If you don’t know Bebot then you are, in my opinion, missing out. It’s an app that’s been around for a very long time. Since December 2008 to be precise, and it hasn’t seen an update in almost three years. So there’s cause to celebrate for a number of reasons. Bebot is an app that embodies playfulness. It is the essence of fun. I’ve used it in lots of contexts and every time it brings a smile to those who use it, and to me as well.
Bebot describes itself as:
Bebot is a musical instrument that anyone can play. Instead of a keyboard, it has an easy-to-use touch control system. And it’s all built into a friendly animated robot, who performs your music while you play.
Essentially it’s a touch theremin type app. There were a few that appeared in the early days of the app store. Many have vanished, but Bebot remains. Behind its simple interface there’s a fairly powerful synth engine, and whilst you may dismiss it as a toy, it can do quite a lot. The app has a touch control system which lets you lock in to a scale so that you’ll never play a wrong note, which makes it very easy to play. Bebot is polyphonic, allowing you to play with multiple touches.
So what of the update? Well it isn’t huge, but after three years any update is a cause for celebration. In version 2.1.1 of Bebot the app has added 64-bit compatibility, Audiobus 3 support and the obligatory bug fixes and minor improvements. But even though it’s a small update it’s just good to know that Bebot hasn’t been abandoned.
I hope to see more in the future, and I really hope to not have to wait another 3 years for the next update. For now I’ll just be pleased.
Bebot is available on the app store for $1.99: