Rover App-Controlled Spy Tank – Review

Category: Toy
Model: Rover
Price: $149.99 (Current sale price is $99.99)
TiP Rating: 4/5 stars
Seller: Brookstone
Requirements: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

Summary: The Rover Spy Tank is App-Controlled by your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad. It generates its own Wi-Fi wireless connection for your smart device (no frequency interference!). The impressive wireless range lets it travel up to 200 ft. unobstructed, up to 100 ft. around walls into other rooms. Navigate it with the on-screen driving arrows or use the G-Drive Mode that uses your device’s accelerometer like a steering wheel in your hand. To get started, simply download the Free App from the iTunes App Store.

Review: I am very much still a kid at heart. Granted I’m a teenager and therefore not an adult yet anyways, but a lot of people my age have already given up with toys. Not me though; I still get joy out of them. Of course my toys have gotten a bit more sophisticated, but then again most things require batteries these days. Anyways, when I came across the Rover App Controlled Spy Tank, I just had to give it a try.

The Rover is a tank that you can control with your iDevice. Not only can you control it, but you can drive it from up to 200 ft. away. This is thanks to the built in camera that sends back a live video stream. It also transmits audio, so you can spy on your friends and family or listen in to secret government conversations. The overall controls are fairly simple. You have a forward and back arrow for each side of the tank. To go forward, press both forward arrows, to go back, press the back ones. If you want to turn around, just press one arrow, or two opposites to make a sharp turn. These unique vehicle controls take a little to get used to, but it is a very small learning curve; they also give you more control than with the standard RC car. The range I found is fairly decent. Through walls, it is not as far as 200 feet, but I was able to roam around outside while I was in my house.

As far as video quality goes, it works well enough to see, but it is definitely not crystal-clear HD quality. For the most part, the video does not lag which is good on spy missions; a lag could be the difference of being spotted or not. The app does allow you to take still images—you know, for recon missions and gathering intelligence, but unfortunately you cannot record footage. Probably the coolest partis the infrared light mounted above the camera. This little thing produces light that can only be picked up by the Rover’s camera and is not visible to the human eye. So even in the dark, everything is lit up. Outside, video quality is better, but colors are not accurate; they all seem just a little muted. The camera can also zoom up to 200% which can come in handy when you cannot get close to your target. Overall, the camera gets the job done. Here are two of the pictures I snapped while on my most recent mission.