The MusicBox is genuinely easy for kids to use: just insert a card and the music starts. But how do you manage the content efficiently? Turn the MusicBox off? Take out the memory card and plug it into the computer? Connect the MusicBox to the computer? The solution I'm showing you here is the one I'd dreamed of for controlling my kids' MusicBox: a mobile app. Always within reach, full control over content and features (starting and stopping content remotely, volume, adding content), all without taking our little ones' music away from them.
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Step 1Pair over BluetoothThe first time you power it on, a setup assistant kicks in: it pairs the MusicBox with your phone and connects it to your Wi-Fi network. Without Bluetooth, the box creates its own Wi-Fi network to handle the initial setup.
Step 2Find a MusicBox on the networkThe app automatically looks for any MusicBox on the network you're connected to. Once found, you can add them in a single tap and control them remotely, with no manual setup at all.
Step 3The libraryThis is the hub for managing all the content on your MusicBox. Your playlists, stories and podcasts all live in this one list, with search and NFC badges. This is where you manage what's available on the MusicBox.
Step 4Manage a playlistFrom a playlist, you set everything in detail: add or remove tracks, change their order, and link an NFC tag. This is where you prepare what the MusicBox will play when the matching card is inserted.
Step 5Control playbackA full-screen player that works like a remote: start a playlist without using a card, pause, skip tracks, adjust the volume, all from a distance.
Step 6Link an NFC cardYou link an NFC tag to a playlist. After that, just slide the card into the MusicBox to start the matching content, without touching the app: this is what lets a child start their own stories all by themselves. My prototype asks you to insert a card, but by adapting the case you could use figurines or tags stuck inside books. No limits, really.
Step 7Add contentYou send your own audio files to a playlist straight from the app. Progress shows in real time: size, percentage, speed and time remaining, file by file.
Step 8SettingsThe app's control center: pick the theme, tweak the LED animations, and reach the configuration for each MusicBox. You can even add several of them in the app.
Step 9Set up the MusicBoxThe details of a box: its connection status, its system info (address, serial number, firmware version) and access to its whole configuration, all within reach.
Step 10Update the MusicBoxWhen a firmware update is available, the app lets you know. You start it yourself from the settings: download, verification and then installation, all tracked live. No more cable or computer needed.
It started for my kids
I just wanted to build something for my kids. It turned into a product I want to make usable by everyone. That's exactly what the app is for: a remote and a content manager to drive the MusicBox.