iBaby M6 baby monitor

Smartphones, meet the smart baby monitor. iBaby M6 is the industry’s first 360-degree monitor camera, letting parents keep a watchful eye on their little ones, even from far away, with just the swipe of a finger. That’s the gist of the iBaby M6’s marketing message. And guess what? The reality lives up to the hype.
This isn’t an Apple product, but it certainly looks like it. The monitor comes in a square white box with simple imagery and limited text. Simplicity is a theme that continues from the monitor’s design to app set up and use. The monitor is essentially a small ball stuck to the top right of a larger ball, which balances on a magnetic platform and can rotate all the around (just make sure you leave enough cord.) If you have a crib-climbing kiddo, I can see the appeal of a camera that can pan the entire room.
I downloaded the iBaby Care app to my phone (the app is available for Apple and Android devices) and followed the easy, two-step process to set up the monitor. This involves plugging in the camera and connecting the USB cable from your own device. A bit of Wifi magic later, and done (in under a minute.) I had a crystal clear, high-definition, streaming video that can, as promised, pan the room with just the swipe of a finger. It’s pretty impressive.
The iBaby takes it even further with a number of traditional baby-monitor features, and a few that are Wifi-specific:

• Two-way speakers mean you can listen or talk through the monitor with no distortion or static.
• A voice-recording feature lets you record yourself singing lullabies or reading a story and then play it whenever you want.
• The ability to take high-resolution photos and HD videos that can be instantly shared on social media. You can even add users to your account, so grandparents or other family members can peek in too.

One of the coolest features is the motion alert. When the monitor detects sudden movement or noise, it snaps three images or a video clip (you can choose which you prefer, adjust sensitivity levels or turn this feature off altogether) while simultaneously alerting you with a push notification to your device. So not only are you instantly aware that your little monster has mastered climbing out of the crib, you have video or photographic evidence to see exactly how he managed it!
I had two technical difficulties with the monitor. One related to a server issue, which affected my ability to record properly. A quick email exchange with customer service let me know things were up and running, and I was on my way to recording and playing lullabies. The other issue was a privacy setting on my phone—I couldn’t speak through the monitor. Again, a quick phone call to customer service and they walked me through changing that setting. All in all, a bit of troubleshooting for the ease and convenience of this monitor was a very small price to pay.
If you’re on the hunt for a monitor that will keep you connected, this is a great buy.
Price: $200
To buy: store.apple.com