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LeapFrog's latest gadget for kids is a Tamagotchi-Fitbit mashup
Look, we get it: wearable tech is big business these days. We also get that childhood obesity is a serious problem. That's why it's literally no surprise that the folks at LeapFrog are jumping on the nascent child wearables bandwagon with the LeapBand: an unholy combination of a Fitbit and a Tamagotchi that aims to stop kids from playing games on the couch... and get them playing games standing up.
The Engadget Show 44: Education with Google, OLPC, Code.org, LeapFrog, SparkFun, Adafruit and more
It's time to rethink the way our children learn. It's all a bit overwhelming, attempting to restructure the age-old classroom model, particularly in a system as bogged down in bureaucratic red tape as education. This month, however, we packed up our things and toured the country to find out how educational institutions are adopting new models to help reinvent the learning process -- rather than sitting idly by, waiting for the system to change around them. Naturally, technology is playing a huge role in that shift, moving from models of teaching to models of learning, where students can explore, express themselves and learn at their own speed. We kick things off in Chicago, where Jackie Moore, a former systems programmer, is teaching inner city students how to build robots in a shopping mall basement at LevelUP. Next up, we head Miami and California, to see how technologies like the iPad, Google Chromebook and One Laptop Per Child's XO laptop are being implemented in three schools, including interviews with educators, students, OLPC CEO Rodrigo Halaby and Google director of product management, Rajen Sheth. We'll also talk to component retailers SparkFun and Adafruit about the initiatives those companies have implemented to help kids learn electronics at an early age, and then we sit down with American Museum of Natural History president, Ellen Futter, to discuss the ways the New York City institution is redefining itself for the 21st century. We've also got an interview with Ali Partovi, a serial entrepreneur, who is working to make computer science an essential part of the elementary-level STEM program, through Code.org. Richard Culatta, the acting director of the US Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology discusses how devices can help target the learning process for individual students and LeapFrog CEO John Barbour tells us how his company is rethinking the educational toy. All that plus prognostications from John Roderick and some really sweet moose dioramas can be yours to enjoy after the break.
LeapFrog shows off $150 LeapPad Ultra tablet, arriving July 17th (hands-on)
LeapFrog's latest tablet just couldn't wait to show off for the camera, making its on-screen debut over at the FCC's site a few weeks back. The kid-friendly tech company was finally ready to show the thing off for real this week, almost exactly a year after letting us take a look at the previous-generation device. The slate, naturally, maintains the kid-friendly software and rugged design that have become customary across LeapFrog's hardware offerings, while adding enough new features to let the company confidently refer to the LeapPad Ultra as "the ultimate kids learning tablet." Though they might be just a tad biased when it comes to such overarching statements. The Ultra's got a 7-inch, 1,024 x 600 touchscreen display that works with a stylus to help kids learn to write with something other than their fingers (making it not too unlike the LeapReader in that respect). There are front- and rear-facing cameras for its built-in imaging programs and 8GB of storage for downloading some of the 800-plus LeapFrog-approved apps downloadable from the company's App Center (which wasn't ready to demo when we looked at the hardware). The choices include proprietary apps and selections from partners like Pixar and Sesame Street. The tablet's got all kinds of parental protection, including secure WiFi and a four-digit code for updating. And while there's an included chat app (Pet Chat), communication is limited to other LeapPads, using a limited number of canned responses.%Gallery-192214%
LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra shows off its insides at the FCC
If you've got kids, or just like pretending you still are one on weekends, then you're probably familiar with LeapFrog's infant-friendly LeapPad. We might suggest that you hold off buying one for the next few weeks, thanks to a listing for a LeapPad Ultra that meandered through the FCC today. Given that the LeapPad 2 hit stores last August, we'll expect to learn a lot more about this unit over the next couple of weeks. That said, if you can't wait, or are just curious about what lurks beneath its green plastic shell, check out the teardown gallery below. %Gallery-190545%
The Daily Roundup for 04.30.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
LeapFrog's LeapReader pen teaches reading and writing, on sale in July for $50
With its latest device, LeapFrog's continuing to fight the good fight: teaching kids essential skills through the power of consumer electronics. LeapReader's a sort of spiritual successor to the company's Tag line, maintaining the reading tool's pen-like form factor, while adding writing to the equation. The device continues to read out words and sentences, adding in the ability to trace letters and write them out on its special paper. LeapReader encourages kids to trace the lines of letters and then try things on their own, after a couple of goes. The pen's got enough space to hold 40 books or 175 songs, which can be played through an on-board speaker or via a headphone jack on top -- and you can also play books purchased for your Tag device. Interested parties will be able to pre-order the $50 LeapReader on June 12th. It'll be hitting retail locations and LeapFrog's site early the following month, with a few months to spare before back to school rolls around. The pen's targeted toward kids aged four to eight (and, thankfully, is designed to only write on designated books) and will come in pink and green. Check out a demo video of the device after the break.%Gallery-187119%
LeapFrog's child-friendly LeapPad 2 goes on sale for $100, is ready for sticky fingers
You might've already checked out our hands-on time with LeapFrog's next-gen LeapPad, but starting today, now you can finally get your own palms on the kid-friendly slate. The company -- who's also introduced us to the Explorer -- has announced its LeapPad 2 is now up for grabs at an array of online and brick-and-mortar shops, such as Target, Best Buy, Kmart, Amazon and, naturally, its very own site. Now, the $100 LeapPad 2 isn't anywhere near the same class as Mountain View's $200 Nexus 7, though for obvious reasons, as it's targeted at a completely different audience. In other words, those 100 bucks might just be enough to keep kids away from your precious every-day tablet. We'll let you decide that, however.
LeapFrog LeapPad 2 and Leapster GS Explorer hands-on (video)
If you've got little ones of your own, you're probably familiar with LeapFrog's various learning devices for children. Since last year, the company stepped things up a notch by offering up its LeapPad tablet breed for youngsters and pricing it at just $100. Not only did it ensure you'd never have to your precious iPad loose into rigors of the adolescence (read: having it tortured by kids in unimaginable ways), but it also packed LeapFrog's developmental education know-how into all of its apps. If you'll recall, it was just yesterday that the company announced its second iteration of the device, the LeapPad 2, and today we were able to spend some time with near production-quality engineering samples. On that note, the same can be said of its latest Leapster, the GS Explorer -- a $70 Gameboy-like portable unit focused more on educational gaming. Join us after the break for a brief rundown of what's been improved and our initial impressions of both. %Gallery-158728% %Gallery-158735%
LeapFrog reveals LeapPad 2 and Leapster GS learning tablets, priced at $70 and $100
Got a youngster who ain't keen on waiting for his or her Surface of choice to ship? There's a LeapFrog for that. The name in educational slates has just revealed a pair of refreshed gizmos, the LeapPad 2 and Leapster GS. Boasting higher resolution front and rear cameras / video recorders, twice the memory (4GB) compared to the original and an even more durable frame, the LeapPad 2 also touts a zippier LF 2000 processor, improved battery life and compatibility with an optional internal battery system and recharger pack. Buyers of the $99.99 device will also see a gratis music player (with five learning songs, no less), a Cartoon Director creativity app, an Art Studio creativity app and the Pet Pad writing app. The Leapster GS ($69.99) is a revised Leapster Explorer, offering a thinner design, larger screen, built-in motion sensor, 2GB of memory and a camera / video recorder. Sold already? Folks in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland can grab theirs on July 18th, while most other nations will have to wait until August. Summer learning never felt so right... right?
LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer tablet hands-on (video)
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-127320% 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.
Sprint 'Project Leapfrog' rumors claim LTE network upgrade is underway
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]
LeapFrog's LeapPad Explorer tablet looks a little more durable than your iPad
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.
LeapFrog teases future mystery device, inadvertently spills beans in the past
"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 Scribble & Write, Chat & Count hands-on
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).
LeapFrog Text and Learn hands-on: look what RIM hath wrought
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-43776%
LeapFrog announces educational, interactive Zippity
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!)
LeapFrog intros "smartphone" for your little one (or you)
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.
LeapFrog intros Tag Junior reading companion for children
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.
LeapFrog's Crammer makes flash cards antiquated, is perfectly named
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]
LeapFrog's Didj / Leapster 2 handhelds go on sale
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 pageRead - Leapster 2 order page
