Bilby Camera

The Bilby, now with a camera

Same small player, same idea. It’s theirs, it plays their music, and now there’s a 5MP camera on the back.

So the next time they ask to borrow your phone to photograph the dog, a lizard on the fence or the sunset out the car window, you can say “use your Bilby”.

Photos and video, kept on the player

Point, tap, done. There are two shooting modes, six filters and nine effects to play with, which is usually where the first afternoon goes. Photos and HD video save straight to the player, and they stay there until you copy them across to your computer.

Streaming at home. Offline everywhere else.

It runs Android 10 with the Play Store, so Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer and even Qobuz work over WiFi, just like on a phone. Download the playlists, switch WiFi off, and take it where the internet isn’t. The back seat on the Bruce Highway. A campsite three hours from anywhere.

Pop in a microSD card (up to 128GB) and there’s room for around 32,000 songs. The maker rates the battery at 10 to 20 hours of playback, and it charges over USB-C from a wall plug, a computer or a power bank in the car.

Still fits a pocket

At 98 grams and 82 x 57 x 10 mm it’s about the same size as the original Bilby, with a 2.83-inch touchscreen a five-year-old can drive. Comfortable in small hands, easy to find in a school bag.

You decide what they can open

Like the original Bilby, it runs Android, so it takes the same parental control apps you’d put on a phone. We recommend AppBlock. It’s free on Google Play, and our setup guide walks you through hiding everything you don’t want them using. Not ready for the camera yet? Hide it like any other app.

Disclaimer: AppBlock is made by someone else, not by us, and it isn’t bulletproof. It’s brilliant for younger kids. An older, determined kid can work around any app-level lock, and that’s true of every Android device on the market, ours included. Set it up with your child, talk about the rules, and you’ll be fine.

Other fun stuff:

FM radio. An HD voice recorder for singing practice or bedtime stories. An alarm clock, a stopwatch, a calculator and a calendar. Bluetooth for headphones, a speaker, or the car stereo on a road trip.

Give them the music. Get your phone back.