The ping-pong-ball-size robot is inexpensive enough to toss in a stocking, but is fun to play with and even teaches the rudiments of programming.
By Dave Johnson, CNET
There's something weirdly compelling about a remote-controlled ball
-- whether you're racing it around the house, harassing the cat or
playing a real-life arcade game with it. Maybe that's why I've always
had such a fondness for Sphero, the now-iconic app-controlled robot
ball. Sphero has been around since 2011, and I've played with and
written about it extensively since that time. But as cool as it is, it's
a tad expensive, which is why the Sphero Mini -- a
smaller version that costs just $50 -- is so attractive. If even the $50
price tag has held you back, now you have no excuse. Amazon is selling the blue Sphero Mini for $30.69, which is $19.30 off the usual price.
The Sphero Mini is about the size of a ping pong ball and comes in an
assortment of colors, but only the blue is priced at $30.69. For a few
dollars more, you can also get the Sphero Mini in black, green, orange
or red for $32.49 - $34.99. The good news is regardless of color,
they're all at least $15 off.
The Sphero Mini comes with a variety
of driving modes, games and even a coding tool that teaches kids the
rudiments of programming with drag-and-drop scripts to automate the
ball's actions. But perhaps CNET's Scott Stein put it best when he said
that the Sphero Mini could be the greatest $50 cat toy of all time. Whether for your kid, your cat or yourself, the Sphero Mini is waiting for you.
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