Sphero’s latest app-controllable toy, Ollie, has finally arrived
Sphero is going in a new direction with its latest toy that can be controlled with any iOS device.
Instead of the usual ball, the Ollie takes more of a cylindrical shape. It can drive up to 14 mph and do some exciting tricks like jump, flip, spin, and drift.
Here’s the Ollie launch trailer that shows a little bit of what the toy can do. Click here if you can’t see it.
Using Bluetooth 4.0, users can instantly connect to the device, and it has a range of up to 100 feet. A built-in battery provides up to one hour of driving time before needing to be recharged. And like previous Sphero toys, integrated LEDs can be set to glow in one of millions of colors.
You can preorder two versions of the Ollie today from Sphero’s site. The $99 version, which starts shipping on Monday, Sept. 15, is white and offers two tires and hubs.
The Darkside Ollie is $149.99 and will start shipping on Saturday, Nov. 1. Along with a black Ollie, users will receive a bonus set of tires and hubs.
A number of other accessories for the Ollie will be available later this year.
I’ve been looking forward to the Ollie ever since it was introduced at CES in January as the 2B. I can’t wait to try it out.
For other recent accessory news, see: The spectacular Sonos multi-room sound system no longer needs a hardware bridge, Sony unveils two new iPhone-compatible lens cameras, the QX30 and QX1, and Elgato unveils new smart home accessories ahead of Apple’s HomeKit launch on iOS 8.