet.
Induction Charging
With three hours of charge, you get an hour of playtime. To charge the Droid, you simply set it on the included base and it will automatically start charging.
Accompanying App
The droid is accompanied with an app that is well laid out, very easy to use and responsive. You don’t need to sit through long tutorials to master using the app with the Droid. However, there is a manual that guides through every step of the way but you should easily be able to manage without reading it!
Patrol Mode
This mode allows the Droid roam around on its own. During this session, the droid gathers information for you. Key bits of data include the temperature in his surroundings, his acceleration, collision and proximity warning alerts. Even though this data is not detailed enough for actual mapping, it’s still entertaining to watch BB-8 progress as it explores the world.
Specifications
The Sphero BB-8 App Enabled Droid operates at a range of up to 30m. It recharges via a docking station via inductive charging, meaning no cables need to be plugged in. It’s highly compact and portable, at only 5.31 inches wide, 8.86 inches tall and weighing just 1.25 pounds.
Some Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Holographic projection
- Authentic motion
- Voice recognition
- Adaptive personality
- Autonomous operation
Cons
- It would be fun if it automatically returned to the charging dock automatically, but this must be done manually
Sphero Star Wars BB-8 Droid Customer Reviews and Ratings
According to the majority of buyers, the Sphero BB-8 App Enabled Droid is fun and works as promised. Other users mention its amazing design, ability to adapt and react as well as the easy app control feature via smartphone. However, this doesn’t make it a perfect choice for everyone – there are some who think the price is a little bit higher.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How easy is it to set up and use?
- Really easy. Just charge it up, download the free app to your smartphone or tablet from iTunes or Google Play, connect to the Droid, and you’re ready to go.
- How does the holographic projection work?
- It doesn’t actually project a holograph – it does it through your smartphone or tablet using Augmented Reality. The holograph is ‘projected’ from BB-8 on your device’s screen when you hold it over the Droid. The effect is still very cool though.
Conclusion
The BB-8 is definitely a great little Stars Wars toy that will work with many third-party apps. It can drive around your house or lawn and will provide some genuine fun. With more than 1600 positive reviews on Amazon you can be sure that this toy will provide you with real fun for a very long time.
The BB-8 droid is the best Droid to go for, the automatic robotic mode, holographic messaging and the control modes are really good. The force band will make you fall in love with this little robot.
This isn’t just the ultimate gift for Star Wars geeks, or even for people who love drones and other remote-control gadgetry. This gadget is cool enough to actually win children over into the Star Wars franchise and create new fans for life.
Click here to Buy the Sphero BB-8 App Enabled Droid from Amazon at the best price now