The First Real Talking Doll via Bluetooth – My Friend Cayla

Disclosure: I received the product below to review in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.

So many things around the house are WiFi or bluetooth enabled that it was only a manner of time before a doll was made that was Bluetooth enabled. My Friend Cayla is a new doll that is actually the world’s first real talking doll.  She knows millions of things, once you connect her to the app via bluetooth. Her knowledge is based off a cloud based encyclopedia and she can also answer over 1,000 questions about herself. Cayla can even spell words and solve math problems!

This is the interface of the free app you download:

My Friend Cayla is not just an online-connected doll. She can be used offline as well, perfect for if your on-the-go with her without an internet connection. Offline she can still talk and interact, play games, tell bedtime stories and more as long as she is connected via bluetooth to your tablet.

Honestly My Friend Cayla is a pretty amazing doll.  She can do so much that I feel like we haven’t even scratched the surface of her yet. My 4 year old is amazed every time we use her and thinks she is the coolest doll ever. I did obviously have to get her set up for my daughter but otherwise she can do everything on her own. She kind of reminds me of Siri for Apple devices but in the form of a doll that can really interact with someone rather than just answer a question here and there. She is not always 100% perfect but I think that is more of a communication mis-understanding of what my daughter is asking. I haven’t had a problem with anything I have asked yet.

Here is a video a made to show off some of her features:

To set up My Friend Cayla you do need to pair her with your Android or Apple device (tablet or a smartphone) just like you’d pair a bluetooth headset or speaker. Most of Cayla’s conversational features can be used while she is offline but other features like asking specific questions and such do require a WiFi connection. Cayla herself also required 3 AA batteries but other than that she is ready to go.

It did take me a few tries to pair her correctly but ever since she has connected just fine automatically, it was just the first initial setup that I had to try a few times. Her necklace even lights up when she’s connected and ready so you know.

Now the one thing I really couldn’t believe about My Friend Cayla is that there is no monthly service fee to use her. I assumed that in addition to the cost of the doll there would be a monthly fee to pay but nope she is free after you buy her! The app is free as well. This is nice because too often I find something super cool only to realize there is a monthly fee that I wasn’t anticipating.

Cayla really can be a great friend for a child and keep them socially engaged. I haven’t heard anything inappropriate from her and I like that I have the option to be able to add words I’d rather her not mention or answer questions about. There is a dictionary-type page on the app you input words in you want Cayla to say are inappropriate. Not necessarily for swear words but even if you don’t want your child to ask about something like guns or war. Cayla does have a kid-safe proprietary software called Violet installed that protects your child from any offensive or sensitive words.

Cayla can even be customized right down to her name which you can change and you can input personalized items that are your child’s favorite so Cayla can have a “real” conversation with your child. My daughter’s favorite feature is the story time. She can read stories aloud and display on the device for your child to follow along.

Looking for a Spanish? You can download the My Friend Cayla Spanish version on your smart device as well!

Want to change her clothes? My Friend Cayla is a standard 18 inch doll size and can wear most of any 18 doll’s clothes if you have any. She basically is like other 18 inch dolls from her appearance but she has the added bonus of the app and talking.

I think My Friend Cayla is going to be a hot Christmas item this year so I would definitely pick it up sooner than later as Christmas is going to be here before we know it! I will say too that I tried Cayla both via an Android device and an Apple device and there were less hiccups with the Apple device via bluetooth. Not sure if it was just my connection or phone in general but our iPad Mini worked better with her rather than my Android smartphone. For $60 she is definitely a very cool and amazing doll that like I said we have barely scratched the service of because there is so much to her.

Stay Connected with My Friend Cayla:

My Friend Cayla WEBSITE | My Friend Cayla FACEBOOK | My Friend Cayla TWITTER | My Friend Cayla PINTEREST | My Friend Cayla INSTAGRAM

BUY IT: My Friend Cayla can be found at Target, Kmart, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Blain’s Farm & Fleet and Amazon.

WIN IT: (1) US winner will receive a My Friend Cayla doll

Need help entering a giveaway?  Check out my blog post for some help!

GIVEAWAY ENTRY:

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This Giveaway Ends August 21, 2015.