WowWee has a long history of creating imaginative, high-tech toys, dating back almost 30 years. Originally developing toys for other companies, their focus shifted to their own branding in the late 80s when they began offering robotic toys and remote-controlled animals. As technology advanced, WowWee has stayed at the front of the game, creating unique robotic offerings that incorporate the highest quality and cutting-edge technology while maintaining a beautiful esthetic design.
They offer stylized humanoids, cuddly animals and even a realistic chimpanzee, as well as more traditional robots in both humanoid and creature forms. Their most popular and innovative offering has been the series of Robosapiens, first released in 2004, which have sold millions of units in the past 6 years. Newer models offer a range of multimedia functions including speech capability and user customization.
Taking those multimedia developments to another level, WowWee now introduces the Rovio, a Wi-Fi enabled, programmable, wheeled robot that includes a webcam, microphone and speakers. A step up from other mobile robotic toys, the Rovio is not just a glorified RC car but a useful tool. Because of its Wi-Fi capability, not only can it be programmed to patrol your home so you can check on things when you are away, the Rovio can be used to represent you in meetings, gatherings and just about any other scenario you can imagine.
The Rovio comes with an installation disc but it’s recommended that you get the newest software directly from their website. Once installed, you connect the Rovio via a USB cord to your computer to set it up. When I first plugged it in, it wasn’t recognized. After powering it down a few times, it was finally recognized and from there, it was simple. Initial setup was quick and the interface is easy to use. The quality of the sound is clear both in the speaker and the mic. The video size, quality and speed can be adjusted so if you need a clear picture more than speed or vice versa, it’s as simple as a few clicks.
Moving and controlling the Rovio is easy as well. The interface is accessed by typing the address into a browser. I typically use Chrome, but the speaker and mic functions didn’t work. I tried Firefox and Safari with the same results. When I loaded the interface in Internet Explorer, everything functioned correctly, so keep in mind that you currently must have Internet Explorer loaded on whatever computer you are logging into Rovio with. Moving Rovio is as simple as clicking on one of the directional icons or even clicking on the Rovio icon in the center of the directional pad, dragging and dropping it where you want to go.
While installation, setup and controlling the Rovio is easy, getting the remote access to work might be a challenge. First off, you have to set your wireless router to allow incoming connections. You also need to know the IP address assigned to your Rovio. Most home networks have dynamic IP addresses (changing each time the device is connected to the network). This can cause a problem for you if there is a power outage, or some other situation arises that resets your IP address for the Rovio. When you are home, it’s not a problem because the software includes a utility called Find Rovio that searches for its current IP address and allows you to connect to it. As for finding it when you are away from home, there are free services that will look for your Rovio’s IP address and connect you to it by simply going to the web address you’ve assigned for it, but it does require the purchase of a domain name with the companies offering the service. The average price is about $40 per year for the domain, so if you don’t have your own website to piggyback it off of, you can always choose one of those services to connect to.
Since it can get complicated getting the remote access to work, WowWee tries to make it easier by offering some comprehensive tutorials on YouTube to talk you through each step. Once you get it set up, the possibilities are endless. You can access your Rovio from any internet connection, including your cell phone, PDA or even game systems.
If I had a wish list of things I’d change about the Rovio, I think the biggest issues would be battery life, browsers supported, and the adjustability of the camera. The battery only lasts about an hour so, if you have a larger house, you might want to invest in a second dock so that it can get to the nearest dock wherever it is when the battery runs low. My Rovio died before making it “home” a few times. As I mentioned before, the Rovio is only fully functional at this point if you use Internet Explorer. When I tried adjusting the video settings in IE, the quality would change but not the image size, so while sound and video worked with IE, the video picture wasn’t as sharp or clear as it was with Chrome. As for the neck, it has only 3 positions (as you can see from the image above). It does not rotate or pivot between the mid and upper setting. Granted, I was just chasing my dogs and family around the house, but the camera angle limitations were a bit frustrating.
All in all, the Rovio is fun to play with, easy to use, and has a lot of potential uses. With the frequent software updates offered by WowWee, I’m sure browser support and camera functionality (if not position) will continue to improve.
Features:
- Easily control Rovio remotely 24/7 from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Use any web-enabled device: PC or Mac, cell phone, smartphone, PDA or even your video game console.
- Rovio detects your computer settings and guides you through the setup process.
- Its head-mounted moveable camera and wide range of vision enable you to see and hear exactly what Rovio sees and hears, on your screen.
- Set waypoints so that Rovio can navigate itself around your home, without having to control each step yourself!*
- At the click of a button, send Rovio back to the charging dock using its self-docking capabilities — even when you are not at home!*
- Guide Rovio through dimly lit locations with the aid of its built-in LED headlight.
- Rechargeable NiMH battery included
- 1 x Charging dock with built-in TrueTrack Beacon
- 3 x Omni-directional wheels
- 1 x Head-mounted VGA camera
- LED illumination
- 1 x Speaker and 1 x microphone for 2-way audio
- USB connectivity
- Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11b and 802.11g)
*Rovio requires additional TrueTrack Room Beacons (each sold separately) to navigate or self-dock across multiple rooms.
The Rovio can be purchased through Amazon, or wherever you find your favorite high-tech toys.