Fly (pentop computer)

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A typical Fly pen with a Batman Begins game cartridge
A typical Fly pen with a Batman Begins game cartridge
For other uses, see Fly (disambiguation).

The Fly is a personal electronics product manufactured by LeapFrog Enterprises Inc. It is called a "pentop" computer by its manufacturers, and is essentially a pen with a computer inside.[1] The company claims it is the first of its kind.[2]

Contents

[edit] Description

The Fly is an oversized, cosmetically customizable pen that is intended to assist children, especially those aged 7 - 14, with schoolwork. There are several bundled and add-on applications available for the pen, including a notepad, calculator, language and writing assistant, and educational games; many of these require the use of a small cartridge that can be inserted into a port built into the rear of the pen.[2] The Fly only works on its own proprietary paper, which is lightly printed with a pattern of dots to provide positioning information to the pen via a tiny infrared camera. The ink tip itself can be retracted into the body of the pen when no physical notes are desired.[2]

The pen uses digital paper and pattern decoding technology developed by Anoto to track where the user writes on the page. It uses Vision Objects' MyScript character recognition technology to read what's been written, and can read aloud nearly any word in U.S. English. One notable thing is that the Fly uses only capital letters. To start the main menu of the base pen, the user writes "M" and circles it. After recognizing the circled "M", the pen switches to "menu mode".[3] There are several different circle-letter codes for activating different applications, these codes are officially known as "Fly-Cons."[1]

Once an application is activated, the user uses the pen to draw on the paper to interact with the application. In much of the applications, users are told what to draw, rather than having the freedom to design their own.[3]

[edit] Applications and add-ons

LeapFrog sells several different types of paper with which the pen may be used, often in conjunction with a related programming cartridge.[4] The paper may include special instructions for using the pen, as well as cosmetic alterations to the paper reflecting the subject for which it is intended.[5]

Activities available for the Fly include a Spanish language translator, spelling and mathematical software, and a personal journal.[4] Activities for the Fly pen come in packs that include a game pad - a different piece of digital paper - or a cartridge. Using a game pad begins with the user "downloading" the game from the paper by swiping the pen along a Fly Strip, reminiscent of a barcode. Available games include Batman Begins, a "Flyball" baseball game, Harry Potter Interactive Marauder's Map, and a musical game.[citation needed]

[edit] Response

Many critics of the computer have been swift to point out the length of time required for the pen to correctly recognise input from the user.[4] Also, some have pointed out the difficulties of not being able to see a screen; this results in constant redirection.[4]

However, excluding these criticisms, the average response from reviews has been positive.[5][4][3]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Official Website of Fly
  2. ^ a b c What is Fly?
  3. ^ a b c Wired review
  4. ^ a b c d e New York Times playtest
  5. ^ a b USA Today summary