"While the styling may be a bit 1980s Starbird-style"
Actually, for those of us of A Certain Age[tm] it looks more like a half-arsed noughties 'reimagining' of a BigTrak, but without the various odds and sods that made the BigTrak semi-cool.
Personally, I'd lump such a thing into the MMTS bracket (More Money Than Sense)
Is it easily hackable? If it is possible to easily DIY the speaker and flashlight then might be worth it as a good toy. Also, what level of 'stealth' does it have? Meaning is it silent enough to sneak in on the wife unannounced for a good prank?
250 quid is a bit expensive, but I bought the first version of the Robosapien four or so years ago when it first came out, and I loved it. The price point seemed a bit high at the time but once it was in my hands I saw that it was just about right as the construction was so good. Wowwee made good impression on me back then and I keep following up on their products, even though I am still waiting for my next purchase.
...me and el-reg are on the same wavelength. Sort of.
Just yesterday I bought a Meccano SpyKee! That and the Rovio go hand-in-hand, as they are quite close in terms of features. I looked at the Rovio at the same time as researching the SpyKee, and came to the conclusion its just not worth the £250.
The SpyKee is £150 now from my local Tesco (RRP £200), which is about as cheap as you can get it brand new in the UK, after a quick googling.
Thats pretty much the most I have ever spent in one go at Tescos. It'll be a shock when I see my bank statement having probably forgotten about the purchase by then!
The Spykee only does QVGA / 320x200 at 15fps as opposed to the Rovio, so its price bump is a little justified. Just dont tell anybody that 640x480 webcams can be had for only a few notes nowadays! ;-)
One thing to note about the SpyKee, something which may very well affect the Rovio too - I have so far had to return it for a replacement as it refused to charge itself!! The replacement is now on charge, awaiting a full initial charge for the full test, but I'm not holding my breath as I did nothing wrong the first time round, after going thru the manual 10 times to see whether I did anything incorrectly, I think its way within my limited abilities to at least charge a device up!
Something to do with it using NiMH instead of trusty lithium Ions I reckon. Does the Rovio use NiMH batteries?
Logitech Harmony ONE Advanced Universal Remote
Logitech Harmony 1100 Remote Control
Logitech Harmony 700 Universal Remote (LCD, 6 Devices)
Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote (LCD Touch Screen, Macro Control, 15 Devices)
Panasonic DMW-BCG10 Replacement Battery
WowWee Rovio Mobile webcam
Greg
IE only? #
Posted Monday 8th December 2008 15:26 GMT
Get stuffed.
Matt Brigden
Looks like fun #
Posted Monday 8th December 2008 15:26 GMT
£250 is pricy but hell the fun you could have ........ I could terrorise the cat whenever I wanted from anywhere :D
Simon Ward
Retro styling #
Posted Monday 8th December 2008 15:26 GMT
"While the styling may be a bit 1980s Starbird-style"
Actually, for those of us of A Certain Age[tm] it looks more like a half-arsed noughties 'reimagining' of a BigTrak, but without the various odds and sods that made the BigTrak semi-cool.
Personally, I'd lump such a thing into the MMTS bracket (More Money Than Sense)
Max
Is it hackable and how loud is it? #
Posted Monday 8th December 2008 16:35 GMT
Is it easily hackable? If it is possible to easily DIY the speaker and flashlight then might be worth it as a good toy. Also, what level of 'stealth' does it have? Meaning is it silent enough to sneak in on the wife unannounced for a good prank?
250 quid is a bit expensive, but I bought the first version of the Robosapien four or so years ago when it first came out, and I loved it. The price point seemed a bit high at the time but once it was in my hands I saw that it was just about right as the construction was so good. Wowwee made good impression on me back then and I keep following up on their products, even though I am still waiting for my next purchase.
J Welek
Starbird?!? #
Posted Monday 8th December 2008 16:35 GMT
Hell, that's a blast from the past!!
Paris? Obvious lame reference... ;)
/tilts Starbird upwards and grabs coat
M
How much? #
Posted Monday 8th December 2008 16:57 GMT
I am sure that I could make one of these for less than a quarter of the price...and fitted with nerf rockets.
*ponders*
David Wiernicki
Please, god... #
Posted Monday 8th December 2008 21:20 GMT
...let them sell a lot of these, and please let the default settings allow anyone with a handle on inurl: searches to find and control them.
Stu
Goes to show... #
Posted Tuesday 9th December 2008 14:37 GMT
...me and el-reg are on the same wavelength. Sort of.
Just yesterday I bought a Meccano SpyKee! That and the Rovio go hand-in-hand, as they are quite close in terms of features. I looked at the Rovio at the same time as researching the SpyKee, and came to the conclusion its just not worth the £250.
The SpyKee is £150 now from my local Tesco (RRP £200), which is about as cheap as you can get it brand new in the UK, after a quick googling.
Thats pretty much the most I have ever spent in one go at Tescos. It'll be a shock when I see my bank statement having probably forgotten about the purchase by then!
The Spykee only does QVGA / 320x200 at 15fps as opposed to the Rovio, so its price bump is a little justified. Just dont tell anybody that 640x480 webcams can be had for only a few notes nowadays! ;-)
One thing to note about the SpyKee, something which may very well affect the Rovio too - I have so far had to return it for a replacement as it refused to charge itself!! The replacement is now on charge, awaiting a full initial charge for the full test, but I'm not holding my breath as I did nothing wrong the first time round, after going thru the manual 10 times to see whether I did anything incorrectly, I think its way within my limited abilities to at least charge a device up!
Something to do with it using NiMH instead of trusty lithium Ions I reckon. Does the Rovio use NiMH batteries?