A Multi-Faceted....Ball...!! Many Sides!..but only one face!!.. you get it, read on!
In it's simplest form, it's a remote control ball, which is controlled by the Iphone/Android phone by using Bluetooth.
In fact though, it does so much more!
What do I get?
The cute little 4" Ball, with a nice little blue face. A new version is partially see-through so you can see what's going on inside! Also comes with a charger which charges wirelessly, takes around 3hours to charge but you do then get a LONG time to play, I've played on and off for about a week, now I think it's just starting to die. 
Just look at all this lot! a neat little holder for when your not playing with it, or is it just a packaging holder? not sure.. 4 different charger adapters, quick start guide and technical manual. and 5 double sided cards giving great Ideas on what to do with your Sphero. So what CAN I do with it??
It's simplest and foremost use is as a remote control ball to annoy your pets and entertain the kids! Or yourself if you're a Geek-dad like me!
You can also use it to play games in augmented reality apps like THE ROLLING DEAD, where you use the Sphero (and phone camera) to run over zombies in your living room!
In a few games like ELITE you can also play games using the Sphero as the controller! This is probably my favourite use of the Sphero as it opens a whole new way of playing games, which hasn't really been broken into in the world of console gaming (in arcade gaming a rolling ball has been used to play Snooker!).
This is what also gets you into the App Development, Sphero is a brilliant toy to integrate onto the app market!
All of the games made by Sphero are currently free, I believe there may be a few paid for games which developers have started to make, but the originals are the best.
The Sphero is also water resistant so can be used on water, quite effectively too! Ingenious how it bobs along the water!
Controls:-
Controlling the Sphero with your smart phone is brilliant. I initially thought there may be a lag with quick turns, this is definitely not the case. Although, going from left to right seems to work with the ball turning a circle, but there is a technique to make this quicker.
Another feature is that you can 'Power up' your Sphero by playing with it. Here you can also upgrade your 'Special moves'.'Rev up' as I call it, makes the Sphero flash and appear to rev up, not completely un-like Sonic the Hedgehog!
With 'Speedy' mode where for a short while you can speed along the floor!
The last move is "Rainbow DJ" the Sphero basically turns lots of different colours along with music which comes out of the phone.
Looks:The Sphero is white but via the smart phone app you are able to change the static colour of the Sphero, one of millions of colours!
TOY or PET?
Quite strangely, I found myself get quite attached to the Sphero, with the sound on, he makes an array of different sounds, from 'WEEEEE's when zooming around, to mad tones when you 'Rev up'.
The Verdict:
Sphero is brilliant! Unfortunately I don't have more time to play with it, a gadget Dad would certainly LOVE one of these for Crimbo, or even the Sphero 2.0 which is already out! It's more robust and the controls have been tweaked to be more sensitive to provide a 'smoother ride'.
My Son even loved this! for fear of not wanting to break this on the first day I didn't let his small hands on it, but he did love running around our front room after it!
All the bright pretty colours kept my baby quiet too!
The only annoyance I came across was as this is a ball which goes in every direction, and due to the nature of the controls, you do need to tell Sphero which way is forward, this isn't to much of a problem though and easily (and quickly) solvable.
How Much?
Sphero 1.0 retails at around £99.99 and is well worth it, due to the many uses! Use the search bar at the side to have a butchers on Amazon!
For more info regarding Sphero 1.0 and 2.0 go to www.gosphero.com.
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