Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)EDIT: The price has come down significantly and this still continues to be so much fun in our house that we have just purchased a 2nd one so we can have the robots go after each other than tormenting the poor dogs!
I really didn't know what to expect when I ordered this. However, I liked the idea that it was a way to potentially introduce my son to programming instead of teaching him how to write "Hello World" in PERL.
This is a really cool gadget -- It looks cool so that kids are automatically drawn to it -- particularly since it moves so fast (your pets will be rather wierded out too -- that's worth the entertainment right there).
While it comes with 3 pre-programmed games out of the box so that you can get up and running with Roboni quickly, once you have explored the capabilities, you can reprogram using the software interface on the PC. This teaches kids a lot about how computers work -- that goes much further than having kids simply be "users" but "programmers".
This comes with a price... it is not an intuitive quick-and-easy process to re-program the robot -- just like with real programming you have to have some sort of plan about what you want to do and implement. In addition, you (or whoever is programming the robot) will have to learn about testing and "unintended consequences" associated with re-programming the robot. But if you or your kid is into puzzles, they'll quickly become hooked with tinkering and making the robot do what they want. They learn patience and problem solving.
It is clear that the product was rushed to market trying to capitalize on Christmas and Holiday sales. The online features are not implemented yet (teaching kids about another realistic component of technology -- the concept of "vapor-ware"!). I have had the software crash several times (i'm running on under XP -- I haven't tried running under Vista).
In addition, be prepared to buy stock in the battery companies because this toy EATS batteries -- not only initial upfront number of batteries -- but the battery life you do get is not impressive.
Whether or not this Robot will be a hit in your home will depend on many factors:
1. How tech and programming savvy are you -- you will need to spend a lot of time working with your kid to learn all the ins and outs of the technology. This is not the type of toy you just hand over to your kid and they play with like many computer games.
2. Are you willing to invest in a second robot? Kids have seen "robot wars" on TV and their first impulse "I want to fight someone else".
3. Do you have the type of kid who really enjoys puzzles and wants to know how to make things work? If they are more interested in just "playing" rather than "controlling/understanding" in their games and activities, then they are probably going to get frustrated and bored pretty quickly. In addition, becoming proficient with the remote control will take some time, patience and coordination.
4. Do you mind toys that make noise? Then this will probably get on your nerves after awhile. As another reviewer pointed out -- you can't control the volume setting and the sounds aren't exactly "music to your ears". (however, if you have a relative that has given you a particularly annoying noisy toy and you have vowed revenge -- this may be the perfect "payback" toy!)
5. Do you have the patience and money to keep the batteries stocked and charged? To me, this is one of the biggest downfalls of the Roboni -- eating batteries like candy personally drives me nuts. This toy/gadget already costs a lot of money. Batteries are expensive too and if you are in the middle of doing something, it is frustrating to have to stop to either recharge batteries or because you are 1 short of the number needed to get this thing going again...
Overall, I think this is really cool -- but I have loved programming and robotics from my first class 20 years ago in college. I like to know how things work. But be prepared that it is still a new technology and all the issues that will go along with that. And if this DOES trip your trigger -- be prepared to buy a second one!
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