SpheroR2-D2 App-Enabled Droid (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

I got this droid because I wanted something that I could program myself. While I have it five stars, that doesn't mean I don't have some small issues with it.FIRST I PAID TOO MUCH ON AMAZON - They list as 32 dollars on the Sphero siteSecond, there are no object detection sensors, or cameras, or voice recognition, but I knew that when I got it.Third It did not come with a quickstart guide as the product advertised it would, instead it came with a "Legal Guide" on the Sphero site as well NO QUICKSTART GUIDE! Excuse me, I bought a toy, not a liability and I don't have a law degree, I'm programmer!Fourth it doesn't work on my most favorite devices, Windows 7 workstation, Galaxy 3s smart phone.Now, those are my only complaints, and they were not major obstacles to overcome, just petty annoyances. For those that can't think outside the box and are not internet savvy, don't buy this droid. There is no on or off button, you can only start it with the app and that app only works on a limited number of devices. I use my wife's IPAD and my son's Windows 10 work station. The IPAD sucks for programming, but is really nice for the StarWars App that you can download for free.The StarWars App is alright, but you can't program on it, and the toy gets boring after about a half hour. But I'm not going to talk about programming yet. Most folks want to know how well it works to play with. So I'll cover that first.It's okay for some features and really good for others. Like the joystick; it is very easy to use, and even the path drawing feature on the Starwars app is really simple and fun. He charges up in about an hour. Sounds and looks just like the real thing. In fact, I paid more for my SideShow R2 than I paid for the Sphero Droid and while the Sideshow claimed to be 1:6 scale, it was not. But this droid is. While it is not weathered like the sideshow droid is, it shouldn't be that hard to do, and the painted dome has a lot better paint job than on the more expensive (non-interactive) Sideshow model. Of course the doors don't open and a light saber doesn't come out the top, but the lights are better and this unit has realistic sound that comes right out of the droid. It has no problem with carpets as long as it is on one to begin with, it cannot transition from hardwood floors to carpet at all, but vise versa is okay.Now that aside, I like tinkering with things. So, I wasted no time going to the Shero edu app store and downloading the app on my son's Windows 10 machine and my wife's Ipad, both devices I hated until now. Programming sucks on the IPAD, but it is a great tester to run scripts that I complete on Windows. There's nothing like a 27" monitor and a full keyboard when you writing code, even if it is only javascript. I haven't tried the swift language yet because the samples I looked at are too verbose, I prefer programming languages without a lot of typing involved, like assembly or fortron, and c++, so I am using the javascripting text option on both the IPAD and Win10. They have a WYSIWYG option for both, but they are limiting for people that already know javascript because they don't give you a wide range of options.Their javascript wiki page is geared for people who are just beginning and I wish they just had a reference guide and spent more time explaining how each of the sensors work. For example the gyroscope seems to be a compass, but they don't really tell you that till you've poked around in the sensor code and collected some outputs of your own to evaluate.Anyway, if you like Star Wars, and you enjoy building programs and applications of your own this is the droid you are looking for. If you want something that is easy and fun to play with, then this is the droid for you. If you are expecting it to hold a conversation with you or navigate the complex terrain of your home, this is not the droid for you, but with a little programming, it could be.

I am still running R2 through his paces, so my full review will be posted shortly (as of 7/19/18).I am concentrating on the issues and problems that other reviewers have pointed out. So far so good... The pictures should give you an idea of what I'm working on.8/10/18 review update.I've tested pretty much everything I can think of. I tested R2-D2, R2-Q5, and BB9-E. Together, individually, and all combinations. I'm posting this update now because of all of the negative reviews and problems about the "watch with me " feature. I will give a full review and help explain how to sync the droids, device, and movie asap. But for now, just know that the watch with me features does work and is full of fun surprises.Full review 8/12/18. This will be a pretty intense and comprehensive review, so I will break it down into sections so that you can read about the issues or problems that you are having without having to read a novel. I'll start with the devices.Devices to app enable the droids. Android or iOS? Samsung or Apple? Tablet, pad, or smartphone? Does it matter in any way? I've tried every possible device, make, model, version, year, new, used, etc. The devices that I used the were Samsung Galaxy Tab E, Samsung Galaxy S6 phone, iPhone 4s, and iPhone 7s. Using these devices is part of the reason why this review took so long. Each device gave a different experience. From confusing and disappointing to shocking and amazing.As far as using the device just as a remote control they all performed well. The main thing to keep in mind is the size and weight of the device. A small smartphone is a lot easier to carry around then a large and bulky tablet. Also keep in mind that your devices battery might give out before the droids. Having more than one droid connected to the device at the same time will drain the devices battery just a little faster. But, because there are only two features in the app that allows more than one droid to interact while connected to the device, it's best to have the device on a charger. More on those features further in the review. With just using the as a remote control, the smaller screen, for the most part, does not matter.All devices remote control feature are the exact same. The screen is divided in half. The left side is used as the touch and move controller for the droid. The right side has 18 preprogrammed touch screen "emotional " sounds and motivation. On the bottom right corner there is a dome slider to rotate the heads of R2-D2 and R2-Q5 (not BB8 and BB9-E). Below the dome slider is a icon that will make the droid face in the opposite direction while keeping your finger on it (turn back around when you remove your finger) and a icon that will make the droid take off at max speed (it will stop the moment you remove your finger). The small screen devices make the right side features kind of difficult, no problem with larger screens.The only other user controlled feature that is exactly the same for every device tested is the "draw and follow " feature. You just draw a path on the screen and the droid move along that path. Again, larger screens make this easier. As for the other app features and devices, that's where things change.The droids, apps and features do seem to be designed with the iOS as the main mover and shaker, however...I was using the iPhones and the Samsung Galaxy Tab E for all of my initial trials. The AR holographic simulation features worked great using the iPhones with R2-D2 and BB9-E and not at all with the tablet. I was very disappointed about this because the bigger screen would have allowed the user a more immersive experience, however...When I got R2-Q5 I used the Samsung Galaxy S6 phone to compare with the other devices. The iPhones would not work for R2-Q5 in the AR feature, the did not work either. To my surprise and confusion, the Samsung phone worked perfectly.More to follow...10/04/18 review update...I have been testing and exploring every possible aspect of the R2-D2, R2-Q5, and BB9-E app enabled droids. Android tablets, phones, iOS devices, Force Band, Commodore 64, speak and spell, etc. Individually and every combination of group pairing that I could think of. As of now, I have yet to include BB8. The rest of my review will be in sections based on the top screen menu of the app once you connect to a droid. I think this will be easier for everyone. Instead of reading a lengthy review and getting overwhelmed, the reader can just read the sections of interest.1. Droid remote control. The first item on the top left of the menu is for user manual control and 18 preprogrammed actions. There are six items in the menu to select from. Three are for only one droid interaction and three for multiple droid interaction and connection. The remote control features is only able to control one droid at a time. Two or more droids would be too much for the app, the droids, and the user.

App is easy to use. Needs bluetooth and location so kinda sucky as I like having them off, but whatever. Would have loved this as a kid, now my 4 year old can enjoy it with me. Lots of different "emotes" and actions. Love the one that imitates getting shot by jawas and falling over. Little hard to get to sync with watching any of the movies, the device you use to control has to stay on which includes the screen, this is also true for watching a star wars movie with it. It uses the connected devices microphone, fine, but it keeps the screen on, if you turn it off it disconnects from the droid and you need to connect again usually. BUT STILL! Love it.

Desde niño he sido un gran fan de Star Wars. R2D2 siempre fue de mis personajes favoritos. Recibí este juguete como un regalo de mi adorada esposa. Desde que estaba desempacándolo estaba muy emocionado. Me encantó la presentación del empaque externo de la caja. El robot viene muy bien protegido para evitar daños. La primera impresión al sacarlo de la caja es de tener en las manos un jugiete bien hecho, con buenos maneriales y excelentes detalles en los acabados. Pesa, seguramente por toda la tecnología que tiene dentro. Se maneja muy bien desde la aplicación del celular, baila, se enoja, y hasta hace berrinche y se tira a sí mismo, igualito que en las películas. Además interactúa cuando ves una película de Star Wars con él. Toda una maravilla tecnológica. Te hace pensar que tienes al R2D2 original en tus manos. Una belleza. Creo que pasaré muchísimas horas de diversión a partir de su llegada =).El único pero que le pongo es que la pata central se raya muy rápido en la parte de abajo. Creo que en el diseño debieron haber tomado esto en cuenta y ponerle llantitas o algo así para que durara más. Por lo demás, está de lujo mi nuevo R2D2. Creo que pronto compraré en BB8 para que le haga compañía.

Superb sphero your Droid is one of the coolest awesome toy I've ever seen. it's likea real r2d2 all the best for new updates.

きっちりプログラム通りの動きが素晴らしい

This was a Christmas gift for our eight year old son. He absolutely loves it. It was easy for him to learn how to control on the app we downloaded. He's so cute and fun!