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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program My daughter received the original Mobigo when it first came out-when she was three years old. She loved it almost obsessively. It was terrific for car rides and times when Mommy needed time to take a shower! After two years, it still works perfectly and still holds her interest, though she had begun favoring "apps" on my iPhone and tablet. When I was offered the chance to test out the new version, I was thrilled.
From the moment I put it in her hand, I had to fight to get it back out. All the old games are compatible, and they also kindly let you download any of your previously downloaded games onto this one, too. Nice, Vtech.
THE NEW STUFF IN VERSION 2
-Motion Sensor
My daughter adores the preloaded "Hamster Highway" game, which is the one that highlights the new motion sensor. When you tilt the Mobigo left, right, back, or forward, you control the action of the hamster rolling around the race track in his hamster ball. It's one of the rare Mobigo games that isn't educational, but that's fine. I don't need there to be an educational lesson in everything she does... pure entertainment is good, too! Plus, it helps with motor skills.
-Microphone and Photo Storage
The other main new feature is the microphone, which is highlighted in the "Photos" feature. You can add your own photos, making this a great spot to keep some of your child's favorite photos, but to start, they preload it with eight generic kid-friendly photos: a dog, a hot air balloon, etc. When you press the star, it tells you to "blow into the microphone to see the special effects." Actually, you can make any sound into the microphone, and it'll do one of two funny things to the picture: "warp" it or add bubbles to it. Not much variety, but you get the idea of what the microphone could be capable of in other games.
-Stylus
If you have trouble with accuracy of the touch screen (it's great for most games), you can now use a stylus, which is easily stored in the back of the device
-Shape/Size
It's slightly larger overall than the original Mobigo. I worried that the old case wouldn't fit, but it does... barely. The touch screens themselves are the same size, and so are the control buttons.
-Fixed the Downloads Issue!
This is a great one-one of the few negatives about the original Mobigo was that it didn't save your downloaded games onto the device. Every time you turned off the device and turned it back on, any games you downloaded from the Vtech site would need to be re-downloaded, and I think you could do only three at a time. Now, awesomely, there's actual storage in the Mobigo. Sufficient storage. Once I downloaded the required software (not hard-took two tries to get my device to work with it, but was fine after that), it provided me with free access to every game I'd ever downloaded on the original Mobigo, plus gave me three credits for free games. I happily discovered that I could fit all of them on the Mobigo 2 and that they'd stay there until I wanted to erase them! As of now, I have 15 downloaded games on the device and it's less than half-full.
THE NEGATIVES
-The downloadable games are really short and simple-nothing exciting, and few are in the older children range.
-The "number keys" are really just the top letter keys, and the number placement is confusing. For instance, when you want to type the number 2, you're supposed to type the letter W. However, the number is situated right in the middle of the letters Q and W, so depending on your perspective, you might think you were supposed to type Q.
-These great new features don't yet have great new software to go with them... I'm sure Vtech will soon release software that takes advantage of the motion sensor and microphone, but in my search of Amazon and Vtech's sites, I don't yet see a single game that has these added features. Therefore, if you don't yet have a Mobigo at all, clearly you should get this new version-Vtech has even been kind enough to price it the same as they priced the original. However, if you have the original and want to know if it's worth it to upgrade, I'd wait until there were at least a couple of games available to support the new features, or else you're really spending the additional money just for the few built-in games and the photo viewer.
-Touch screen is very good, but not perfect. I got frustrated a few times when the device instructed me to "use the arrows" to do something, and then I did hit an arrow, and it repeated the same instruction twice more before I got it to recognize that I was already hitting the arrow. Still, doesn't happen often.
MY RECOMMENDATION
Even despite these drawbacks, I'm still considering this a 5-star product. We've had most of the major electronic devices for kids in the preschool-to-1st grade range, and this one has been our favorite. It's been reliable, can withstand drops, has a good line of worthwhile educational software (particularly for 3-5-year-olds) and rarely gets annoying to listen to for Mommy in the front seat. If you've never had a Mobigo, I highly recommend this one, and if you already have one, I *will* highly recommend it as soon as there are a couple of pieces of software that take advantage of the new features!
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I am sad to say I am starting to sour on Vtech products. This past December I purchased two mobigos (the 1st version) for my 3 year old twin boys. By the end of January one of the mobigos sound did not work at all and by March both began freezing in the middle of games and scrambling the screens. Very frustrating for 3 year olds. This summer when I saw the Mobigo 2 coming out I decided to try them again mostly because I did not want to have to buy all new games if I switched to the competitive brand. I pre-ordered 2 of the mobigos 2 for both my boys and they arrived the beginning of July.The mobigo 2 is def. a step up from the first and my boys LOVED all the changes especially the new "pen" with it. I also loved that all the downloaded games could go right on the device and didn't have to be loaded to the cartridge. So the toy itself is very entertaining and my boys love it. The only problem is this didn't last yet again.
It is not the beginning of September and we have had problems again. One of the mobigos began freezing again and a few days later while my son was routinely opening up to the keyboard the lever snapped causing the screen to tilt up so you cant see it while using the keyboard. You could hear the screw that is supposed to hold it rattling inside. But the unit still worked until a day later. Now today the whole unit will not even turn on. I have tried changing batteries several times and nothing. Same thing with screen freezing on both versions. A battery change will not work to fix the problem.
Also it is not due to poor care on our part which is what one might assume with 3 year old twin boys. We have cases for both and I take them out myself and make sure they are put back. I also supervise them while they are using them so this isn't a case of them being dropped or mishandled. The damages are caused by normal, routine use. For our house hold this is a max of 30 min a day.
Bottom line the product is great for AS LONG AS IT LASTS but in my experience that is not that long with either version. I hoped the Mobigo 2 would last longer but it did not.
Best Deals for VTech MobiGo 2 Touch Learning System - Orange
My son is 3.5 and still not potty trained. He's mentally ready for preschool but since he refuses to pee on a toilet, he can't go to school yet. I decided to home school him this year. One of the tools I'm using is the VTech MobiGo 2. Each morning I read a book to Little Man and then we do worksheets for a letter, number, tracing, coloring, cutting and pasting, etc. After we finish our paperwork he gets to spend 30 minutes playing on his MobiGo. I love that the games on MobiGo are educational. There's a shooting gallery game which uses the keyboard and in order to shoot the target you have to press the correct letter on the keyboard. The easy level pretty much follows the keyboard along the QWERTY keys so that the kids learn where to find them. The VTech MobiGo2 comes loaded with Hamster Highway, Shooting Gallery, Art Master and Photos. It also comes with 3 free downloads that you can choose any of their games that are available for download. I like that they don't limit you to a small number of games or books. Right now all downloadable games are $2.99 each. That's a steal! The have downloadable e-books coming soon, as well.Not only is this a great tool to help reinforce my home school efforts, it gives Little Man something to do on the go when his big brother and sister are playing their DS's. The VTech MobiGo 2 retails for $59.99. Not bad for a game system and 5 games!
All of the kids have enjoyed the MobiGo, but Little Man uses it the most. The few downsides I've noticed are:
It is rechargeable, with rechargeable batteries if you supply them and buy the separate power cord. Otherwise you're using batteries like water.
You can only make one account on the system so if you have multiple kids you can only track the progress of one. The others can sign on as a guest.
There's no way to tether the stylus and with my children that's a disaster waiting to happen.
Overall we are very pleased with the VTech MobiGo 2 and would recommend it to anyone.I would suggest this as something for kids aged 3-7.
I have received VTech MobiGo 2 to facilitate my review.
Honest reviews on VTech MobiGo 2 Touch Learning System - Orange
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The Vtech MobiGo 2 Touch Learning System, is a great gaming/learning system for young children. It's well built and durable to withstand even the most energetic of children. MobiGo 2 Touch comes with four different playable modes including the touchscreen, motion sensor, microphone for voice recognition & the Qwerty keyboard. As for game choices you can purchase the Mobigo cartridges for this system and you can download a ton of different learning applications from the VTech Learning Lodge. All of the Mobigo games range in age and difficulty mostly from ages 3-8. My 5yr old daughter loves her mobigo and plays it every chance she gets, and I don't mind because I know that while she may be playing video games, she's also learning to read, spell, write, math and more. I would definitely recommend the mobigo2 for anyone with young children!Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for VTech MobiGo 2 Touch Learning System - Orange
For the most part we found the MobiGo2 to be a great gaming system for young children. Cheaper then many of the gaming systems out there and more appropriate for young hands. We love the design of the MobiGo2 and how easy it is to hold. The pop up screen with keyboard underneath is a big hit because it made my daughter feel like she had her own computer.There are a few games included with the system and you have the option of downloading games or purchasing cartridges. I like having both of these options because downloading is instant if you need something quick, but the cartridges are nice so you don't run out of room on the MobiGo2. My daughter loved to browse the games on line but of course wanted them all.
I thought it is pretty cool to have different ways to use the system such as motion (like driving a car), touch screen (like an iPhone), and talking to characters. The screen is bright and of decent quality for the price. It comes with a installation disc so you can keep track of your downloads and progress.
This is where I took away a star. We were unable to get any progress log to load. I don't know if my daughter didn't play enough or it just isn't working I'm not given enough information to tell. I've revisited the manual, googled, looked on forums and gave up. I can't figure out how to see my daughters progress which had me very frustrated.
Though this product is for 3-8 year olds we felt at 6 1/2 the product is a little young for my daughter. It would have been great to have it when she was 3 and use it as she grows but starting at her age she just feels it is a little simple. She loves to learn but gets bored with the games she has. Maybe purchasing some cartridge games geared at 6-8 might help that.
Overall the product is great quality, had different ways to use it, versatile as you can take it anywhere you go, has tons of game options (if you want to pay for them). At the price it is a good deal. I just wish I could get the progress log to work.
"I have received VTech MobiGo 2 to facilitate my review."
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