How do you make the iPhone more fun? You give it it's own little R2-D2-like companion. Enter Sphero, the plastic ball that you control with your iPhone. Though we covered it briefly at CES earlier this year, we got a better look at the device while perusing this year's E3 show floor. At first glance, it's hard to tell Sphero's purpose. But once it's calibrated with an iOS device, Sphero is all at once a toy, a game controller, and even a programming tool.

After removing Sphero from it's induction charge cradle, two quick shakes brings this little device -- hardly the size and weight of a tennis ball -- to life. As it connects to your iOS device, a small radial dial will appear on the touch screen as a blue light appears on the side of the ball. As you rotate the dial, you only need to aim the blue light in the direction of your device to calibrate. After the easy setup, there's plenty to do with Sphero.

Probably the most basic function of Sphero is rolling the ball around, using the iOS device as a controller via Bluetooth. The precision of the controls--stopping, making tight turns--is extremely impressive, and the ball will respond to your input as far as 85 feet. Orbotix laid out some small obstacles in the room to show how easy it is to set up an obstacle course in your own living room.

Of course, Sphero is more than a remote-controlled toy. What sets it apart from the helicopters and RC cars is that it also doubles as a game controller. In one demo, Sphero was shown navigating a flying spaceship in an iOS game by simply rotating and turning the device. There are nine other games currently available that offer this same functiionality, including third-party games like Last Fish. Using the ball as a controller is actually fun, and it's a different, touch-free approach to iOS gaming.

Sphero is also programmable. At a base level, anyone can use a very simple, in-app scripting program which includes 27 different commands. You can change the ball's color--the device emanates a soft glow from a full RGB color spectrum--or set it up to roll in different directions. Sphero will also eventually accept BASIC language, so it's possible to set up conditional commands, like turning red after hitting a wall.

Sphero retails for $129, and is available through the Orbotix site, or retailers like Brookstone.