StoryPod
© 2021 Craftie Fox, Inc.
Well designed from a hardware point of view, but tricky to use, this is a stand-alone speaker with a padded exterior that responds to plush yarn figures -- called Crafties -- with different audio content. The stories are triggered by that RFID chips that are sewn into the base of each figurine. Setup is required, which requires downloading an app onto your phone or tablet. You then create an account and configure your wifi settings so that you can get the speaker onto your home wifi account -- a process that is required in order to listen to new content. The operation is similar to the Toniebox (a competitive device). Content includes "classic stories, music, & read-along audiobooks." We struggled with the setup and were not able to download additional content. The stories vary in quality. Our testers were less than impressed with the story quality that came preloaded on the speaker. It is possible to record your own stories that are up to 100 minutes in length. The speaker can also be used to deliver white noise soundscapes.
$107
Teaches: music, language
CTR Rating: 70%