WowWee Rovio Wi-Fi Enabled Robotic WebCam

by Wow Wee

Product Features

• Wi-Fi enabled robotic webcam/ led illumination/1 x speaker/1 x built in microphone
• Detects your computer settings for you and guides you though the process
• Interactive audio and video streams from ROVIO to the PC
• Control from web accessible devices
• With stored location points ROVIO can navigate itself around the home

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12 x 6.5 x 13.5 inches ; 2.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6.5 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B001CQLGD6
• Item model number: Rovio
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,284 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

WowWee Rovio Wi-Fi Enabled Robotic Webcam. A revolution in home exploration and telepresence, ROVIO is a Wi-Fi enabled robotic webcam that easily moves in any direction and can be controlled remotely. View and interact with ROVIOs environment through its streaming video and audio from its built in camera. Use ROVIO to check on your family while away from home, watch over your house while away on vacation, or look over your pets during your lunch time. In the office, enjoy movement enabled web conferences with colleagues, using ROVIO anywhere. Direct ROVIOs movements, neck mounted camera and audio from your own living room or anywhere in the world, via the Internet, using any web accessible device such as a cell phone, video game console or PC. Use the menu to set and select way points, with one click you can tell ROVIO to navigate itself to the chosen point, without having to control each step yourself. With built in LED lights to help you guide ROVIO through dark hallways, you will always know what is going on at home or at the office. No need to worry about ROVIO running low on power while you are gone, with self docking capabilities, send ROVIO back to base to recharge with the touch of a button on your browser, wherever you are. When it is done charging, it is ready to take on its next tour.

Product Description

WowWee Rovio Wi-Fi Enabled Robotic WebCam Access your home from anywhere in the world with the Rovio Robotic WebCam! Rovio detects your computer settings for you and guides you though the process. Let Rovio roam freely and see its point of view directly on your PC using its Wi-Fi remote controlled webcam. Interactive audio and video will stream from Rovio directly to your PC. See and hear exactly what Rovio sees and hears, on your screen, anywhere in the world. Store location points so that Rovio can navigate itself around the home, without you having to control each step. Rovio will always have power, even when you are not there to recharge it. At the touch of a button you can send Rovio back to the recharge base using its self-docking capabilities, even if you are not at home! Specifications WiFi connectivity/ 802.11g/ also works with 802.11b devices Rechargable batteries included One recharge station LED illumination 3x wheel motors 3x omni-directional wheels 1x camera motor 1x VGA CMOS sensor 1x speaker 1x built-in microphone System Requirements PC compatible computer with a minimum Pentium 3 processor or equivalent Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systems 256MB of RAM USB Wireless Access Point device connected to PC High speed internet connection Internet Explorer 6 or higher required for two way audio feature

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

204 of 211 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rovio Born Premature, November 4, 2008

By 

Dustin Boyette (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: WowWee Rovio Wi-Fi Enabled Robotic WebCam (Toy)

As a previous reviewer said, I really, really want to love my Rovio. It has great potential, but these first units are awful. WowWee should not have succumbed to pressure to release it before it's ready. I can't recommend anybody buy one at this time, for the following reasons:

1. The robot won't play back paths with any accuracy. I've given mine clear paths with no obstacles, and it still manages to run into chairs and the TV. And that's with the NAV signal showing strong. Maybe if you had your own empty gym, it'd work great, but if you live in a real house with furniture, the robot won't navigate reliably.

2. The robot usually runs out of battery power before it manages to dock, so the self-recharging feature is a bust.

3. Audio doesn't work (in or out) on any browser but Internet Explorer.

4. The camera positioning options are poor (low, a little lower, and let's-stare-at-the-ceiling are your only choices).

5. The battery life is poor too. Maybe an hour if you're lucky, and since it won't make it back to the recharger, Rovio will die and be useless from remote.

6. The headlight is absolutely laughable. The camera can't be used at all in low-light conditions.

7. While there's almost no forward illumination, Rovio will annoy you with the pulsating blue LEDs on top.

8. My dock died after less than two weeks of ownership.

I'm sure I could think of more reasons to wait for a new version before buying, but those are just the ones that I immediately recall as unacceptable. This product simply doesn't work.

Bye bye, Rovio. You're going back to Amazon.

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Meh..., October 21, 2008

By 

Mark Rahmani "diomark" (San Francisco, ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: WowWee Rovio Wi-Fi Enabled Robotic WebCam (Toy)

I want to like Rovio.. I really do... But I still haven't decided if I'm keeping mine...

I've got docking issues with mine - not sure if it's just this unit, but it keeps trying to dock too far to the left (sometimes it succeeds - every other time it doesn't.. and when it does work, it takes forever to dock.)

The webcam on this is ok for well lit rooms, but is *really* poor for dark rooms - and the headlight is a joke - it's really dim. For being what it is, Wowwee should have concentrated on a better webcam/better light.

The navigation works ok, as long as it doesn't move it while trying to dock to it (which it always does - despite being against the wall..)

As a toy, it gets a solid 5 stars from me (althogh I think it's overpriced - they should have priced it ~$200 or so..)

But as a remote controlled webcam sentry robot (in my case, to be used in spying on our pets), it gets 3 stars...

-mark
(PS - it has problems with the 1/2" ledge between our kitchen and living room..)

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars NEEDS LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS, October 21, 2008

By 

Raag (TX, USA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: WowWee Rovio Wi-Fi Enabled Robotic WebCam (Toy)

It is true that it is a mobile webcam. Web interface is really good. I checked with IPhone but the browser crashed 2 out of three time on IPhone. I have not checked the two way Audio yet so I can not comment on it.
For this high price the webcam pic quality is really bad and way too dark. The only way you can see the picture clearly if the area or room has very good lighting like 2-3 tube lights in a very small room otherwise you are out of luck to see anything in larger room with 1-2 lights in it.
Front LED which suppose to help to see in poorly lighted area is useless, it shows the tiny part of object if it is very close (like few cm)to that object.
I saw one hack to install more LED in it to increase the visibility but it is not for everyone you need to have very good knowldge of electronics which I dont.
In this price you can buy three entry level Axis IP cameras and get very good pic quality in very low light ( I have two of them and I am surprised by the quality of those cameras)
I dont recommend buying this for such high price unless they reduce price around $150.
The other review here, is very misleading most probably written by their own people.
Very disappointed with the product.