Customer Reviews

Oregon Scientific Smart Globe Deluxe

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

We bought the delux version of the Smart Globe for my 7 year old son and it's a wonderful educational toy. However, do not update the pen via the USB connection of your computer. In our case, the pen failed during the update process and is not operational any more. when I tried to return it to Costco for a replacement, I found out that Costco does not carry the Smart Globe any more!

This is a fantastic product. I haven't even used the USB capability to update the magic wireless wand that comes with this globe. Yet, my four-year old knows where the United States of America and Turkey are. She simply points the wand on the globe and listens to it speak the name of the country that is pointed at.

I was hoping I could find a globe covered in OLED that changed its graphics as the World changed. I think that's about ten years into the future for a reasonable price as this product is, and I wouldn't be surprised if Oregon Scientific creates it.

Just found out today from Oregon Scientific that the SmartPen is not compatible with DELL computers because DELL has not updated their drivers for the globe. This prevents you from updating your pen. There is a "fix" in the works but no timeframe as to when it will be completed.

Otherwise the kids love playing with this globe!

Like many reviews before me, we purchased this globe for our 7 year old from Costco. At first it was great, worked fine and was very entertaining and educational. We plugged it in using the ac/dc (with batteries still in the unit...who wouldn't do that!?) and loaded the software and went to sync up the pen with our computer. CRASH...the globe is now completely inoperable. Could be the ac/dc or the software, or both that caused it to fry. We purchase it at Costco and they do not carry it anymore. We emailed tech support at Oregon Scientific to no avail. DO not buy this junk. Now we have a VERY expensive plastic globe. NOT HAPPY!

My son was all over this globe and spitting back facts like a Rhodes Scholar until we decided to update the information. It failed and after 5 months, numerous emails, and two unanswered and one completed calls to support, the pen is still totally inoperable with no solution in sight.

I purchased this toy for my five year old niece. It advertised different games to play for different age levels--starting with age five and going through age fourteen. I definitely would NOT recommend this toy for a five, six or even seven year old. You have to be able to read some complex words in order to play with it. The only difference in levels of play is the time allowed to answer each question. False advertising. I feel as though it was poor judgement to advertise this for younger children. My niece was disappointed that she could not really play with it. It definitely is not appropriate for that age level.

Like others I had trouble with this globe shortly after purchase. The pen batteries died and after replacing them the pen died. No little red light, nothing. However, unlike others I got great customer service from Oregon Scientific. They were very helpful on the phone. I explained the problem, they stated it was under warranty and needed proof of purchase, or a photo to prove I owned the globe. I emailed them the Amazon statement, and a photo. They promised me a replacement pen, but actually sent me a new globe - the most recent version in under 2 weeks. So far that one's working fine. I have not tried connecting to the internet yet, but customer service stated that many problems were caused by disconnecting the pen before it had completely updated, and to wait until the message to disconnect. As for the globe itself, my 8 year old daughter loves it, plays with it frequently and has learned a lot already.

Purchased and returned..(bought from Costco)..this globe for my 10 year old son who is very interested in geography. When we unpackaged and tried it out everything worked great. After checking the manual and looking where to change the date/time we found that through the Internet the smart pen could be updated to the latest information. The updating process started well and then went terribly wrong. My first clue should have been, after plugging in the pen to the USB port, a message came up saying that there were problems with the drivers not all loading correctly. But being Christmas morning I merrily plodded onward. After downloading the software, the update process seemed to be working until, towards the end, an error message popped up and stopped the process. This download had deleted the flash memory on the pen or corrupted it , I'm not sure exactly what, but either way it made the whole thing inoperable. I tried two separate operating systems, Vista and XP both claimed by the manual to work, and neither one would correct the problem. Checking the Internet yields some clues but not much help. Someone stated that they thought it was a firewall issue, after using two separate computers, I'm not sure that this is the issue. Another stated that it was an issue with Dell, again using a Dell and an HP, I'm not sure that this is correct. I'm guessing something of an incompatible driver/software issue but either way it is a great idea spoiled by a firmware updating problem. With this glode being on the market for this long, I find it inconceivable that Oregon Scientific has not resolved this issue. It is a nice product with a great learning potential that was completely ruined by software updating bugs. Checking Oregon Scientific website yields no help at all (not sure there is much of a technical support line). This is a product that I cannot recommend. If you do have this be very very cautious about trying to update the smart pen or you will end up with just an expensive globe.

I am six years old and I can play with my globe for hours. It is fun to learn about other countries.

The Oregon Scientific Smart Globe Deluxe is great in that everyone in the household is learning a lot and coming together to play with it. In the hands of my 7yr old however, after less than a month's usage, I'm already seeing wear and tear. If the electronic continue to work over time, it will be worth it. All in all, great value.