So, I bought the Sphero & just had it dropped off. Spent about an hour with it. If you know what you're buying, it is incredible. I'll list my pros & cons.
PROS-
The packaging isn't just a 'box'. It's heavy card, with a solid foam rubber insert that fits all the parts & accessories perfectly. It's designed to look like an 'in-universe' shipping crate that your droid would be sent in. Definitely made for long term storage, or just to look great on a shelf.
The app is very easy to use, but you can tell that with some time put into it, you can get pretty precise with the movements. It screams STAR WARS, from the music to the graphics. It really gives you the idea that the app was carefully put together.
The movement of the droid itself, is full of personality. The subtle head movements & sounds really give the illusion of life.
CONS-( in the same order)
Nothing bad to say about the packaging. Five stars across the board.
The app has the SW theme playing all the time, unless you sre on one of the function screens. You can turn off the droid sounds & even the interface sounds, but not the music. The holographic message feature looks like you'd expect, but can be kinda funny with the angles. Sometimes, it projects off the screen.
From what I've seen, the voice command isn't on the app yet, or I just haven't found it. I've also tried to install the app on my tablet (Lenovo Yoga 2), but keep getting a message that it's not supported.
The droid moves pretty realistically, unless you are at a higher speed. On a hardwood or tile/linoleum surface, there's a fair amount of rocking that goes on at a stop. Turns also tend to make the head go all the way down & smack on the floor, once hard enough to pop off, but there was no damage, & it's only happened at a really high speed.
as far as the head goes, as I saw in an earlier review, it's held on with magnets, but moves on a couple of wheel/rollers. These tend to get a little gunked up, much like an old track ball in the bottom of a computer mouse. It's easy to see when it happens, & a real quick rolling & wiping action on the wheels fixes everything right up.
These are just my first thoughts, so if anyone has any other questions/concers that they want to know about, just let me know (I'll be up for a while tonight...:facepalm:thumbsup).
Such a nerd.
