Friday, November 18, 2011

Review - Brookstone Rover Spy Tank



Here's a cool iPhone/iPad controlled device that's sure to please kids of all ages.  I always had my eye on the  AR.Drone Quadricopter, but really, who can afford a RC helicopter?  The Brookstone Rover Spy Tank is the next best land-based option.  Check out the fun my kids had with it.

Rover on the prowl

Adam loved to get up close and personal to it.

Adam up close to the Rover

Yup, that close. The wi-fi connection to my iPhone was super easy to set up and the Rover was super easy to control, even by 7yo Dova. The streaming video was great for giggles and the snapshot button was well used. Over and over.

Dova eats the Rover

Sneaking up on the Rover

Jumping in the kitchen

Mom jumping

Wait, did the Rover spy mom jumping in the kitchen? This super shot was taken by Dova the controls. See? Super easy to use.

In addition to the all important snapshot button, the Rover's movements are easily controlled by using the touchscreen arrows or by G-drive which uses the iPhone or iPad accelerometer. It also has a night vision mode which lights the way in the dark to sense ghosts, or in this case, ghostly kids.

Ghostly Adam

After playing with the Rover, I had a little trouble hooking back up to my home wi-fi, but after a quick reset of my router, it was smooth sailing.  For a fun family toy for the holidays, you can get the Rover Spy Tank at Brookstone for $99.99.

Special thanks to Brookstone for providing the Rover Spy Tank for review as part of the Brookstone Review Crew.