Cybiko Blue

Well it's not quite everything. It obstinately sits on your kitchen sideboard and refuses to even go near the washing up for starters, but it does give you 445 games and applications to download from, a music composer, a personal organiser, e-mail facility (via a PC connection) e-books to download and all the usual PDA bumph such as calendar, address book, alarm clock and planner.

The multifunctional device offers wireless, high-frequency digital connections to other Cybiko units within a range of 150 feet indoors to 300 feet outdoors. This feature allows users to chat wirelessly, play interactive games (such as Reversi) with other Cybiko users, e-mail anyone on the Internet and nurture their own little cyber pet, the CyLandia (although this is one of the programs you have to download from the manufacturer's Web site).

The Cybiko also offers a "Find a Friend" feature that can be utilised like personal classified ads. You put in your details and the details of the people you are trying to meet, then the Cybiko will look for other units in the vicinity that match your profile. This is based on a similar Japanese invention and might not be so successful here, but you can still use the Cybiko to keep in touch with friends and chat via the chat rooms.

The Cybiko has a few minor limitations: It only downloads from personal computers or Linux systems, not Macs and you need to download special software so that you can upgrade your Cybiko with new games and information. But at present most of the stuff is free once you have the unit so a couple of hours downloading stuff isn't a high price to pay for some cool games and features.

Included in the Cybiko pack is one Cybiko unit, equipped with a stylus for keying the tiny buttons (the screen isn't touch sensitive), a rechargeable battery, an adapter for charging or plugging in and an adapter cable for downloading to and from PCs. There's also a detailed user's manual to help with the initial programming. The Cybiko is 5.7 by 2.8 by 0.86 inches, weighs less than five ounces and has a 32-bit, 11-MHz Hitachi main processor and 512 KB of RAM. --Kristen Bowditch

The Cybiko can pretty much do anything from play a game of Poker or Chess to arcade type games to more involved strategy games just like a old Gameboy could.
However on the games side the only problem I've noticed is that some of the games aren't that great but all the games are free from the internet so you can try loads of games and there's bound to be plenty that you'll like.

The Cybiko also has loads of applications besides the games so you keep track of all your friends, manage your projects and have thing like a language translator close to hand.

Finally the Cybiko can also do something similar to text messaging on a mobile phone (also free), it basically uses radio signals to communicate with nearby Cybiko's between 50-100m away. One smart feature is that the message can hop from Cybiko to Cybiko so that it is possible to communicate with other Cybiko's that are fairly far away, using other nearby Cybikos to relay the message.
Also includes is a chat room programme (like the ones on the internet), this also uses radio to communicate in the same way as the text messaging does.

Also (unlike a Gameboy) once you've got your Cybiko you don't have to buy anything else as all the software is free and your Cybiko comes with everything you need.

I would recommend anybody (regardless of age) to get a Cybiko. They're great!


The cybiko a run down   November 17, 2001
David Vella (Bedford, UK)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is a very usefull and fun electronic toy. There are 100's of games and apps. All you need to enjoy this thing is simple:
A spare plug scoket (to charge it)
A usb port
An internet connection.
You are able to down load, play or create games. But it does not stop there. If there are other people in the area with a cybiko you can play with them on your cybiko computer. The perfect little toy. But apon closer inspection it has an expantion slot for things like extra memory and get this! AN MP3 PLAYER! This computer is a must for people who love to play games or travel around a lot.


Much more fun than a Gameboy   October 10, 2001
Rob Miles (Hull, England)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

Make no mistake, GameBoys are good, but they can't to anything like as much as a Cybiko. And you can't write your own games for them.

Cybiko has a lot in common with the original black and white gameboy. The screen is similar and the games are similar. Except that there are around 400 games available. And they are all free to download. You can't fit all of them on the machine at once (the memory upgrade looks like a must have) but you can have four or five of your favourites on hand all the time.

If you don't like any of the games you can write your own using a PC (although for best results you'll need to be a good C programmer).

However, the big thing about Cybiko is the way that the units can talk to each other. Eacy machine has a radio connection with any other. Put a buch of them in a room and users can chat, play games together and share information. Connect one of the Cybikos to an internet enabled PC and it becomes a gateway so that all the others can send and recieve email and browse wap pages. The range is limited, around 50 yards in a building, and sometimes it is a bit slow, but it works and works well.

The machine uses a rechargeable battery which is good for four hours or so, and it also has a vibration alarm which can be made to go off when your machine picks up something interesting.

Get one. Get three, and give the other two to your kids...


brilliant?or is it   October 7, 2001
8 out of 19 found this review helpful

i have played on one of these little things and i think the power is amazing but it brakes VERY easy,i was in the middle of one game and all of a sudden it switched off,i put it on again and it went off again,tryed again and switched off.I shook it and heard a rattle,obviously it's very fragile,what i think you should do is scrap it and make it less fragile.Thanks 4 your time,Adam Jones