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Leapfrog Talking Pen
AndroidCat writes "Leapfrog has just announced their Fly pen computer for children. It talks, giving feedback as they write and draw, and with special Fly paper, you can draw a calculator, press the 'buttons' with the pen and it will read the answers. Cute, but is this a real working product? Let's see. If they included a 1 GB USB drive, it would be an interesting product for geeks too--just don't write fdisk. And remember to turn off the voice when making notes during meetings." Here's a picture of the device.
If I draw Lindsay Lohan, can I push her buttons too?
hopefully it can also draw those bitchin' lens flares so prominently featured in the 'photo'. curse photoshop for popularizing those things...
go get it
will it give you the answers?
Flies? And make them stick? And we want to give this to our children...why?
Will it spontaneously melt down?
...are spoiled rotten these days.
back in my day we had burnt log and a reasonaly flat rock and we loved it damnit.
What ever happened to kids playing with teddy bears, or learning from reading books? Technology might be making it too easy for them, so they don't even learn.
Though the idea does sound pretty cool...
runs out and buys one
... CROAK?
While it's intended market is for children, the applications this could be used in are astounding for all ages. Lesson plans become interactive, doodles become narratives, and comments become richer. This would open up a unique interface which would benifit those who aren't technically proficient.
:)
Not to mention a few crafty programmers and this could be a great tool for around the house.
or practical joke.
-Teiresias
<sound of crashing car>
Oops!
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
would you really want to put down cold hard cash for this? it seems like just another thing that parents could buy to give their kids in hope that it'll help. If you were that age and got one of those, how much time would you really dedicate to it?
This sig contains repetition and redundancy.
"Here I was writing some erotic fiction in my spare time, when my pen started moaning! I will never write erotic fiction in court again."
Great civilizations have lived and died on false theories. Don't mess up mine with a few facts.
That thing looks almost exactly like the ear thermometer we use on our kid. Or an otoscope. So maybe if you stick the pen in your ear, it'll tell you your body temperature? (Not that this would be a good habit to get kids into...)
"Hey, who turned out the lights? WTF is this CueCat doing here? Oh no! GET ME OUT OF HERE YOU BASTARD!"
The return of Six Finger?
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Since the picture isn't a photo but a computer-generated 3D drawing, I don't they've actually built one yet. No mention on their site either.
Anyone else think this is scary as all heck? Now, I'm not someone who avoids new technologies (I'm a computer engineer) but seriously, I think kids had better stick to pencils. Even at my age there is nothing I prefer more than a nice, simple mechanical pencil or a quality Pilot pen. We don't need computers in everything!
Slashdot covered this pen a while ago:
h tm l?tid=126
http://slashdot.org/articles/02/10/23/1631213.s
I was reminded of this pen because of the need to use a special kind of paper that has unique microdots printed on it.
Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
what logitech was going to do with that digital pen and paper failure of theirs.
remember the pen that as you write stored your writing in memory and then you could download to the computer but only IF you bought their horribly overpriced paper?
I was given one that came with a 30 page notepad. Neat idea, but it's data format was too closed so you either had to dink with it too much to send the "writings" to friends or they needed to download and install a special app.
still sitting in a drawer here at work, Used it for 1 meeting, got pissed at the software that supports it, and threw it there.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Considering the current translation technology, I'm not sure that such a function would be very useful. Also, just how smart is it's spelling? Can it correct for poorly drawn/backwards characters?
Leapfrog made the fly, Then forgot to tell us why
They make some pretty cool stuff, as far as educational toys for kids go. I know my kids love the little PDA-style "cramming" device.
The schools are missing out on this stuff. The whole point is that teachers can put content up on the web (this weeks spelling words, for example), and the kids can download and practice with the toy.
Though, they only teach PC language and consumerism these days. Apparently the only thing kids need to know is how to open their wallet.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
they put BlueTooth and a Gyro in it... I would love to have a pen that would "hand-write" anything that I typed...
will come with three settings.
"Stuck in a pen factory. Please send help."
My daughter has a Leapfrog Learning Center, care of eBay.
t s
The novelty was worn pretty quick though, now it sits on top of the heap.
My complaint is that I want those talking items to have more Canadian versions.
So can I upgrade that pen's firmware?
How about some Canadian dialect eh?
And some more Canadian geography or history too?
We know more about America than our own country.
Regardless, LeapFrog sure is pumping out the product;
http://www.leapfrog.com/do/browseproduc
Or UFOs.
Or planet X, come to destroy us.
Take yer pick.
Oy. Has anyone else had problems writing with proper grammar after reading too much poorly written stuff on the net?
Prior Art!!!
Bill Cosby had a talking pen in Picture Pages in the early 80's.
It even sang and danced...
Logitech beat them to the punch it seems; 'special paper' & all. Hell, maybe Logitech's liscensing this to Leapfrog.
Already done.
If you have nothing useful to say post as AC.
I read TFA and even tried dig up technical specifications on their webpage. There seems to be a dirth of details about the device.
What kind of feedback are we talking about here? Does it recognize random/badly drawn figures? Does it take wild guesses if I draw something mildly resembling an apple (circle, oval, egg, round)? What exactly is the purpose of the "feedback"? Trying to make the pen guess what's being drawn?
I agree the calculator example sounds interesting...but again, how accurate is the character/image recognition? Handwriting (especially with small kids) is notoriously difficult to recognize....and we're talking about random images here. How effective is this thing? How does it even know I've drawn a calculator? It's going to be just a series of squares containing numbers.
I agree a device capable of recognizing handwriting and drawing in real time could have interesting applications, but I'll believe it when I see it...they seem to be making a lot of vague promises here.
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
Cry some more for us, loser.
Got ya. You just self-evaluated your post negatively.
Brilliant!!
The Penis Mightier for $1000
Does anyone else think it was inspired by Logitech's product?
I personally wouldn't have needed that as a child. I went to a Catholic school when I was learning to write. The feedback I got was from a nun with a yardstick. No talking pen needed.
Yard sticks is mightier than the sword
Here's a picture of the device.
Actually, here's a rendering of the device.
...you'll know it'll sorta work about 50% of the time. Relatives have given my 4-year-old three different toys from them; not one has worked consistantly.
In fact, the only thing reliable about their products is making my daughter cry after the toy crashes for the third time in five minutes!
Scott Severtson
Senior Architect, Digital Measures
Aye taut meeselph teh 3Ng1e5h 0n slashdot!1
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
>> It talks, giving feedback as they write and draw
This does sound cool, but I have to admit that when I read the above line it immediately reminded of how damn annoying clippy is.
The last thing I want is for my pen to talk to me while I am trying to compose a letter. But then again this thing is for "children".
OS X, Linux, Tivo, Amiga, my fascination with cult-like technologies would intrigue any psychiatrist.
This Leap frog gizmo is essentially the same as THIS device from Logitech.
What I don't know I just fake...
What're you writing? The Encyclopeadia Britannica? A Windows bug list? You'd still have room to transcribe the entire Linux kernel, the Bible and War & Peace! (Well, perhaps not if you include the Windows bug list, but you get my point!)
I like the idea of drawing a calculator and then using it. I'm not a huge fan of the spoken answer though.
Drop the speaker, add a bluetooth interface, an RF transmitter and possibly an infrared transmitter and the interface possibilities open up exponentially.
Draw a universal remote and use it. I think this would be a good tool for human interface design, and much cheaper than a smartboard+projector.
While you're at it, make it a cellphone, too! Actually that's dumb. The bluetooth interface would make adding contacts to your bluetooth-enabled phone's address book easier.
My stepdaughter (7) is a television junkie (thanks to idiot father, who has primary custody), and LeapPad is great for her because it's about the only way she'll voluntarily read the written word. LeapPad gives instant feedback and immediate gratification, which is a big plus for a child who doesn't have a lot of confidence in her reading skills.
Fortunately, my son (Just turned 2) dosen't need any incentive to read -- he just grabs a book and sits down on my lap until I read it to him. Even still, we have numerous Leapfrog toys which he plays with constantly; one of his favorites is a set of talking alphabet refrigerator magnets, which undoubtably contributed to him knowing the entire alphabet before he was two. A fun toy which reinforces the lessons you teach your kids is fantastic for a parent. (The important word here is REINFORCE. Don't expect a learning toy to teach your child for you while you sit on your ass watching pro wrestling.)
Why is it that the proponents of "one nation under God" are so eager to get rid of "liberty and justice for all"?
What ever happened to kids playing with teddy bears, or learning from reading books?
Nothing. This still happens. However, believe it or not, with improved technology comes possibilities for improved learning. Maybe with the right tools, kids can learn to read and write and calculate at earlier ages, when their brains are more pliable.
Then again, you probably think Kids shouldn't have pre-school, and they should just get shoved into a government run public school when they turn 5 or 6, and "that will learn them."
Just guessing.
Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.
"Hello! I see that you are writing a suicide letter.
May I suggest:
- A new template (?)
- A slower, more painful way to die(?)
- The Grammar Wizard (?)
If there is anything else you need, please feel free to contact my distant brother, Clippy.
Have a nice day!"
Blasphemer!
Required reading for internet skeptics
Isn't this a similar concept to what bill cosby had in his morning tv show picture page. I remember thinking how cool that wierd pen was that made sound ant talked. As a child I really wanted one. Then I remember seeing one at toys are us or something similar. It made crappy sound as your drew with it and was really cheap. Was a big let down... But remembering back to how much I really wanted one, I could see this being a really popular item given proper marketing.
Now if we just combined it with the technology of the PainStation, we'd have a real learning tool:
Mrs. Crabapple: Ralph, I want you to use this new pen.
*scribble scribble*
Ralph: It feels like burning!
RTFA, "A group of children aged 8 to 13 helped to develop the product", you insensitive clod!
I believe the quote you wanted was:
... on the wedding day of your daughter's wedding ... And I hope that their first child is a masculine child."
"Don Corleone, I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your daughter's wedding
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
Did you see the image?
Pretty Fly for a White Pen!
Intense white light projected from Leapfrog Fly pen blinds child.
Ironically, child now relies on talking pen to describe what he draws.
Won't that be ... sticky?
What happened to brilliant things like the Apple ][ program Rocky's Boots?
Apparently Leapster development is done w/ Flash 5?
William
(whose daughter has a Pixter and really wishes there was a way to get her drawings out of it and copied to a computer)
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
About 1985 TI made a "toy" that read bar codes from special books and spoke words. I got one from a TI employee for $10 bucks since they had a dumpster-full because the thing weighed 3 pounds, needed 6 D-cells and the special books to operate, and never sold.
I always wondered if anyone hacked this thing. It was a useless toy but it did a dang good job of speech synthesis, it being 1985 and all.
Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
I have a daughter and motivating her to start to learn to read has been a bit of a challenge. We'd get out a fairly simple book, sit next to her on the couch and we try to get her to sound out the letters, but more often than not this became more of test of wills ("I don't want to... you tell me"). And while as the parent you can (usually) win a test of wills with a small child, one doesn't get the impression that this method is going to instill in her a great love of reading.
So, hoping to make reading a little more interesting/fun we turned to technology. There's such a huge selection of software out there that we couldn't seem to figure which titles were good. Looking around some more we tried Leapfrog's Leappads. These held her interest, but we didn't get the impression that she was learning anything. She certainly didn't seem to be learning to read. She'd play with it for quite a a while, but there didn't seem to be much information actually sticking. And they had 'bugs' in them (irony in a company whose logo is a frog); the 'books' frequently didn't work like they were supposed to. In a nutshell, when it worked it kept her amused, but then, so do a pile of wooden blocks. Neither seemed to help her to learn to start to read.
We tried two other of the newer Leapfrog products and they didn't seem to work well either. In the end, the one product that seemed to help was Leapfrog's older Phonics Writing Desk. As she used that more, she seemed to have less furstration with the process of sounding our letters. She always wants to do things "on my own" and I think the biggest part of the problem was that she didn't want to be told how the letters should sound, she wanted to know it already herself.
It seems to me that Leapfrog's been making their products more and more complex. This may allow them to command a higher retail price - and perhaps to better compete with computer software - but I think they have moved away from what made their earlier success... simpler educational products. This pen seems like it's likely to repeat our daughter experience with the Leappads: buggy and too much of a toy. But I guess we'll see.
...I would take this idea, develop and sell as "flexible notetaker". It would be easy to integrate such input device with IpodPhoto or PowerMac...
My kids have a Leap Pad and a Leapster and both of these devices have proven to be notoriously unreliable, having mysterious faults and glitches that haven't been improved with subsequent versions of the products. Additionally, the Leapster goes through batteries with great haste.
The pen sounds interesting, but pardon me if I remain a little skeptical.
They fail to mention you need 6 D size batteries to operate and two hands to write anything...! :P
-SH
Expensive pen.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
You had snow?!? Back in the day, all we had was oxygen and hydrogen atoms, and we had to count them individually to get two H for every O, and smash them together to get water. We got dinged for every unaccounted-for H or O.
I won't even get into what it took to make actual snow.
Infuriate left and right
It's funny, but In the seventies when The Six Million Dollar Man was popular, I thought one of the neatest special effects were the inadvertant lens flares. There's a scene in particular I remember on one show with a non-bionic man jogging; I got into a heated argument about that "special effect" with someone I was watching the show with. They didn't see any bionic special effect so they thought I was crazy when I insisted that something special was going to happen to that character. And of course on a show with only three to five characters per episode (three of which were recurring) something special did happen to the character.
It's strange but to people who know nothing about photography, a lens flare can look like an out of this world addition instead of the photographic damage that most photographers (properly) consider it.
I learned to read with phonics flash cards. I have been reading effortlessly since I was 5 or 6. Who needs Leap Frog...
Anoto functionality underlies the Logitech io Pen (and probably Leapfrog's Fly pen).
The development guide (1 MB PDF) explains the technology: The paper is printed with a pattern of 100 um dots on a 3 mm grid. Each dot is slightly offset either up, down, left, or right, thus encoding two bits. The pen detects a 6 x 6 grid of dots, representing a 72-bit number. By varying the displacement of the dots, a large pattern space is created.
According to the pattern license, "The theoretical size of the Anoto Pattern Space is 60,000,000 km2, which is about the size of Europe and Asia combined. This area is subdivided into regions, each enabling its unique functionality. From each region, or segment, you may obtain a Pattern License for one or several pages."
Want to try it? Among the development tools, you will find a demo kit for 399 Euros. You can print your own business form on the supplied preprinted Anoto paper. The demo application captures pen strokes and merges them with your form image. A log file captures the pen id, pattern license number, pen stroke coordinates, and start time for every pen stroke.
Well... almost
Really, can you imagine writing really steamy letters to your sweetie with one of these? It could crush the world of email, and reinvent the art of penmanship!
"People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
My son goes nuts over most of their products - educational and also entertaining. Wish I could say that about
it doesn't go "It looks like you're writing a letter..."!
If there's one way for this pen to die a quick death that would be it! Die clippy, die!
Teacher: Johnny? Why did you write, "Death to Tyrant Teachers!"
Johnny: I didn't!
Teacher: It's on a piece of paper on your desk.
Johnny: My pen must have done it, I was at recess.
Teacher: Go to the office.
I got to get me one of these pens!
Kelly used the Fly pen this morning on their show. It is real, and it works, and looks like it will be THE kewl toy for XMas 2005. :)
--- Donal, SysAdmin of The Brewers' Witch BBS