Robotic toys have come a long way since I was a kid. Back then I thought Teddy Ruxpin was the absolute coolest toy ever. My cousin had one and I was so jealous. Now fast forward twenty-six years (past the stupid ones like “Robo-Raptor”) and we have a whole new breed of robotic toy. Sphero. Not just a fun new app for our favorite devices, but a bunch of different apps centered around the control of one little baseball sized ball for a “mixed-reality” experience.

Sphero’s parent company Orbotix has literally re-defined the ball for us. They have put together six different ways to play with Sphero (with a seventh on the way, and presumably more). You can just play with the “Sphero app” and, “Familiarize yourself with Sphero’s personality. See where you stand on leaderboards and achievements. Track games you have and games you want. You can even join “Sphero Swarms” and share your experiences on social networks.” Or if you’re in the mood for nine holes play a little Sphero golf. Use your phone as the club and “hit” Sphero towards a goal you set up. It’s office golf to the next level. There’s also a camera app so you can control Sphero and won’t miss any of your cat Suki’s cute moments playing with Sphero.  Take pictures or video! Then share with the world how adorable your cat is! (Cause we need more cats filling the internet…) Moving on. Sphero “Draw N’ Drive,” allows you to “Use your finger to trace a shape or path on the screen and Sphero will follow it before your eyes. Just give your smart phone or tablet a shake to clear the slate.” There is Sphero “Blox” which looks like a midi sequencer to me but is a Sphero automater. You choose from a list of things it can do and then push play on the list of commands that you gave it. And lastly my favorite, Sphero “Drive.” The app that just lets you drive your Sphero. “Drive Sphero with joystick, tilt, or old-school remote controls. Create challenging courses, race against friends and family, or turn out the lights for a little night racing.”

Sphero is constructed of high impact polyurethane and should hold up to a bit of abuse. (Although Orbotix says that it is not for kids under 13 years old). Inside is the Orbotix Smart Robot that controls Sphero. To connect to your Android smart phone or tablet, Sphero uses Bluetooth and has a 50 ft range. At almost exactly the size of a baseball Sphero weighs in at 168 grams and can drive for about an hour. But it takes three hours to charge on the super cool induction charging base. (Takes me back to my old remote control car. Just when I was starting to have fun, battery died and had to charge it for another four hours.) But for this hour you will reach blistering speeds of 3 feet per second (a whopping 2 mph, at least it can’t run away from you) and be able to change Sphero to thousands of different colors with the internal LED. It also has an internal guidance system that includes a compass, accelerometer, and a gyro.

All this for the low, low price of $129.99! Which actually… is a GREAT price! I could easily see this thing being sold for more, and only the upper echelons of society owning one. But at this price point I think it’s in the sights of most 13-year-old kids and their parents. This just might be 2011′s “Must have” Christmas gift. They are taking pre-orders now and I’m hoping to snag one up soon. Shipping begins in December.  So head over to Sphero Store and pre-order yours today!

For a little extra fun, the Orbotix team took the Sphero to Halloween town for a night of fright. Check out the video, it is pretty cool.

Be sure to check out the Sphero at GoSphero.com