One of the things that we were most looking forward to seeing at FETC was Osmo. It not only met our expectations, but easily exceeded them. In a nutshell, Osmo is a gaming accessory/add-on for the iPad. The Osmo system blends the real-world with the digital world in 3 different exciting games:

Each Osmo kit comes with 2 hardware add-ons and 3 games. The add-ons include a simple stand for your iPad, and a device that clips over the front-facing camera. The red device is a “specially designed mirror that translates your real world actions into a digital environment.”¹ Te 3 games each present a different sort of challenge:

Tangram is a throwback, of sorts, to my elementary school days. Players are given 7 different pieces and are presented with a shape on the screen. Players then have to try to match the shape on the screen by assembling the different pieces. “Arrange tangible puzzle pieces into matching on?screen shapes.”²

Newton presents a different challenge. Users are challenged to get falling balls into a designated zone. To do so, users can use just about any object to make the balls bounce into these zones.

Words is a sort of hangman style game. Users are given a picture that offers some sort of clue as to the word: “Be the first to guess and spell out the on?screen hidden word by tossing down real?life letters faster than your friends. A related picture gives the clue.”³

We had a chance to see the device and all 3 games in person at FETC. Check it out: