Making Travel Easier and Exercise Fun: Ibitz PowerKey Review

“Are we there yet?”

Even as a seasoned traveling family, we still hear these four desperate words from our four young travelers. It’s not from the back seat or the aisle seat that we normally hear complaints, but rather when we are walking from place to place as we explore a new city.  Large amounts of walking is a common occurrence in metropolitan areas, but our daily life in the vast, hotness of Texas doesn’t offer much chance to build up any walking stamina.   In Texas, everyone drives everywhere and the most walking you will do is from the parking lot to the air conditioned building.  If there is any amount of walking to be done, I can expect some whining, so I am always looking for bribes tools to keep them going a few more miles.

Enter the Ibitz PowerKey. This tiny little number is a pedometer for the next generation. With Bluetooth technology, the device wirelessly synchs to your  iOS wireless smartphone, tablet or iPod and records your steps just like analogue pedometer. Those steps are the key to powering online games, so instead of using your thumbs to get to the next level, you use your steps.  To make it even more fun for kids, each step is creates powered access to unlock over 50 games in the ITunes app store. The more you walk, the more you play.

How the Game Works

With your iBitz PowerKey you can power your GeoBotz "Virtual Pet" character through its world, where you give it power using physical activity, as well as keeping it healthy by watering it and giving it the right foods. Steps sync wireless through the iBitz PowerKey device with your iOS Bluetooth 4.0 compatible device.  The Virtual Pet offers encouragement as it lists the number of steps and miles covered each day.  There is also a tracker at the bottom of the app that shows how close you are to the suggested 10,000 steps per day, and the more power you unlock with each step, the more access you have in the game.

If you really want to get all geeked out with this app, it can also be connected the LockerBot to add even more incentive to get moving. LockerBot uses physical activity to unlock features within apps. Parents and kids agree on how many steps (points) need to be achieved in order to unlock features-such as a favorite game or texting priviledges-within the phone. Once the number of steps is achieved, the features are unlocked and kids are rewarded with time on the device.

Parents can also opt to allow their child to earn prizes through Amazon (which the parent pays for) as they achieve certain fitness goals. The app is integrated with Amazon.com and the child can regularly check the progress through the web-based platform.  Another option is to link the app to Disney’s Club Penguin where steps are converted into “coins” that are used to unlock exclusive content. With these many options for incentives, this is a highly customizable app that lets parents find the right currency and use it to help kids learn healthy habits.

Why Kids Love It

Kids love the instant gratification that comes from seeing their steps go up, but when you add the bonus of a video game, it’s a major win. My kids seem have been hard wired with the drive to “level-up” so anything that is connected to their native language of video games is going to be successful. For travel, the Ibitz Powerkey offers a distraction from the boredom of walking from place to place, and an incentive to keep going when they are tired.  It’s not uncommon for us to hit a city and walk all day long, so checking in with the app when we sit to rest is a fun way to keep us exploring.

Win an Ibitz PowerKey

Start taking steps with your own Ibitz Powerkey and enter our big HUGE Back to School giveaway to win this and other great prizes. Learn more about Ibitz at their website or visit their Facebook page. 

~I was provided with an Ibitz PowerKey for the purposes of this review. They did not require that I express a particular viewpoint and all opinions are my own.~