http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/ Engadget Comments for LeapFrog Text and Learn hands-on: look what RIM hath wrought http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 9:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 10:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/
I guess the reality here is I view this product as akin to cigarettes: they're marketing it to a younger crowd who are impressionable. Theye're using the bond between parent and child to market something to people who are too young and impressionable to judge whether it's something they want.

Plus it's a godsend for the negligent parent -- the more features an electronic device has, the more your child will allow it to babysit her (or him) -- that way you don't have to do as much active parenting or even take an interest in your child's upbringing.

And I'm not saying this is the first such product designed to take advantage of children's "monkey see, monkey do" imitative attitudes; but I am saying that certainly the designers know that small kids always want to be just like their parents. As a new dad, it just feels evil.

I want my daughter to have a phone with only four pre-programmed buttons: "call home," "call mommy," "call daddy," and "call emergency" and a remote-accessible GPS tracker.]]>Feb 4th 2009 11:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 11:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/
"The kindle 2- It not only lets you read, it teaches you HOW to read." That rocks my world.]]>Feb 4th 2009 12:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 9:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 9:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 9:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/
My younger brother and I may have been a bit spoiled, but my family was not rich by any stretch of the imagination (Dad was a farmer and mom didn't work). I find it hard to believe you were 'lucky' to have a single toy car. Fifty years ago, sure, but only fifteen?]]>Feb 4th 2009 9:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 11:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 4:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 9:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 10:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/
This would be learning at the maybe second-third grade level - they have to have the basics down to use this and learning at that point is mostly about practice. Not really suitable for the 3 1/2 year olds that they talk about in the video.

The device would also have to do something to force them to use actual words - it would be useless as a learning tool if they spend all their time writing that garbled nonsense. (psst! do u tnk i m cute?)]]>Feb 4th 2009 10:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 11:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 10:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/
I don't think teaching young kids 2 txt lyk u cant spel rite this early will help them get ahead in life.]]>Feb 4th 2009 10:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/
Ok, maybe not the crackberry-baby reference, but if anything is going downhill faster than our economy it's our ability to spell "gooder".


//Still loves lolcatz
///y u look funey at me? I iz smartz demit!]]>Feb 4th 2009 1:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 10:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 10:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 11:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 12:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 12:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 12:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 1:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/RIM Ready the lawyerz!

]]>Feb 4th 2009 1:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/
I'm frustrated that this isn't estimated to be available to buy until August. By then, he may be beyond it. :(
]]>Feb 4th 2009 3:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 5:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/Feb 4th 2009 10:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-hands-on-look-what-rim-hath-wrought/http://www.toywhimsy.com/2009/04/leapfrog-text-and-learn-tiny-toy-testers-review.html

-Enjoy!]]>Apr 13th 2009 6:45PM