Disclaimer – I received this globe in return for an honest review of it. All opinions are my own and those of Ben.
Ben is a very academic boy and he really loves to learn. When I was offered this smart globe to review I jumped at the chance knowing how much he would love it. He is a mine of facts though so I did wonder if it might be too basic for him.
I am pleased to say though I was wrong it was pretty good on the whole. Here are our thoughts of this globe and how we could see it being adapted or improved.
What can the Smart Globe Explorer AR do?
The smart globe is a large sturdy globe. Inside the globe when it is opened up shows the inside of the earth. The smart globe is designed for ages 5+.
There are 3 different age settings to choose from, 5-8, 9-14 and 15+. When using the globe you first tap your age category then explore the different functions of the globe.
As you can see from the photos, there are four different parts, touch, compare, find and knowledge. Each of these areas has different activities which provide hours of learning and fun.
The find part gives you tasks to find different places on the globe. If you can not find it then it gradually gives you hints to help you. Compare tells you the difference between two areas you touch regarding size, population etc.
Knowledge gives you facts about the areas you touch. The touch is I guess a little like an encyclopaedia in that you touch an area and it tells you the information you have selected for that eg country’s area. A slide-out part shows a more detailed map of the UK and Ireland.
The globe also has an augmented reality feature which means using your smartphone you can see things like dinosaurs on the globe as the globe appears to come to life.
What did Ben think to the Smart Globe Explorer AR?
Ben absolutely loves the globe and has spent hours exploring it. He even went straight onto it after a long day at school (hence the school uniform in the photos!).
He says it is his favourite item, other than his Xbox and phone, which if you knew Ben would know is a massive compliment to it. Ben was thoroughly impressed with how much information he could learn from it.
One thing that particularly impressed Ben was the comparison feature as he was fascinated to see the difference in sizes of different countries.
Ben was not impressed by the augmented reality (AR) aspect of the smart globe. It was difficult to get working and to Ben who is 12 quite a letdown in what it did.
Younger children would possibly love it but Ben was very disappointed in this. He loved the globe otherwise so I think had this not been a part of the globe he would still have enjoyed it and recommend it to his friends.
What do I as a mum think to the Smart Globe Explorer AR?
I absolutely love the smart globe and how many different features it has. The globe makes learning about the world fun and is suitable for a variety of ages.
Initially, I did think it was a bit big and bulky and wondered if I could get away with putting it in a cupboard rather than making space for it on a shelf.
However, my views soon changed and I am now keen for it to be accessible for Ben to use whenever he wants to learn all he can about the world around us.
The AR aspect of the globe really disappointed me and I think without that the globe is great and this unnecessary extra that didn’t work well wasn’t needed.
If it could be developed to work more effectively then it would be a great feature but for now, I was not keen.
Would we recommend it?
If you take away the AR aspect of the globe I would thoroughly recommend it. While it is not a cheap item it is one that is suitable for all the family and as it is updatable it could last the family for years to come. We as a family love it and I am sure you and your family will too.
