Perhaps it's retro of me, but I don't use my phone while I masturbate. In fact, it's one of the few activities where I'm not using my phone. Reading physical books; writing (when I throw my phone across the room, that is); meditating...there are only so many waking moments where I'm not looking at a screen these days.
Much like meditation, masturbation (and sex, too) is a time for getting back into the body. Instead of focusing on the breath, you focus on pleasure. At least that's the goal, right?
All of this is to say that I'm not an experienced user of "smart" sex toys, like Bluetooth-enabled vibrators that promise to spice up the bedroom with a few taps of an app. I am, however, much more versed in the broader world of sex toys, having purchased my first vibrator at 19 and adding to my collection since then.
Some smart sex toys look more intimidating than sexy, and there can be a learning curve that may make playing with your new sex toy more frustrating initially than fun. That's what my colleague Jess Joho experienced with the Lora Dicarlo toy Osé earlier this year.
But when I received the opportunity to review the new smart vibrator, Poco, from MysteryVibe, I was intrigued. The vibrator is not only small — just under six inches in length — but it can bend at two points to contour to one's anatomy. MysteryVibe describes Poco as "the most advanced bullet vibrator in the world."
So despite being a novice with smart sex toys, I decided to give it a shot.
The basics
The turquoise silicone Poco is a bendable vibrator with two motors. It is water resistant, USB chargeable, and has 16 vibration settings. The most interesting feature of this particular device is its pliable shape, inspired by our fingers and how they can curve up inside the body to hit the g-spot.
Left and right buttons allow you to change the vibration patterns, and the plus and minus buttons allow you to make the intensity harder or softer. The Poco is around 2.5 inches smaller in length than the popular MysteryVibe Crescendo vibrator.
And honestly, its size is its biggest selling point. Its small diameter (just under an inch on top and just over 1.5 inches at its base) isn't at all intimidating, which could be a selling point for those new to vibrators. In fact, according to MysteryVibe, Poco is designed to be "the best" first-time vibrator. This can also be a good toy for travel, as you just need the compact vibe and its USB charger.
Overall, however, the Poco fell short for me.
The downside of remote control
First is the Bluetooth factor. As Joho explained in her series on sex tech for Mashable, Bluetooth compatibility can be more of a curse than a blessing in sex toys. While it was fairly easy to connect Poco to my phone, I'd have to keep my phone on MysteryVibe's app to keep connected.
What's more is that, since I was playing alone while experimenting, I had to have one hand on my phone and the other on my toy. I was focused more on navigating the app than on whatever physical feeling I was getting from it. Not exactly sexy.
There are other issues with Bluetooth-enabled sex toys (such as inevitably losing connection when inserted inside the body) that I didn't experience in my time with the toy, but is something to keep in mind when investing in sex tech.
Choose your own vibration pattern
The one fun thing about using MysteryVibe's app is the ability to easily switch patterns — or intensities, as the company calls them — as well as pick and choose which ones you want on the vibe. There are 16 intensities in total, and they have cutesy names like "Big Tease" and "Wild Cats." You can have up to 12 on the vibrator at a time, but if you don't want to use the app, it's difficult to know exactly what intensity you're on while using Poco — unless you have the order from the app memorized.
I don't need varying rhythms, sudden starts and stops, or rev-up-only-to-slow-down while I masturbate.
Further, I wasn't a big fan of many of Poco's intensities. Perhaps I'm just #basic in my vibrator use, but I don't need varying rhythms, sudden starts and stops, or rev-up-only-to-slow-down while I masturbate; I just want a consistent buzz. I found most of the intensities more of a distraction than a way to enhance pleasure.
There are some intensities that give that constant buzz — particularly "Linked" and "Pleasurewaves" — but when I turned them up as high as they can go, I still wished it were a little more intense.
Is a bendable shape better?
Another disappointment was that I didn't get much out of Poco's bendable shape. I was able to fold it so it was both inside the body and stimulating the clit, but the actual vibrations weren't intense enough to get much stimulation in either zone — at least not in a short period of time.
While Poco is meant to be a bullet vibrator, its bendable shape made me wish it were bigger to cover a wider surface area for clitoral stimulation and occupy more space inside the body. It's possible that the bigger MysteryVibe Crescendo would be more my speed.
It's a shame that it didn't deliver as much vibration as I'd hoped, because I love how Poco was designed with fingers in mind. "Our fingers help us discover and stimulate our erogenous zones," reads the website's FAQ. "That is what we designed Poco to emulate — create the ultimate finger that can be bent to reach, discover and arouse the deepest parts of our bodies, we didn't know existed and achieve new heights of pleasure."
To each their own
I didn't experience these new heights and even with its bendable shape it wasn't a very versatile sex toy for me, but you may have a very different experience with Poco. It's worth noting that toys that claim to stimulate the g-spot never get me off (at least on their own), so my experience shouldn't deter you if you're looking to try a smart vibrator. I only tried this toy during solo play as well, but perhaps it would be more fun with a partner.
Perhaps I should keep experimenting, but I also question the value of a sex toy that needs that much experimenting in order to achieve what it sets out to do.
The bottom line
Overall, if you enjoy Bluetooth vibrators or are committed to trying more smart sex tech and don't mind spending $90, the Poco may be a good choice for you. Those new to vibrators may not want to start out with a Bluetooth-connected one — but if you're really into the "tech" part of "sex tech," this is a good first vibe choice considering its compact shape.
While I'm not swearing off Bluetooth sex toys forever, I do wonder what Poco would be like without the need for the companion app or the remote-control-like buttons at the bottom. Then again, that's not the only issue I had with this toy — so I'm sticking to my mainstay "dumb" vibrators for now.
