Sphero started with a smartphone-controlled ball that could roll around and glow and play a few basic games, but it's really picking up speed with its latest toy: a smartphone-controlled cylinder called the Ollie. That may not sound that much more exciting, but the new form makes a huge difference. The Ollie has treads wrapping around either end of it, effectively giving it two wheels. That helps to make this new one a whole lot faster, capable of hitting up to 14 miles per hour (the original Sphero did under 5 mph). And as its name suggests, the Ollie is also able to jump up into the air, which should let you do some fun tricks with it (or, at the very least, terrorize your roommate).
The Ollie is by far a less casual toy than the original Sphero, but the company also makes it look like the Ollie will be a lot more fun to drive around. Like the last model, it's able to be controlled through an app on both iOS and Android, and games will be built for it too. The Ollie is available to preorder now for $99.99, with the first orders arriving September 15th.