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LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer tablet hands-on (video)

Zach Honig — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:40:00 EST

If you have kids and own a tablet, chances are you've passed it to the back seat on occasion, asking your five-year-old to help you navigate to the beach, or to beat an otherwise hopeless level in Angry Birds. Now, you can reward them with a tablet of their own. Available in green and pink, the $100 LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer includes a 5-inch, 480 x 272-pixel (16:9) touchscreen, 2GB of built-in storage, and a durable housing -- but your 5-9 year old isn't going to get caught up on specs. They will take notice to the built-in camera (with video capture), microphone, stylus, and accelerometer, however -- all of which enable custom kid-friendly apps and educational games, including Disney Animation Studio, an interactive reader, and compatibility with over 100 downloadable apps and LeapFrog cartridges, which range in price from $5 to $25. There's no wireless connectivity, so you'll be tethering with Windows or Mac OS to download additional content, and to share your child's creations with family and friends.

Gallery: LeapFrog LeapPad Hands-On

We're certainly far outside LeapPad's target demographic, but we did have a chance to go hands-on with the device earlier today, and felt that the tablet was solidly built, with a well-rounded feature set and sufficient expandability options -- for a kids toy, of course. Games and apps took advantage of the Pad's features, such as Roly Poly Picnic, which uses the accelerometer to navigate through a maze, spelling out simple, three-letter words along the way (like all apps and games, Picnic is adjustable based on your little one's age and skill level). There's also a video player (currently limited to 4:3 content), photo, and video capture apps. Shipping August 15th, the device doesn't have a ton of horsepower under the hood -- a 400MHz processor means apps won't launch with the speed and grace of an iPad 2 -- but for a $100 toy, the LeapPad will do just fine. PR and hands-on video are after the break.

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LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer tablet hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint 'Project Leapfrog' rumors claim LTE network upgrade is underway

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:42:00 EST

If we had a dime for every time Sprint CEO Dan Hesse (or spectrum partner Clearwire) has talked about a possible migration to LTE, we'd have... well, at least several dimes. A new rumor that's popped up from a couple sources today -- consulting firm Gerson Lehrman Group and GizmoFusion -- claims that the LTE move is now a done deal, with Sprint signing contracts with infrastructure supplies Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, and Samsung to roll out service over the course of the next two to three years as it decommissions iDEN on its 800MHz spectrum. That said, CDMA isn't about to go away: the company has already committed to upgrading its CDMA footprint with 1X Advanced over the next several years, too. GLG claims that Sprint's going Lone Ranger on this -- it'll be looking to partner up with other companies like Clearwire or T-Mobile where it makes sense, but the decision to move to LTE so far has been purely internal.

On a related note, GizmoFusion is claiming that Sprint will start shipping the WiFi-only BlackBerry PlayBook between late March and mid-April ahead of the WiMAX version later this year, along with touchscreen / QWERTY hybrid and full-touch BlackBerry handsets -- both of which we've seen rumored recently. LTE-compatible hardware, assuming this is all legitimate, is probably a ways off yet.

[Thanks, Stoopered]

Sprint 'Project Leapfrog' rumors claim LTE network upgrade is underway originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog's LeapPad Explorer tablet looks a little more durable than your iPad

Tim Stevens — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:32:00 EST

Kids of all ages love tablets, but not every tablet is suitable for fingers covered in peanut butter and jelly. We're thinking the latest from LeapFrog would handle that situation without complaint and, with its chunky construction, should make it home undamaged after show and tell. It's the LeapPad Explorer, shipping this summer, a 5-inch color tablet will let kids draw, play games, and of course learn all about reading, writing, and arithmetic. There's also a built-in camera and, while we're guessing FaceTime support isn't likely to be coming in a future update, there is an animation studio app that will let kids have fun with whatever video they record. It's all enough to make one very jealous of Junior, and an MSRP of $99.99 doesn't even sound that bad.

Continue reading LeapFrog's LeapPad Explorer tablet looks a little more durable than your iPad

LeapFrog's LeapPad Explorer tablet looks a little more durable than your iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog teases future mystery device, inadvertently spills beans in the past

Sean Hollister — Tue, 04 May 2010 01:36:00 EST

"There's like a billion things you can do with this! Play games, read books, download apps, make your own animation," the child actors cry. "When is it coming out?" All should be revealed June 7th, according to teaser trailer at LeapFrog's website -- that's when the company will unveil its new mystery device. You won't need to wait nearly that long, though, because CEO Jeffrey Katz has already been more than forthcoming with the company's investors.

The new device is called the Leapster Explorer, and it's a Linux-based ARM-powered touchscreen computer that doubles as a gaming platform and e-book reader, integrated into both the company's Learning Path parent monitoring system and LeapWorld virtual world. We hear tell it will have a content marketplace for app and video downloads... and there's a digital camera and video accessories planned for the kid-friendly gadget's future. To spite LeapFrog marketers further, the Explorer is already available for preorder -- spotted at J&R this afternoon -- and both the online retailer and a sweepstakes running at the LeapFrog website confirm the Explorer will retail for $69.99. But when is it actually coming out? Katz just told investors they'd "see it in stores around the first of July."

[Thanks, Dylan S.]

LeapFrog teases future mystery device, inadvertently spills beans in the past originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 01:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog Scribble & Write, Chat & Count hands-on

Laura June — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:19:00 EST

LeapFrog's Text and Learn QWERTY BlackBerry-styled educational toy for the little ones left such an impression on us that we went back to check out its latest offerings. Two things caught our eye -- up first, the Scribble and Write, which is a Text and Learn-style device applied to writing skills. Designed for children about the age of three, it teaches basic letter-writing skills, making use of a roughly 3-inch LCD and attached "pen" to trace over the letters. This one is actually available now, and runs $21.99. The second item we checked out is called the Chat & Count -- and it looks incredibly similar to a candybar style mobile phone. The one we checked out was actually a prototype, and not the final product, but it's aimed at children starting at 18 months old, and teaches basic phone skills (believe us, the kids need those), numbers and counting. It's also got plenty of ringtones and custom noises built in, which start out super cute but would likely be... grating over time. The Chat & Count will be hitting shelves sometime around December of this year, and will run you $14.99. Both of these products join Leapfrog's Learning Path offerings (which also includes products like the Tag Junior we've previously seen).

Gallery: LeapFrog hands-on

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

LeapFrog Scribble & Write, Chat & Count hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog Text and Learn hands-on: look what RIM hath wrought

Paul Miller — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:43:00 EST

Congratulations, you've done it. You and your CrackBerry habit have your neglected child pining for a drab QWERTY device of his or her own to pound out emails to lil' Timmy down the street, and revise playdate scheduling up against an Exchange server. LeapFrog has filled that void in a delightfully hefty, hard-to-swallow form factor, with the new Text and Learn. It's meant for little chilluns too young to spot a crappy UI and bad ergonomics, so the primary function is pushing the letters and getting it spoken back to you. We must say, we found the lack of push data a little off-putting, and the screen glare was a bit harsh, but the spacious, responsive keyboard is really best in class. Next they'll be asking for a BlackBerry massage and matching funds for their 401k. Video is after the break.

Gallery: LeapFrog Text and Learn hands-on

Continue reading LeapFrog Text and Learn hands-on: look what RIM hath wrought

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LeapFrog Text and Learn hands-on: look what RIM hath wrought originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog announces educational, interactive Zippity

Laura June — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:47:00 EST

LeapFrog's just announced a new educational toy that's designed to get your wee one moving in front of the television. The Zippity (not to be confused with the Grippity) is for pre-school-aged (three to five years old) kiddies, with an interactive mat that incorporates running, jumping and dancing, plus a huge joystick for leaning (and learning left, right, back and front). The system's got 8 different on-board features which help children learn math, problem-solving, music and phonics. Designed with Disney, Zippity features animations of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, and Handy Manny, amongst others. The Zippity is going on sale this summer for $79.99, plus $24.99 for the software. Check the video of it in action after the break. (Note that the demo model in the video is adult-sized!)

Continue reading LeapFrog announces educational, interactive Zippity

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

LeapFrog announces educational, interactive Zippity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog intros "smartphone" for your little one (or you)

Laura June — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:09:00 EST

LeapFrog's been very busy of late -- they recently added Tag Junior to their line of edutainment products for the wee ones --and now there's this. The Text and Learn children's "PDA" hasn't been officially announced yet, but details are slipping out from the U.K. Toy Fair, so here's what we know about the must-have device of the year: boasting a full QWERTY keyboard, the Text and Learn has a calendar (for learning dates), phonics functions (for learning... phonics) on the keyboard, and games to teach spelling and basic computer skills, as well. There's also some "texting" -- the child can interact with their onscreen buddy / guide, Scout. The Text and Learn is set to launch in August for about $30. Man -- armed with this and our totally sick laptop, we're going to be the talk of the town.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

LeapFrog intros "smartphone" for your little one (or you) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog intros Tag Junior reading companion for children

Laura June — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:37:00 EST

LeapFrog's really into this learning stuff, apparently. Their latest offering, Tag Junior, is for the two- to four-year old age range, and it builds on the company's previous Tag Reading System tech. The toy "reads" aloud (via downloadable MP3s) using an infrared camera that can recognize letters and words on the page, and can store up to five books' worth of material at a time. The custom-made books for the device include such august characters as Winnie the Pooh and Dora the Explorer. Tag Junior will be available this summer for $34.99, with each book running $10.99. Anything that keeps them off the video games for a few hours a day is probably pretty cool.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Portable Audio

LeapFrog intros Tag Junior reading companion for children originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog's Crammer makes flash cards antiquated, is perfectly named

Darren Murph — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:05:00 EST

Alright kids, it's time for honesty. Here's a tidbit your 3rd-grade teacher isn't about to admit, but he / she and everyone else in the world crams for tests. Sorry, we know you totally believed that each and every noble student dutifully set aside hours per day to prepare for that big final, but in reality, every kid in your classroom just got on the study train a few hours ago. To that end, LeapFrog has concocted a perfectly named study aid dubbed the Crammer ($59.99; available now), which enables kids to "quickly navigate more than 16,000 mathematics, social studies and science quiz questions based on leading school textbooks." Additionally, students can create customized digital flash cards for on-the-go cramming, and the built-in Spanish translator even gives you an edge in the foreign language department. Seriously, where was this at when we were using abacuses and carving English reports into stone tablets?

[Via PopGadget]

Filed under: Handhelds

LeapFrog's Crammer makes flash cards antiquated, is perfectly named originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog's Didj / Leapster 2 handhelds go on sale

Darren Murph — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:15:00 EST

They aren't quite ready to ship, but LeapFrog's big-boy-and-girl gaming / learning handhelds are finally up for pre-order over on the outfit's website. For those who missed the February introduction, the firm is hailing the web-connected Didj (pictured) as the "first completely customizable educational gaming platform," and given that it is summertime here in the US of A, this is probably your only shot at getting your kiddo to do anything beneficial for their brain for the next two to three months. Get in line now for $89.99 (Didj) / $69.99 (Leapster 2).

[Via CNET]

Read - Didj order page
Read - Leapster 2 order page

Filed under: Handhelds

LeapFrog's Didj / Leapster 2 handhelds go on sale originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on with LeapFrog's new edutainment lineup

Paul Miller — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:47:00 EST

LeapFrog is virtually unchallenged in quite a few of its product lines, but that doesn't seem to be slowing them down any. The company was showing off bunches of new product at Toy Fair 2008, with most of it newly designed to hook up to the computer and help parents keep better track of what their kids are learning with all these "toys." Products like Tag -- a reading pen similar to the FLY pentop -- can tell parents what words kids are reading well, and how much time they spend with a book, while the new Leapster2 and Didj handhelds let parents track the curriculum the kids are running through -- with the Didj even allowing parents to work in custom vocabulary lists or other subjects into their kid's game of choice. Unfortunately, the LeapFrog2 suffers from same screen viewability woes of its predecessor, and both handhelds are quite chunky, but we did like the Didj's screen and software, and that $90 pricetag is quite palatable.

Gallery: Hands-on with LeapFrog's new edutainment lineup

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Hands-on with LeapFrog's new edutainment lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog debuts Crammer Study and Sound player for students

Paul Miller — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:42:00 EST

LeapFrog is moving on up the chain, and hitting 3rd through 8th graders with a new study aid, the Crammer Study and Sound System. Crammer works basically as a replacement for those annoyingly handwritten index cards, allowing you to enter data for each side of virtual "cards" and run through them on the 2.5-inch grayscale screen. You can also download study aids for a myriad of subjects, or use the included language tools to automatically translate and pronounce words for study. The built-in music playback is pretty straightforward, and lets kids relax with some songs or listen while they study. We spotted a prototype at the 2008 Toy Fair, and while it wasn't a functional unit, we got to see the iriver clix-style four-way screen clicking controls, which seem friendly enough. Crammer will be out Fall 2008 for $60, and includes 1GB of built-in flash memory.

Gallery: LeapFrog debuts Crammer Study and Sound player for students

Filed under: Portable Audio

LeapFrog debuts Crammer Study and Sound player for students originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog intros web-connected Leapster2 and Didj handhelds

Darren Murph — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:01:00 EST

Heads-up kiddos! LeapFrog is out to swipe even more of that allowance with a pair of all new web-connected handhelds. Up first is the Leapster2, which now boasts a sleeker form factor and the ability to upload your totally sweet results to the web for mum and dad to ooh and ahh over. For you older tykes, the Didj handheld -- which is hailed as the first completely customizable educational gaming platform -- enables users to "personalize the look and feel of the games, from designing their avatars to choosing background scenery, color schemes and music." Also of note, the Didj features a 3.2-inch 320 x 240 resolution panel, a 393MHz ARM9 processor and 256MB of Flash memory, which should provide plenty of incentive to hack this thing into a second-rate media player when not beefing up that mental muscle. Both units are set to launch this summer for $69.99 and $89.99, respectively, while software titles for each will run $24.99 and $29.99, also respectively.

[Via I4U News]

Filed under: Handhelds

LeapFrog intros web-connected Leapster2 and Didj handhelds originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LeapFrog announces Fly Fusion and ClickStart My First Computer

Ryan Block — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:07:00 EST

Funny, our first computer was actually, you know, a computer, but for the preschool set not yet ready to step to a Vista Ultimate box, parents might look at LeapFrog's new ClickStart My First Computer. The $60 unit gives kids a "safe, age-appropriate computing experience" (i.e. no virtual foiling of terrorist plots in Las Vegas), good for learning the keyboard, mousing, counting, the alphabet, phonics, simple math, shapes, and colors. (Add-on software packs will be available, and cost $20.) LeapFrog also announced their latest FLY pentop device, the Fusion, which features four times more memory, a sexier new exterior, and an $80 price tag. Both are due out for the 2007 back-to-school season. Can baby spell Engadget? E-N-G-A... damn, how do you spell that anyway?

Continue reading LeapFrog announces Fly Fusion and ClickStart My First Computer

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

LeapFrog announces Fly Fusion and ClickStart My First Computer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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