Cool Connected Toys for All Ages
This week’s SmartDevice roundup features cool toys that will give you hours of play and entertainment.
Sphero 2.0
The days when kids get excited to go outside and play seem long gone, sacrificed to this era of smartphones and tablets. So if you want to inject some physical activity into your childrens’ lives without the tantrums, you might want to consider the Sphero 2.0.
This little ball of fun is controlled using an app. It comes with two ramps so you can make it fly off into space — we wish! Sphero 2.0 has a top speed of 7 feet per second and connects with your kid’s device via Bluetooth with a range of up to 100 feet. It has multicolor LEDs that makes the ball more interesting, and more visible at night. You can also purchase a Nubby cover, a rubber protector, for off-road fun. It’s waterproof, dustproof and shockproof — essentially kid-proof, though the safety of your good China may be at risk.
reaDIYmate
Teens are very much into the social side of the mobile world. To spice up their lives while still tying them to their childhood roots, you can buy them a reaDIYmate.
reaDIYmates are do-it-yourself animated paper companions that react to a person’s digital life. You can set the paper toy to move and play music when you receive notifications from social media outlets, or even use your smartphone to make it move or play songs. The paper toy is highly customizable and hackable, so your teen can really get creative.
reaDIYmate has two components: the animated body, which contains a mini servo motor and a speaker housed in a strong, high-quality paper, and the computer brain, which includes the MP3 decoder, 2GB SD storage and a Wi-Fi chip, all enclosed in a plastic box featuring a cool arcade push-button.
MYO
And for active teens who also love gadgets and video games, MYO is another worthy companion.
MYO is an armband that measures the electrical activities in a person’s muscles so you can interact with computers or gadgets seamlessly. It uses Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy to communicate with paired devices, and is compatible with Mac and Windows. MYO will soon have an API for Android and iOS.
You can pre-order the device now for $149, but you won’t get it until 2014.
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