LeapPad

LeapPad is an electronic interactive children's book platform for children aged 4–8^[1] produced by LeapFrog Enterprises from 1999 to 2008. Various models of the toy were released up until 2008 when the Tag reading system superseded it.

Contents 1 Development history 2 Models 2.1 Accessories 2.2 Spin-offs incompatible with the mainstream series 3 Technology 4 Region locking status 5 Competition and Comparisons 6 Awards 7 Book Learning 8 References

Development history

The device, resembling a talking book, took 3 years to develop and was introduced to the market in 1999. In 2001 (sales $160 million) and 2002 it was the best-selling toy in specialty stores. Sales in 2003 reached $680 million and were only eclipsed by sales of the book and cartridge add-ons. The success of LeapPad helped Leapfrog Enterprises become one of the fastest-growing toy companies in history.

LeapPad was developed by a team from Explore Technologies, Inc. acquired by Leapfrog in July 1998. It uses the same patented "NearTouch" technology developed for the Explore Technologies Odyssey Atlasphere. Investigation and development was started in December 1997.

Models

Various models of the LeapPad were developed between its launch in 1999 and discontinuation in 2008:

• LeapPad - The original model. Originally available in blue and green, a pink and purple model was introduced a short while later. Special Spider-Man and SpongeBob SquarePants themed units were also produced.
• LeapPad Plus Writing - A LeapPad with a slightly different stylus. The new stylus is capable of holding a small mechanical pencil. This model was eventually replaced by the Read and Write LeapPad.
• LeapPad Plus Microphone- A LeapPad with a microphone built in. The microphone is used by titles to record and play back recording of the user's reading. Cartridges for the system are compatible with other LeapPads provided that a microphone accessory that plugs into the cartridge slot is present on the non-microphone LeapPads. Available in red, blue, pink and purple.
• LeapPad Pro - Targeted for older users, the model features a more futuristic look, and sports advanced features that are not present in the regular LeapPad. The LeapPad Pro is compatible with cartridges meant for a regular LeapPad, but LeapPad Pro cartridges are not guaranteed to work with regular LeapPads.
• Quantum LeapPad - Also targeted for older users, like the LeapPad Pro this variant has a more futuristic look, but also sports advanced features like saving progresses onto a RAM cartridge. While cartridges for regular LeapPads work with Quantum LeapPads, Quantum LeapPad cartridges are not guaranteed to work with regular LeapPads.
• Read and Write LeapPad - The successor to the LeapPad Plus Writing system, this model is practically a redesigned version of the LeapPad Plus Writing system. The stylus holder has been moved to the right and the unit style redesigned, but apart from that, no other noticeable differences between the two system exists. It is the last LeapPad model to be sold prior to discontinuation of the product line.
• Learn N Go LeapPad - The British version of the Read and Write LeapPad. The only difference between this and the Read and Write LeapPad is the onboard firmware has been redone to feature British voices. This is insignificant in most cases as it is the cartridge that comes with the books that hold the voice samples, not the LeapPad itself, and the change only affects the sample book shipped with the device (which does not require a cartridge to operate). However, certain titles for the LeapPad may load sound samples that are pre-stored on the LeapPad itself.
• LeapPad Explorer - The new LeapPad device has similar features to its predecessors. The device has the feel of Apple's iPad and like the iPad users can download apps to add more programs. The big feature that the device has is the capability to capture movies and take pictures. It came out in the summer of 2011. LeapFrog won the Platinum Award for LeapPad(TM) from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio in September 2011 ^[2]. It became one of hottest wanted toys in 2011 Christmas. Most of toy stores were sold out before 8th of December, including Toys R US and Argos.

Accessories

The LeapPad's popularity also spawned a market for accessories and books as well as simple board game styled games that is played on the LeapPad itself.

• LeapPad Microphone - Provides LeapPads other than the LeapPad Plus Microphone system the capability to record and playback voices, which is required by LeapPad plus Microphone cartridges.
• Replacement LeapPad styluses - The LeapPad's stylus is actually connected to the system by a single RCA jack, and thus is user replaceable. This is especially important as the stylus' cable can wear out through time, particularly with rough use. Like novelty pencils, some replacement styluses even come with little figures molded to the top while many others are elaborately decorated with popular characters printed on to the stylus itself.
• LeapPad reading light clip - A LED flashlight-like device designed to clip on to a LeapPad and provide a light source for use in low-light conditions.
• Headphones - While the LeapPad comes with a standard 3.5 mm jack and supports most common headphones, Leapfrog has introduced LeapPad branded headphones for use with the LeapPads.
• MindStation or LeapLink and re-writable LeapPad Cartridges - In 2000, LeapFrog started offering a product called the LeapLink, and with it a paid subscription-based service. This product, which connects to the serial port of the PC, and when used with LeapFrog's website, a rewritable 512 Kilobyte, 2 Megabyte or 4 Megabyte cartridge (which was sold separately in the case of a LeapLink, as the cartridge provided by the LeapLink is incompatible with a LeapPad and is meant for older LeapZone devices) and a printer, offered additional content that parents could download through the said service and use with the LeapPad. The device was later renamed the MindStation and a USB version compatible with Macs was introduced. LeapFrog discontinued the service in early 2008.

Spin-offs incompatible with the mainstream series

The LeapPad's popularity helped spawn other LeapPad branded devices that are incompatible with the mainstream LeapPad series of players. These devices are meant for younger audiences who are not ready for the mainstream LeapPad's titles.

• My First LeapPad - Targeted for Pre-schoolers to Kindergarten-going children, the design of the LeapPad is different from a regular LeapPad in that the books are flipped upwards. The unit was later redesigned to be shaped like a school bus. A British voices version is also available in the UK.
• LittleTouch LeapPad - Targeted at infants to toddlers, the unit operates significantly different from a regular LeapPad in that it does not require a stylus to operate. The unit also features a soft pad underneath to allow for the device to sit comfortably on the parents' or toddler's lap.

Technology

The LeapPad is a computer with electrographic sensor. The sensor works as a capacitor and measures the amount of current flowing through corner electrodes into a plate beneath the table top, and uses that information to triangulate the location of the stylus on the table top.^[3] The LeapPad is covered by U.S. patents 5686705 and 5877458.

Region locking status

The LeapPad apparently makes no effort to verify the region of the cartridge and book placed in the unit- a North American Read and Write LeapPad has been tested on a British version of the Tad Goes Shopping title and the device functioned correctly with the British cartridge and book. This does not guarantee that the LeapPad will function correctly for all the titles, however, and in some cases, the software on the cartridge may attempt to load a sound sample that is stored on the LeapPad itself, resulting in problems ranging from missing sounds to abnormal behavior (i.e. mismatched speech samples and sudden changes in speech accent). In fact, LeapPad titles that were released during the launch of the system in 1999 may not be compatible on newer LeapPads from the same region as well (tested with a first-generation copy of Leap's Friends From A to Z with a Read and Write LeapPad, which exhibited missing sound samples).

Competition and Comparisons

The popularity of the LeapPad spawned a few competitions, most notably with Mattel who launched the Fisher-Price PowerTouch Learning System in 2003,^[4] and later with the Power Touch Baby. The PowerTouch learning system was far more advanced than the LeapPad in many ways, requiring no stylus to operate as it uses a touch-sensitive area, and even the ability to detect page changes automatically via a set of infrared sensors on the top of the device(which also imposed a limitation on how many pages a book for the system can offer). However, despite the improvements and backing from popular brands like Nelvana and Scholastic, the PowerTouch did not catch on with the public as widely as the LeapPad did although it does have its share of followers.

The LeapPad also faced competition from publisher Publications International Inc, whose specialty included electronic children books with sound modules. The ActivePoint and Magic Wand titles operated on a similar principle to the LeapPad.^[5][6] However the system faced limitations in that the book itself is bound to the reader and stylus and thus cannot be interchanged. Publications International later introduced the Story Reader and My First Story Reader system, which is more limited in function in that it will only read the story as the user turns the page, and features less interactive features: The Story Reader completely lacks any interactive functions, while the My First Story Reader only has simple quizzes answered through the use of three buttons at the bottom of the device. However, due to the lower cost of the system, Publications International's offering remained competitive with the LeapPad.

Awards

LeapPad won the Toy of the Year award from the Toy Manufacturers of America.^[7] In 2001, LeapFrog's LeapPad won the first-ever People Choice Toy of the Year Award, sponsored by the Toy Industry Association.

LeapFrog won the Platinum Award for LeapPad(TM) from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio in September 2011 ^[2].

Book Learning

• LeapPad:Numbers (1995)
• LeapPad:Letter (1996)
• LeapPad:Music (1997)
• LeapPad:Shapes (2000)

References

1. ^ "LeapFrog Press Release" (PDF). LeapFrog Enterprises. 2002-12-10. pp. 3. Archived from the original on 2007-01-23. http://web.archive.org/web/20070123055308/http://www2.leapfrog.com/content/press_releases/12.10.02_Awards_Release.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-30.  |
2. ^ ^{a b} Marketwatch site, accessed Dec 6 2011
3. ^ US patent 5686705, Mark Flowers, Los Gatos, CA, "Surface position location system and method", issued 2007-10-16, assigned to LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. 
4. ^ Fisher-Price PowerTouch site, accessed April 6 2009
5. ^ Magic Wand Book
6. ^ ActivePOINT
7. ^ McHugh, Josh (November 2005). "LeapFrog's Wild Ride". Wired magazine (Condé Nast Publications). http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.11/leapfrog.html. Retrieved 2006-07-12.