What we love…
He’s cute, he’s funny and he’ll save your iPhone. Always something new to discover.
What we’d love to see…
The in-app purchases childproofed and more colours!
Summary
Reasonably priced and a fun way to combine technology with non-technology. Sure to become your child’s new (virtual) BFF!
Our Rating
When we received the package from Ubooly Inc., I knew what was inside but I didn’t tell my boys (5, 3 & 2) right away. We unpacked the box when we got home and my kids shrugged it off as just another plushie but their interest was piqued when they saw the technological side of this “soft toy”. Ubooly brings traditional stuffed toys into the digital age by turning your iPhone or iPod Touch into an interactive and educational talking buddy for your child. By downloading the free Ubooly Pet app and inserting your device into the top of the toy, Ubooly’s face magically comes to life and he interacts with the people around him via voice commands. Ubooly has a library of stories, jokes, games and other activities that are activated by the user asking for them. Simply say to Ubooly out loud “tell me a story” or “play me a song” and he will. If you don’t talk to him for a while, he falls asleep and starts snoring (a feature my kids thought was hilarious) and he had no problem understanding my and my kids Australian accent.
“This little critter is full of interactive content that inspires creative play with a healthy dose of humor and adventure.”
The free app, when used in conjunction with the Ubooly toy, offers many hours of interactive activities and Ubooly becomes smarter the more often he is used. To be able to use the app with the toy, you must first “adopt your Ubooly” by entering the six-digit code that comes in the box to register him. Exciting new content is available for Ubooly each month and can be downloaded by updating the app from the App Store. When used as a standalone app (without the toy), it does contain a fun Tamagotchi-style game where you earn coins to buy items for your Ubooly pet by playing mini-games, however there are also in-app purchases where the user can buy extra coins or shells in exchange for real money. This toy is aimed at ages 4 – 9 so I would have liked to have seen some kind of childproofing on the in-app purchases to ensure no inadvertent purchases were made by the kids while playing the games.
From his humble beginnings as a (highly successful!) kickstarter project, Ubooly has gone on to be featured on sites such as Mashable, TechCrunch and CNet to name just a few. At the time of writing this review, Ubooly could only speak English but the developer has mentioned they will be adding additional languages in 2013. Priced at US$29.95, Ubooly works with iPhone 3GS, 4/4S, and 5 as well as iPod touch 4G and 5 with support for certain Android devices coming soon. To keep up to date on the new content for Ubooly, and to read his witty updates, be sure to follow him on Facebook and Twitter. I can see this furry little guy becoming a hit in many households the world over!
|
Ubooly Petby Ubooly Inc.Category: Education, Kids, Games, Educational Requirements: Compatible with all Size: 45.13 MB |
 |
Screenshots
(Click to enlarge)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Giveaway
If you would like to win a Ubooly Pet for yourself , please enter via the widget below. Winners will be emailed and must contact The iMums within 48 hours to claim their prize. This giveaway is open to everyone, worldwide, and a valid postal address is required to claim the prize. Please ensure you have read and understand our Terms & Conditions. Good luck!
DISCLAIMER: This product was sent to me for free for the purpose of this review but this has not influenced the objectivity of the review and all opinions have been offered honestly.
Amanda
Latest posts by Amanda (see all)
Alison, Amanda, Grace and Mary are four mothers from different parts of the world dedicated to educating parents about the best digital stories, educational apps, fun games and technology products available for their children. We also offer the latest news in apps for kids, interesting articles, developer interviews, free apps and regular giveaways!
I like that they are cute!
Ubooly is cuddly and kid friendly
Oh wow he is so cute! And seems very toddler and kid friendly! Love it!
I love how you just slip the iPhone in it and it interacts with your kids. Mine would love this! It’s adorable!
Sooo cute my boys would love it:-)
I love that they are kid friendly and that my kids would just love this.
I would love to see how my little ones would use him!
It’s furriness :)
I like how he tells stories and jokes! =)
cute!
Uboly is really cute and my child’s favorite color.
This looks cute, my daughter could have fun with this.
I would love to see if kids with more severe disabilities can interact with Ubooly!
I like that it can interact with an Ipod
i like the interactive aspect of the toy and the various features like the songs, stories. the snoring part is funny too. this would make a great gift for friends of mine who love new technology and have kids. this even sounds like fun for me, but i’m going to give it away if i win.
he looks so cute and cuddly
I love that you can interact with it and it is cute.
So cute!!!
would love one of these to use with my kids. it would be great bonding time
I love it! So cute and it is amazing that it can interact with the kids and everyone in the whole family :)
I like that it has a library of stories, jokes, games and other activities that are activated by the user asking for them
it’s so cute!!
I love that it looks very engaging and fun for my kids to play with!
Very, very cute!
I love how furry and interactive he is!
I like it’s interactive-ness for young kids. It looks like it would be easy for them to access the stories, games, etc. Plus, it’s cute!
hes snuggly and reads stories…my son would love him!!!!
so cute!!
I just think they are super cuter
I love how portable they are, home to car to restaurant!