Roborover Posing for His Photo Shoot

Out of the Box

First things first, Roborover’s bright yellow color, “human-like” styling, big eyes and broad smile attract children of all ages (I particularly like the baseball cap).  The carry handle and the treads add to the functionality and the look. Add in the promise of interactivity and the lure of a remote control, and our testers were sucked in instantly.

While it is possible to begin playing with Roborover and figure out many of its functions on the fly, I strongly recommend reading the manual first where you’ll learn about important things like volume control (a very important feature in my world) and the toy’s limitations. Plus, then you’ll be able to sooth frustration when your child comes to you and says, “it won’t move!” and you discover it’s in Lookout Mode (Roborover isn’t designed to drive when it’s in Lookout Mode, a tidbit included in the manual but not necessarily intuitive to the 6+ crowd).

After feeding Roborover the requisite four C batteries and the remote three AAA’s, press the on/off button and you will be greeted by a VERY chipper bot who asks to go on an adventure with you and starts exploring his environs.  As he moves, Roborover gives a running commentary that is more-or-less connected to what he is experiencing.  My testers thought it was really fun that the bot was talking to them.  Personally, I found it to be annoying idle prattle (typical mom). But, I guess this is why there’s a volume control. And it’s worth noting that my 7-year-old LOVES everything Roborover says, regardless of how pertinent it is. I must admit, however, that I did think it was funny that while most of the time the bot spoke like a young American boy, some of the phrases were uttered with an Aussie accent.

Testing Roborover’s Features

After a brief overview, I pretty much let the testers take Roborover for a spin, assisting if they got stuck or if they asked questions. The kids had a blast!  The adults tried to treat the bot like a sophisticated, indestructible machine (more on that later). Anyway, here’s what I saw:

The tread-based wheels allow Roborover a fair range of motion and keep him pretty stable, even on somewhat uneven surfaces (like moving from an area rug to a wood floor).  That said, he slowed significantly when we used him on carpet vs. hardwood floors.  And, the treads did tend to pick up dust, carpet fiber, and pet hair.  Fortunately, they slip off easily and can be cleaned whenever necessary.

Roborover detects obstacles directly in front of or behind him . . . usually.  The obstacle sensors were designed to detect obstacles 8-12 inches directly in front of and behind Roborover.  Most of the time the sensors guided the bot away from obstacles, but sometimes we found that he got into a tight space and couldn’t get out on his own.  It seems that multiple obstacles (as might be found in a child’s playroom) can cause confusion and delay. But, you can turn this feature off and play on, even with block towers, Lego structures and toy boxes in the way.

With such a sturdy-looking toy, it was tempting for our testers to challenge the robot with obstacle courses and crashes. However, the manual clearly cautions users against rough play saying, “be careful that the obstacles do not unbalance him, or he might fall to one side” and “be sure not to damage Roborover in trying to [drive over small obstacles].”  I was all set to disregard the manual and let my testers push Roborover to his limits and see what he was capable of, even it some damage occurred.  However, the bot does not have the power necessary to damage himself by crashing into block towers with any kind of speed.

On that note, I really wanted to run Roborover up a ramp and see what he could take.  I decided to start small and try him up the side of a one inch binder.  Well, he didn’t make it.  He went partway up the binder and stopped.  I had to back him down to keep playing.  So, again, despite my best efforts, his limited power and third “tripod” wheel saved him.

The remote control is easy to use, even for small hands. The buttons are clearly labeled and, well, it’s a remote control.  Now, the remote does connect to Roborover using infrared, so the remote must always be pointing toward the bot in order to transfer commands. Additionally, a TV remote, gaming console or halogen light bulb can disrupt the signal and lead to Roborover doing his own thing instead of responding to my commands. My recommendation is to use this feature in an electronics-free zone and expect about the same level of responsiveness as you would from any six, seven, or eight-year-old.

There are five different play modes including:

• Demo- Roborover shows off what he can do with three routines that include speaking, moving forward, back, left and right, turning his head and illuminating his eyes and mouth (Note: the arms are poseable but not able to be moved electronically).
• Explore - Roborover will cruise around his environment and chat when he’s in “Explore Mode.” Pressing buttons don’t affect his movements unless you change the mode.  One thing to note: if, while he’s exploring, Roborover hits an obstacle that he doesn’t detect, he will change modes and he sometimes gets confused. This didn’t bother the younger testers much, but the over 30 crowd were annoyed by this and tried to reason through it (a completely futile exercise, I mean really, it’s a toy!).
• Game – WowWee has programmed two games into Roborover: the Tomb game and the Swamp game.  Both are memory games in which the bot will drive in a pattern and then ask the controller to repeat the sequence. The Tomb game tends to have fewer moves for a beginner player.  The Swamp game has more moves to repeat and a time limit, so it requires a bit more skill.  Additionally, the Swamp game requires a fair amount of open space to run since obstacles don’t change the pattern he moves in, but they make it more difficult for the controller to repeat the pattern accurately.
• Lookout -in this mode, Roborover will scan his immediate area and then wait.  If he detects motion or a new obstacle, he will sound an alarm, much to the delight of our testers.  Roborover will stand guard for up to 10 minutes, after which time he becomes bored and asks to play.  If you don’t play with him, he’ll go into standby mode.
• Seek – I think seeking is the coolest thing that Roborover does.  Basically, you put the robot somewhere, move a bit away, hold down the “Seek” button and wait for him to find you.  Unfortunately, because he uses infrared, Roborover can be confused by another IR signal or reflections of an IR signal and think he’s found you when he hasn’t. Also, if you move the remote so that it is not pointing directly at the bot, the connection may be broken, and he will think he has found you, even if he’s 5 feet from you and facing another direction.
• Standby – if you do not interact with him for two minutes, Roborover will try to get your attention by repeating one of his phrases. To resume, simply press any button on the remote. If you ignore his call to play, Roborover will go to sleep, much like a puppy.
• Sleep – after 12 minutes of inactivity, Roborover will nap. To wake him, press the bumper or toggle the on/off switch twice and he’ll be ready for action. Fortunately, he wakes up happy and ready to play, even if his nap has been cut short.  I can not say the same for me.

And, finally, what you’ve all been waiting for, here’s a video of Roborover in action:

Overall

Positives:

• Roborover is really cute and easy to use, even for a six-year-old.
• Is interactions thrilled the kids in my test group, and they loved all of his silly phrases (my son’s personal favorite is, “you’ve created an avalanche of rubble!”).
• The headlight is a big plus, especially when exploring dark places.
• He genuinely delighted the children who played with him. And, really, isn’t that what it’s all about?

Negatives:

• Several of the commands are not intuitive, so you really have to read the instructions before  you do too much.  For example, to change the volume, you have to toggle the “Stop” button, and to start Lookout Mode, you have to press the “Lookout” button, wait for the bot to talk and then press the “Lookout” button a second time to activate the feature.  I found myself referring to the manual quite a bit when I started playing with the bot before I introduced him to my testers.  Luckily, the instructions are clear and well organized.
• He does not work well on carpet with any pile.
• Roborover seems to power through batteries pretty quickly. We got several hours out of him, but as the batteries wore down, he became less responsive to the remote control commands. In any case, I would have extra batteries on hand to avoid any tears from young users. Also, the manual specifies alkaline batteries, and to maximize playing time, I’d follow WowWee’s recommendation.
• He is slow-moving.  Looking at Roborover, I really wanted him to be like an RC race car, cruising around the house, knocking down towers, bumping into things and zooming off, but he really isn’t.  I guess the upside is that it slowed my 70-mile/hour son to a walk while he was playing with Roborover. That and the speed didn’t seem to bother any of my young testers one bit. The more “mature” testers, however, were the ones who wanted to see more action and destruction and hear fewer of the chatty comments. I guess that explains why WowWee designates the bot for single-digit users and not those pushing middle age . . . something to think about.
• He does not have longevity. Unless WowWee comes up with some add-on games, I can see a child getting bored with the limited repertoire of Roborover. Personally, I want more long-term entertaining power from a $79.99 MSRP toy.

Editor’s Rating –  3.5 out of 5 stars.

Alive Mini White Tiger Cub In Box

Out of the Box

The White Tiger Mini Cub boasts the same softness and sturdiness as the animals in WowWee’s baby animal series. After being pulled, dropped, and generally “loved on” by our testers, the White Tiger cub showed no signs of wear. (Believe me, that’s saying something!) Additionally, there’s enough padding to disguise the electronics and to keep the cub super soft and huggable, making it an excellent daytime and nighttime companion.

The mini cub series is designed with a nurturing soul in mind. The cub lies in a floppy, infantile position and just begs to be picked up and cradled.

Alive Mini White Tiger Cub

When a a child moves it, the cub coos, purrs, cries, or whimpers. WowWee even includes an adoption certificate and a bottle so children can feed the cub and really feel like they’re taking care of it.

Alive Mini White Tiger Cub Birth Certificate and Manual

Interactive Electronics

When the cub arrives, it is set to “Try Me” mode.  Simply tipping the box will start a sample loop with some of the sounds the cub can make. And, I have to say, even the few sample noises are enough to attract children from across the room!

After freeing the baby tiger from its packaging, I easily found the Try Me/Off/On mode switch and battery compartment on the belly, thanks to a helpful diagram on the bottom of the box. Now, fortunately, I had already consulted the manual (I’m a compulsive manual-reader; I can’t help it) so I knew that I needed to move the switch to Off, leave it for three seconds, and then move it to On. If you miss this critical step, you will only get the Try Me settings even though the switch reads On.  I assume this has something to do with allowing the electronics catch up with the switch, but truly, your guess is as good as mine. Don’t worry though, if you forget this tidbit about the switch, you can always refer to the very helpful and well-written instruction manual.

At this point, on behalf of all parents who have ever purchased a toy that requires batteries, I need to thank WowWee for actually including the two AA batteries required for operation. Not only are the batteries included, but they had enough juice to get through testing without slowing at all.

In the mini series of baby animal cubs, the interaction is limited to sounds and some mechanical (not motorized) movement. Children can make the cub squeal, whimper, or gurgle by moving the toy or patting it gently on the head. And, when they put the bottle in the cubs mouth, its eyes go to half-mast (like a suckling baby) and it makes feeding sounds. It’s worth mentioning that, except for the feeding noises, the sounds seem to be in a random order.

One notable difference between the mini cub series and the baby cubs is the absence of motorized movement.  When the eyes of the mini cub close, it’s due to a mechanical connection between the eyes and the cub’s mouth rather than a motor. This is nice because there’s no distracting motor noise to contend with.

Another difference is that the mini cub will not power itself completely off. While the cub will go to sleep after four minutes of inactivity, you must manually flip the switch on the belly to the Off position to cut the power. This is especially important to note if you are not using rechargeable batteries.

In A Nutshell

In my humble opinion, the WowWee Mini White Tiger Cub is one of the cutest soft toys on the market. Kids who like soft toys will love taking care of the cub.

4.5 out of 5 stars – Editor’s Choice

Alive Leopard Cub in box

Out of the Box

First things first, this toy is adorable! The fur is soft, the eyes are big and round and the animal practically begs to be squeezed. Add in the cute purring, cooing, and soft growel sounds, and the leopard cub stole the heart of all of the testers (mom’s included).

When you pick the cub up, it is soft and cuddly, which was somewhat surprising based on the amount of electronics needed for the interaction (more on this later). The toy is well made, standing up to a generous amount of pulling, tugging, and dropping by our testers and showing no wear at all. Seems stayed intact and the fur did not mat.

The only thing I would change would be to make the legs more sturdy. As it is, the legs are soft and they do not support the weight of the body with the electronics, so the animal tends to slump more than sit. But, this is not a problem when the cub is carried around. In fact, the soft legs allow the cub to “hug” well when it’s held closely.

Slumping Cub

Another thing to note is that each cub comes with an adoption certificate, family photo featuring all the WowWee Alive cubs, and a well-written and informative instruction manual.

Alive Cub Documents

Interactive Electronics

When the cub arrives, it is set to “Try Me” mode.  A gentle squeeze to the cubs right ear will start a sample loop showing eye blinks, cooing sounds, and mouth movement. Some might say this mode is to show you what cool actions the toy is capable of. I say it’s to highlight the cuteness and sucker you in.  In either case, it works!

After extracting the Leopard Cub from the packaging, I easily found the Try Me/Normal mode switch and battery compartment on the belly, thanks to a helpful diagram on the bottom of the box. (Incidentally, there are also complete and well-written instructions in the manual that accompanies the cub.) After switching the cub to Normal mode, I discovered that the animal had come with the four AA batteries required for operation — a huge plus in this mom’s book! And, it’s worth noting that these batteries never wore out during our testing.

Switch and Battery Compartment

Once the cub is in Normal mode, the right ear acts as the power button (squeeze it and hold for three seconds) and the volume control (squeeze quickly to toggle between high and low volume settings). After five minutes of inactivity, the cub automatically goes to sleep; the eyes close, and it purrs periodically. If left alone, the cub will turn itself off and conserve battery power.

Once powered on, the cub will go through a start-up routine which includes opening it’s eyes and mouth and making waking noises. Children can make the cub meow, purr, growl softly, blink and open it’s mouth by petting the cub’s head or back or by tilting it. The reactions seem random, which did not detract from the cuteness, but this fact is worth noting.

The cub sounds are fun and somewhat soothing, so Leopard Cub can work well as both a daytime and nighttime friend. The only issue with the electronics is that the motor is a bit noisy, reaffirming the robotic nature of the toy.  Still, the kids who tested the toy didn’t seem to be bothered by the motor noise, and I suspect this is something that WowWee will address in later models.

In a Nutshell

Overall, the WowWee Leopard Cub is a really cute and fun toy. Soft toy loving kids will especially appreciate the cuddle factor and the fun interactive qualities.  While the legs don’t hold the weight of the body, and the motor is noisy, the cub was a hit among testers from three to thirty-three years.

Cute Cub

4 out of 5 stars

WowWee Lightstar Features

• Hovering flight
• Glowing LED effect on bottom and side
• 10-minute charge for up to 4 minutes flight
• Three channel options – up to three can fly together
• 1-channel digital IR scroll wheel remote controller
• Made for indoor use
• Comes with two spare propellers

Flying Lightstar

Lightstar works just like other WowWee flight vehicles. It charges off the remote control; roughly 10 minutes of charging will yield four minutes of flight time. WowWee has modified the connection some, it’s not a single round port, which is great. Prior versions were more difficult to connect, meaning most kids required parental help. That’s no longer the case, kids can easily plug and unplug the charging cord.

After you have a full charge, set Lightstar on the floor and give it power by scrolling the wheel up. Lightstar easily takes off any hard floor and we had good success even on carpeted surfaces. As more power is given to Lightstar, the higher it will go. There’s no lateral control, this is strictly a hovering vehicle. It hovers very well though, we followed the instructions and shut off the fans and AC unit to provide as still an environment as possible. We were easily able to control Lightstar, often running it out of battery before crashing.

You will crash Lightstar though; it’s inevitable. The unit is well constructed though; the leading edges are wrapped in foil to give the wings extra durability. WowWee also includes two backup propellers in the event those become damaged. We didn’t run into this problem, but with enough use I can see a prop getting banged up enough to require replacement.

Evidenced by the name, Lightstar comes with two lights, one LED in the base and another on the wing. Both provide for cool visual effects, especially in the dark. While I can’t say the lights added a lot to the play value during the day, they do make it a treat for kids to play with in the basement or other dark spots.

WowWee recommends Lightstar for kids 8 and older, but we found the controls and recharging to be so easy, that kids down to 6 had no trouble and really enjoyed flying it. Without the lateral controls, Lightstar is very easy to control and running into walls, pets and other obstacles doesn’t happen as much as with other flying vehicles we’ve tested.

For a suggested retail of $20, we find it impossible to complain about anything with WowWee’s Lightstar. This is their bread and butte type product and it shows. Everything is well thought out, simple to operate, and perhaps most important, it’s cost effective. We recommend Lightstar for kids down to 6 years old and think girls and boys will get a kick out of the product. And of course, parents might enjoy a flight or two as well.

Editor’s Rating – 5 out of 5 stars – Editor’s Choice

WowWee says the CrashFX is built on their new “Easi-snap” platform. This means on crash, the aiplane with break up, but the pieces are easily reassembled so you can be flying again in seconds. 

Like most products in this class, the CrashFX will charge off the remote and gets 5 minutes flight time after a 10 minute charge. The remotes are dual channel, so two CrashFX planes can be flown at the same time. 

In terms of controls, there are two, rudder and speed. With these two controls pilots should be able to lock in a speed to stay airborne, while using the rudder for turns. This ease of use should make it a quick learning curve for kids and parents alike to get up and running.

Pricing and formal release dates have not been announced, but expect the CrashFX to be out in time for the Holiday shopping season. [via RoboCummunity]

Getting Started with Mr. Personality

The only thing standing in the way of getting Mr. Personality powered up is, unfortunately, the tech-toy double threat that many parents fear most: a screwed-in-place battery compartment, and the need for six C-cell alkalines. In fact, getting the six main batteries, the supplied button back-up battery, and the remote control’s three AAAs in place will probably take you longer than it will take your kid to get started zooming around with Mr. Personality.

With the batteries all in their respective spots, Mr. Personality comes to life as soon as you hit the power button on his back, and after ten seconds or so to load up initial settings, this toy is ready to go.

Like the WowWee Tri-Bot that we checked out not long ago, Mr. Personality moves about using a set of omni-directional rollers, giving the bot the ability to cruise in eight straight-line directions as well as rotate in place. This array of small but apparently high-traction wheels had no problem finding grip on tile, wood, and carpeted flooring surfaces, though the bot did have some trouble stopping on smooth surfaces like hardwood – which can lead to some amusing but also potentially destructive encounters between Mr. Personality and your furniture.

Unlike Tri-bot, Mr. Personality is fully robotic, with independent arm and waist movements that you can control using the remote. What also separates this bot from similar toys is the small color LCD that makes up Mr. Personality’s “face.”

WowWee describes the bot as “a cartoon character morphed into 3D,” and with a face that’s truly animated, it’s not hard to see why. When this toy talks (and when does it not…), the cartoon-like face moves, well, just like a cartoon. And true to its name, you can see evidence of Mr. Personality’s personality in his clearly visible moods and facial expressions.

Technophobe parents may find the sheer number of buttons on Mr. Personality’s remote control a bit terrifying, but the middle-elementary kids to whom this toy is targeted will likely have no trouble mastering the bot’s numerous controls and functions.

The control you’ll probably want to find first, though, is the set of volume buttons located on the remote’s right side – as Mr. Personality’s default volume is a bit much for indoor use. However, striking the perfect balance on the bot’s audio can be tough, as a set of exceptionally noisy motors all around often make it hard to hear Mr. Personality’s quips over the sound of moving arms and spinning wheels.

Also included in the box are a wall adapter – necessary for taking advantage of certain functions – and a software CD for managing your bot’s personality via your computer. More on both of these accessories momentarily.

Using Mr. Personality

Like other WowWee robots, Mr. Personality’s motion is controlled by an eight-way joystick that sits front and center on his remote. In addition to being able to move in a straight line in any of the directions permitted by the joystick, Mr. Personality can also be moved “RC car style” – rotating as he turns corners, rather than keeping a stationary heading – by holding down the trigger on the underside of the remote while steering.

An array of IR sensors on the bot (a handful of wheel/body sensors, plus one on the head) detect objects, and with the sensors enabled (they’re on by default), Mr. Personality will come to a stop when he’s in danger of colliding with an object – and often chide you for your lackluster driving in the process with one of a handful of mild insults. While the IR sensors are plenty effective in preventing head-on collisions with household obstacles, they can also be easily fooled by reflective objects, and completely miss dark objects in low light as well. Ultimately, for navigation in tight spaces, I found it easier and more enjoyable to disable the IR sensors once I had familiarized myself with the controls.

Compared to Tri-bot, the ability to remotely move – rather than merely pose – Mr. Personality’s arm and waist joints really add to the fun. Whether it’s picking up objects, terrorizing housepets, or dancing to your favorite Styx LP (domo arigato, anyone?), the addition of these functions to Mr. Personality’s total range of movement make playing with this bot thoroughly enjoyable for kids and parents alike.

Although Mr. Personality lacks a tilt sensor, I rarely found this to be a concern (even when navigating some treacherous indoor terrain). There’s also no edge-detection system in this bot, meaning tabletop operation is conducted entirely at your own risk. And who really has a table big enough for a robot of this size to enjoyable roam around on anyway?

Personalities

While Mr. Personality offers a lot of user control for the basic robotics functions described above, this toy’s key feature is engaging and (theoretically, at least…) user-customizable persona. As noted, Mr. Personality take’s Tri-bot’s running commentary to a whole new level with a cartoonish animated face – or, more correctly, two faces. This bot’s default personality is a pair of opposed alter-egos: obliging and gregarious Max, and surly and snarky Simon.

There’s a fair bit of humor in a robot that can carry on a running (and, in the case of Simon’s commentary, usually satirical) conversation with itself, and kids and parents alike seemed to enjoy the pair’s witty back-and-forth banter. Pressing the remote’s Demo button launches a three-minute introduction, in which both halves of the device’s asylum-worthy default duo introduce themselves at length while highlighting the robot’s several additional features.

It’s a good thing that the Max/Simon interaction is well developed and enjoyable, because sadly, they are – for the moment, at least – the only personality (personalities?) available for this bot. Sure, WowWee has made it easy enough to load additional alter-egos onto Mr. Personality: a supplied USB cable connects the bot to your computer through a port behind a cover on the device’s head, allowing new personality files to be loaded into the device’s 64MB internal memory. And there’s even an SD card slot as well for direct-from-card file transfers.

Likewise, a supplied software CD features a slow-running but polished and easy to use control panel for downloading new personalities from WowWee’s website and loading them straight on to your bot.

Unfortunately, until WowWee – which originally slated monthly new personality launches for this toy – gets around to developing some additional characters to take full advantage of this impressive and powerful potential, you’re stuck with the Max and Simon show.

Greet Mode

Mr. Personality can be set up to “greet” you when you enter a room, detecting motion using his IR sensors. Enable Greet Mode and you’ll have half a minute or so to leave the room before the system becomes active; as soon as Mr. Personality detects motion, he’ll comment on your presence with one of a handful of pithy responses (or with a user-recorded message if you’ve recorded one in the Memo mode). In spite of limited play options, Greet Mode is a fun feature for adults and kids alike – one of Mr. Personality’s more engaging and amusing functions.

Alarm Mode

Different from the Alarm Mode found on Tri-bot, Mr. Personality’s alarm function turns the bot into an actual alarm clock. Setting up the alarm time is a little bit more complex than I might have preferred, but once configured, Mr. Personality becomes a rolling, talking wake-up device that’s sure to amuse kids – or drive parents out of bed in a frenzied search for the power button. The one caveat in this case is that Alarm Mode can’t be turned on unless Mr. Personality is running on wall power via his DC adapter.

Story Mode

In Story Mode, Max and Simon co-narrate a short, joke-laced story. Kids can take control of the tale, however, by pressing either Yes or No at certain points in the interaction to have either Max or Simon describe what comes next. Even with lots of decision points to change things up, Story Mode plays itself out fairly quickly. It’s also definitely geared to the younger segment of Mr. Personality’s target user group; older kids will likely have more fun driving the robot around or investigating some of the motion-based functions. But Story Mode also shows evidence of careful planning and character design – ideas which will hopefully carry over to future personalities for the bot as well.

Crystal Ball, Bits, and Fortune Modes

The remote’s top row of buttons trigger shorter interactions. Press Crystal Ball and Max or Simon will give you an answer to whatever question you were presumably pondering before pressing the button. The bot’s Bits function is a little more enjoyable: press the button and Simon and Max take turns telling short jokes. Ok, so it’s not complex, high-level humor, but even parents will get a chuckle out of some of this back-and-forth shtick. Mr. Personality also serves up a daily fortune-cookie style outlook if you press the Fortune button – though sadly, you only get one fortune per day.

Bottom Line

Mr. Personality offers a few more features, and thus a slightly higher overall “fun factor,” than similar robots, but the key selling point for this toy really is the ability to swap out personalities. Unfortunately, with WowWee’s development of new personalities for this bot moving at a snail’s pace at the moment, it’s hard to give the manufacturer full points for this feature. I like the wide range of control options that Mr. Personality provides – being able to remotely move the bot’s arms, for instance – but miss the longer list of games and “free roam” modes found on similar toys like Tri-bot. Even considering its shortcomings, though, Mr. Personality still serves up a lot of replayable fun for everyone from young kids to adults.

4 out of 5 stars

Each cub (ours is the panda pictured above) features the same electronics, just in different plush bodies. They all have blinking eyes, moving mouths, tilt sensors and touch sensors on their heads and backs. Tucked away in the belly is a battery compartment that houses four AA batteries, which incidentally never wore out during our testing. To get started you’ll need to access the battery pack in the Velcro poouch and turn the unit to normal mode. They generally ship in try me mode, so if you don’t read this or the manual, you might be a bit confused when your cub repeats the same loop.

When in the normal mode, the cub’s right ear acts as the power button. There’s no need to turn the main power unit back off, the cub will go into sleep mode after five minutes of inactivity. In sleep mode the cub closes its eyes and purrs, then will turn off if not interacted with. You can also force it to sleep by holding the right ear for three seconds. When powered on, the right ear serves as volume control; squeeze it quickly to toggle through the high/low volume options. 

Once powered on, the cub will go through a startup routine which includes opening his eyes and mouth and making waking noises. The cubs can growl, squeal, purr, blink and smile. These actions are caused by two key actions, petting the cub on one of the two sensors or by actuating the tilt sensor. The sensors seem to be pretty accurate, though it is a little difficult to know exactly what’s going to happen each time. The reactions seem random, which we suppose is fine, but worth noting. 

The cub sounds are pretty fun, and somewhat soothing, so the cubs make for good daytime play as well as reasonable bed-time friends. The only significant problem we have with the unit is the motors are a little noisier than we’d like, which reaffirms that it’s robotic, not alive. The kids that we tested with didn’t seem bothered by the motor noise, but it is there and something we expect will be lessened as WowWee works on more advanced units. 

Where the cub really excelled is with young girls and boys alike who are really into nurturing activities. If you have a child who loves carrying a doll or plush around and has an active imagination, these cubs are probably a great fit. And with four new animals coming out, there will be much more variety to choose from. 

The cubs are well built too. We tugged aggressivly at the limbs to test the stitching, which held up. You can also see the level of detail in the head-shot above, the fur looks good, holds up well and doesn’t look mass produced. 

Bottom Line

WowWee’s Alive line of cubs do what they say they’re going to do. They give kids an interactive plush that responds to touch and tilt with sounds and eye/mouth movement. The cubs are well built and should stand up well to whatever your child can do to them The sound library could be deeper and the motors quieter, but overall kids who like creative doll/plush play will be thrilled to imagine with these cubs.

4 out of 5 stars

WowWee BladeStar Specs

• 12″ wing span
• Manual or auto-pilot modes
• 5 minute flight time
• Dog fight mode with another BladeStar
• Indoor flight only
• Ages 8+

How BladeStar Works

The BladeStar works similar to a spinning top with wings attached. It uses 2 blades and 2 fans mounted off of the main body which spin the toy until the blades get enough airflow to take off. Since the entire toy is always spinning it automatically balances itself for stable flight and can be manually flown around the room or put in an auto-mode for assisted flight.

In manual mode you control the height of the flying and have to steer the helicopter around obstacles like lamps, HDTVs, speakers, and other taller objects that might be in a room. In its assisted mode you set the speed (height) and it handles the flight path. Using your hands as a reflective surface you can kind of steer it around a room by placing them near the blades, or you can just let it fly by itself. In auto-mode you still have a manual override option to help it clear obstacles. In my testing I left it in auto mode most often since I could still control it, but didn’t have to be continually adjusting its path to prevent it from hitting something.

The helicopter is powered off of 6 AA batteries which are located in the remote. The helicopter has an internal battery which is recharged by plugging the toy into the remote through a supplied wire on the top of the controller. After 4 to 6 minutes of flight it shuts down and drops to the floor, needing a 15 minute recharge until it can fly again. For parents concerned about always buying new batteries, the BladeStar is still on its original set of batteries with no visual signs of slowing down yet. This includes 20-30 cycles over a couple of weeks.

Fun for Kids?

I think the BladeStar would be a great toy for older children under mild supervision. It’s recommended for 8+, which is probably about right. It is simple to control and recharge, but has a few safety concerns that might hurt someone if they don’t pay attention. The quickly spinning blades can be painful if hit by them and delicate surfaces can be damaged  if they are clipped by the BladeStar while in flight. The small plastic spinning fans are another concern, which are quite painful if nicked by one while they are spinning at full speed. I got hit by one in the hand while trying to recover it from the floor while it was still spinning, and a friend took one to the arm when it crashed near him. No blood or serious injury, but it’s enough to make you not want to do it again.

One of my biggest concerns was flying the BladeStar around my living room with a larger LCD HDTV. The LCD surface is soft plastic which could be easily scratched by one of the blades if it were hit. If kids were using it unattended it would be best if they were playing in a room without delicate or expensive items around them. It is designed for indoor use only, so a kid’s room, playroom or basement are the best suited areas for flight.

Kids handled the BladeStar well in terms of being able to control it. BladeStar is one of the easiest flight vehicles we’ve worked with and has more options than things like the fluttering Tinker Bell that WowWee also makes. 

Fun for Adults?

I loved using the BladeStar around my home, trying to fly under chairs without crashing, or just flying it around my kitchen as I prepared supper. I could just leave it on the charger, making it ready to fly at a moment’s notice. It doesn’t require much skill to operate and as long as you are in a room with hard surfaces, it can’t damage anything besides itself. BladeStar is definitely a success when it comes to adult play and is actually pretty compelling for a father/son activity. We don’t mean to be biased, I’m sure there are mothers and daughters who would love to play too!

Limitations

The mildly reinforced foam wings make this toy disposable after a number of crashes. Even though you can use your fingers to bend the front edge of the wings, they start to lose full steering control and proper lift. WowWee includes one extra set of wings, but doesn’t openly offer replacement sets for purchase. I was able to find some sets for sale on eBay, but it was one pair of wings going for half the price of the original purchase price. This leaves a helicopter with no other problems unusable after a number of crashes which are hard to avoid. I suppose if you only played in a large auditorium and never crashed this wouldn’t be a problem, but the reality is, after several dozen crashes, you might be done with BladeStar – at least until WowWee offers replacement parts more readily.

When WowWee says to not use the BladeStar outdoors they really mean it. I experimented with outdoor flight thinking it would stay at a reasonable height and not go too far before losing communications and dropping to the ground. I thought wrong. It was mildly windy on the day I took it outside and after it spun up and started to lift off the ground it just took off. The sunlight blocked the IR communication after 10-15 feet, keeping the blades at full speed as it got more than 100 feet into the air. As it got higher the wind took it and blasted it over into a neighbor’s backyard, 4 houses down. At its height it could have easily landed on someone’s roof or gotten stuck in a tree. That flight was my last outdoor test flight of the review. We know they say not to fly outside, but felt compelled to test anyway, just to be sure. WowWee’s right. 

Pros

• Easy to fly, even for children
• Safe with some supervision
• First set of batteries go a long way (30+ flights)

Cons

• Wings don’t last through many crashes
• Hard to find replacement parts

Bottom Line

The WowWee BladeStar is a cool helicopter at an affordable price. Right now it’s going for around 30 bucks, putting it into the range of a small gift for any occasion. It is very easy to control through the assistance of its auto flight mode, and it doesn’t take much time to recharge between uses. For a rainy day this toy is hard to beat; just make sure you have a large enough room so it doesn’t crash too often.

4 out of 5 stars

Getting Started with Tri-bot

The bot itself requires 8 AA batteries, the remote needs 3 AAA. As we frequently suggest with these tech toys, a nice set of rechargeable batteries is a terrific investment. Once the batteries are in, Tri-bot is ready to go. Simply press the power button on the base near his wheels and you’re ready.

As you’ll quickly notice with Tri-bot, he always has something to say and his start up routine is no exception. On pressing his power button he immediately comes to life; full of chatter, flashing lights and rolling about. If you find him a bit too loudmouthed, pressing his head cycles through three levels of volume, the default volume level is high. 

To go with his vocabulary, the bot itself has a few features to make him seem more alive. The eyebrows and ears twitch and wiggle while he’s talking. He also has a light that pops out of the top of his head. Speaking of lights, his eyes light up green and his mouth lights too when he’s talking. 

Working down the body, his torso is full of several IR sensors that help him identify objects in his path. His arms are poseable, they don’t move independently, and he can be tilted at two sections of his waist as well. 

The really interesting part are this three wheels. Tri-bot can move in straight lines and diagonals. He can also spin in circles. All these movements are accomplished with his wheels and base. Pushing up on the remote for instance will drive him forward, but Tri-bot only uses the two side wheels for this, dragging the third one along. This mechanism surprisingly doesn’t put enough drag on the system to keep it from moving though. Tri-bot even does well on low-pile carpet and handles hard floor to carpet transitions well; which we found to be pretty impressive. 

It’s worth noting that Tri-bot offers a good deal of control. He operates much more like an advanced RC car than Wrex, who was a little more haphazard. The remote control gives kids the ability to send Tri-bot in eight straight line directions, along with clockwise and counter-clockwise spin control. The remote also includes a tilt sensor. If the trigger underneath is pulled, Tri-bot will move in four straight line directions based on the direction you tilt the remote. The tilt controls aren’t perfect but it’s another way to interact with Tri-bot. 

Moving Tri-bot is very easy and kids will have no problem getting into the groove. The only tricky part is that it’s a little more difficult to control Tri-bot when you’re not behind him. Kids will have to remap their brain a little bit to account for the change in orientation. But it’s the same challenge as driving a remote controlled car directly toward you; the controls are reversed in that case. 

Using Tri-bot

As noted, controlling Tri-bot is very easy, most anyone can pick up the remote and get going. To make driving him a little easier, Tri-bot will detect objects that are directly in front of and behind him. When he gets close to a wall for instance, he’ll make a witty comment and stop. The sensors aren’t perfect though, when moving diagonally for instance it’s hard for him to detect. Also, some colors like black are hard to spot. You’ll definitely crash Tri-bot, but he’ll protect himself many times. When you do crash him it’s likely he’ll topple over. Such an action is greeted with another snarky comment. He’ll also stop his wheels too and wait to be righted. It’s worth noting though that he won’t get damaged by tipping. We’ve done it at least 100 times and he’s no worse for it, Tri-bot is surprisingly durable.

Aside from driving Tri-bot around freely, he has several other modes of play. 

Homing

The homing function lets Tri-bot find and follow the user. Press and hold the home button and he’ll lock onto the signal from the remote. You have to give Tri-bot a little time to lock into the direction and it’s best to do this in an open space. He has a bit of trouble finding the signal in areas that have reflective surfaces. Once you let go of the home button he’ll think he has arrived. 

Kids really thought the homing mode to be fun. Having Tri-bot follow them like a puppy delighted our test bunch. Once we got them to keep the home button depressed and to operate in open areas, they really had a blast.

Guard Mode

By far the most popular with the kids was guard mode. This lets you put Tri-bot in motion detection mode using his sensors in both the front and rear. When something crosses his path, Tri-bot wakes up with some exclamation, lights and so on. Even when they knew what was coming the kids were delighted each time. For some reason the boys got special enjoyment out of aggravating their mothers with the guard mode. 

Free Roam

Tri-bot can also go into free roam mode which essentially lets him cruise the landscape on his own. He’ll cruise for three minutes chattering away and doing his best to avoid obstacles. He even sings a little “Roam Free” tune that the kids quickly picked up on. This mode is a little more engaging than the demo modes to see what Tri-bot can do. Younger kids who didn’t really get the control scheme enjoyed following Tri-bot in this mode as well.

Alarm Mode

In this mode kids can specify an alarm time from one to twelve minutes. Then press Tri-bot’s head to set the timer. Once it goes off, Tri-bot cruises around until his head gets tapped. It’s kind of cute but the replayability isn’t terribly strong with this mode.

Program Mode

More advanced kids can program Tri-bot to do whatever they want, up to 60 commands. The system only stores one program though and Tri-bot won’t use his sensors while in this mode. Even so, the teen-age kids found it interesting to program Tri-bot around obstacles, then set him back up for a run on his own to see how well he did. 

Games

Tri-bot comes with three games, pattern, maze and minefield, which are all sort of a variation of the same thing. In pattern Tri-bot rolls out a pattern and kids have to try to replicate it. In maze, Tri-bot will navigate a maze then ask the kids to replicate. If they don’t he’ll playfully bounce off the invisible walls. The minefield games works the same as maze, though Tri-bot bleeps when you’re close to a mine and is silent when your direction is clear. The games are a nice addition, but again better suited for teenagers.

Bottom Line

The WowWee Tri-bot is a good deal of fun and offers a lot of control for kids who like remote controlled devices. There’s also an element of programming for older kids, along with a few games that will challenge that set as well. Even kids well under the recommended age for this product had fun watching Tri-bot run around by himself. At this price point, Tri-bot makes for an excellent entry into robotics and will certainly make for hours of self-guided play for kids. Parents will probably want to make sure the volume is turned to low though, as the Tri-bot voice can get repetitive. Overall we think Tri-bot is a winner and one of our favorite toys from the last several months.

4.5 out of 5 stars – Editor’s Choice

Wrex the Dawg from WowWee is a robotic junkyard dog designed to entertain kids with many playful modes and controlled with a colorful junkyard inspired remote. This playful guard dog has mood swings, breakdown modes where you can fix him, and can even be programmed to play back a long set of moves. Wrex can “see” in front of him to handle guard dog duties with motion sensors which also help locate borders to a room. Designed for kids 8 and up, Wrex the Dawg can entertain for hours (or until the batteries run out).

How Wrex Works

To simulate a real personality and to move about, Wrex the Dawg is loaded with infrared sensors, 9 motors, and internal speakers that let him move around in a life-like way. Depending on the mood or function he is in, he can move his ears, tail (which squeaks like a dog toy when pinched), front and rear legs, head and neck, jaw, and even spin his eyes like a slot machine to show his current mode. Many of his moves are designed to mimic moves of a real dog (including going to the bathroom), well everything except walking. Instead of four individual legs and feet, Wrex uses wheels.

You can control Wrex through buttons on his body, a secret repair panel on his back, and the remote which can set his various moods and control commands. Smaller children might not understand the more complex features controlled through the remote, but the controls are simple enough that random button mashing can provide some entertaining results.

Wrex is powered off of 4 C and 2 AA batteries housed in his belly and the remote uses 3 AAA batteries. Considering his size and number of motors, I might have preferred D-sized batteries for the main motor functions to last longer. Another option would have been a rechargeable battery, but it would have increased cost. Battery life if used heavily would be rated as a day or two tops before you need to swap in new main batteries. A set of quality NiMH rechargeable batteries would be a wise investment.

What Do Kids Think?

Younger kids, 6 and under, generally found Wrex more fun, since it was a very active play toy that could make seemingly random movements with exciting bright lights. They also really enjoyed just watching Wrex as older kids or parents operated the controls. Wrex is designed for older kids though and in our test set of kids 8 and up, we found they wanted to control Wrex by driving him around a room but quickly found out that remote controlled car-type action is not how he works. They also expected voice controls, since Wrex is a dog and all. Incidentally WowWee is adding voice commands to some of their 2009 lineup. All told, Wrex really didn’t hold the interest of older kids the way we thought he would, but younger kids still found him very entertaining. 

Fun for Adults?

I love playing with new gadgets and toys, so the playing with a robotic dog was something else. Working with Wrex was difficult at first, before I turned to the instruction manual for some help. Some of the functions on the remote are not labeled in a way that would be easily recognized, such as the function knob with items listed as “1-6” without icons or descriptions. One example is knowing that having Wrex in the Happy mode, knob pointing at one, and pressing the green button means “Shakes a Paw”. Simpler functions such as eating shows an image of a dog bone, which is a bit easier to understand. I think a guide printed on the back of the remote might have helped, instead of only a table inside the instruction manual.

Trying to drive Wrex around the room to bark at people proved to be quite a challenge, maneuvering him around rugs and other obstacles that might stop him in his tracks. The best environment for Wrex is probably an open hard-pile carpet play room where the wheels can spin easier and with few obstacles that would limit his range of movement.

Wrex Limitations

Wrex doesn’t really like driving around like a remote controlled car. The movement is very imprecise, with loose front wheels that make him drift to the side instead of in a straight line (this is by design). Trying to aim him to a different part of the room can be difficult with so many corrections. Many of the commands are also delayed, such as moving straight; sometimes he continues to move for a bit after you release the button. And a single button press makes Wrex take that action until another button is pressed or the stop button is hit. So if you press right turn, he’ll spin around and around until you tell him to stop or do something else.

Obstacles like barriers between carpet and hard flooring can block his movement, and some rougher surfaces limit how much he can move around. In my house Wrex moved very slow across my carpeted living room, but moved 2-3 times faster over my smooth kitchen floor. He does have a sensor and will redirect well, but it’s a few inches off the ground, so he won’t manouver around low barriers like a shoe or toy on the floor. 

One missing feature that would have been awesome is voice commands, as being a dog this is one of the first things you might expect. Both kids and parents agree it would have been a great feature, even if it was only listening for very basic commands.

Advanced Features

Wrex likes to be taught new tricks through his programming mode which stores up to 80 moves to be played back at a later time. Inside the program mode you select actions just as you would normally, but after each one Wrex gives a confirmation to let you know that step has been saved. One program example would be having him move forward 5 times, spin, bark and play dead, spin again, and move 5 times forward to try and return to his original position. You can’t really program super complex moves (it is a kid’s toy after all) but it is a fun feature.

Bottom Line

Wrex the Dawg by WowWee turned out to be a pretty fun toy to play around with, for both children and adults. Wrex mimicked real motion very well with the array of servos and motors and sounded lifelike with the internal speakers. It did have some flaws with the overall driving control which made some older kids who wanted to drive it around disappointed. Most of this is caused by the fact that it isn’t a remote controlled car, but a robotic dog that slides around on its front paws. Younger kids loved the random movement and personality, so don’t think the 8+ rule is a hard limit. In the end I think Wrex turned out to be a friendly battery-eating robot which for its price had plenty of features. There’s also a lot of potential for parent/child combo play which we think is valuable. 

3.5 out of 5 Stars