Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is the droid you're looking for. What's in the box: BB-8 is packaged in a high quality box reminiscent of Sideshow collectibles packaging in terms of quality. Inside is a tray that holds the droid firmly still (It's unlikely they'll be found with scruffs or damaged antenna new out of the box, as it's packaged very well!). The box is so well done that I would have to say it is intended to be kept. Inside It has a charging base, cable for the base, warranty pamphlet, and BB-8. BB-8 Sphero App The app is similar in appearance and image quality to the new Star Wars app that has recently been put out. It is compatible with I-phones and Androids, so there's no need to worry about that, and it can work on tablets or phones. The app allows you to use augmented reality to play a short holomessage (Help me Obi-wan Kenobi, you're my only hope), remote control BB-8 with your tablet or cell phone, or wander mode, where the droid wanders on its own. There are several options for emoting the droid's action, such as nodding and disagreeing, babbling, and it can also be told to drive in a figure 8 or a square. Personally, I find just letting him wander to be most amusing. Sound comes out of your device speaker, not BB-8, which some may find disappointing. You can also adjust the max speed (and it's quite fast at top speed!). It have read something about voice activated commands, but I haven't seen that feature on my Samsung yet. Either I haven't found it, or it's not available on Android phones yet. My only gripe with the app so far is that i'd like to see them add new features (I suspect they're holding some back to avoid spoiling the movie), and an option to turn off the music. Music isn't too distracting though, as it only plays on the home screen and during start up. Charger The charger has to be plugged into a USB port, but if you have a USB to wall socket adapter you're good to go. If you set him to wander while he's on the base, he'll sit there and mumble at you. He moves around a bit while the app is on, as if he's contemplating his situation or what you're doing. When the app is off, he holds still and 'sleeps'. BB-8 and general use BB-8 itself is quite well done in appearance! The details are crisp, and his scale seems to be close to 1/6th scale. So if you never turned it on and just set it on a shelf with 1/6th scale sideshow star wars figures, he'd fit in quite well (and balances pretty good for a ball, too). The head is slightly smaller than as depicted in the movie, but it's not all that noticeable. The droid is difficult to control via remote control, or at least, was for me. There's a blue light that shines through the sphere that you use your control to point toward yourself to orient the controls. Even still, so long as you are using it on the ground and not a table, it shouldn't be much of a problem while you're getting used to how it works. I have yet to have the head pop off in use even on wander mode (The droid detects collisions and rights itself when it bumps into something, even on wander mode ... after grumbling). It is rather small though, and at one point got behind my oven (it DID eventually find its own way out ... with a lot of complaints from BB-8). It doesn't see. When on wander mode it simply bumps into something, re-adjusts, and goes in a different direction. It's quite solid, with the ball section of the droid being fairly heavy. The head his extremely light, and has no inner electronics. It seems to be controlled via magnets inside the body. My only worry about the robot over time is the detail on the sphere. I can see the paint eventually wearing with long term use over years. It's smooth as a cue ball with no sculpted detail, but looks great out of the box! I would definitely not consider this a toy for a small kid. It's recommended for ages 8 and up, but it's honestly geared toward older people with disposable income. I could see an 8 to 11 year old screwing it up horribly, which would be ok if it weren't 150 dollars (which to me is a bit of cash). Final thoughts: I hope they update the app to disable music, and add pre-programmed movements and more sounds over time ... and want to see the voice activated commands implemented for android phones (assuming it's not just that I didn't find it on mine before writing the review). Outside of that, I'm happy with it. It's like having a small robot cat. ... I found myself talking to it at one point when it bumped into my feet. It really does seem to feel like it's got a personality, which is the big appeal of it. It's worth the price, but there's no need to buy from scalpers until it is out of production. (I've included a picture of mine with a 1/6th sideshow real action hero R2-D2 for size comparison as to my basis as its estimated 1/6th scale).