LeapFrog Tag Junior frogbot reads books to your toddlers

The LeapFrog "Tag Junior" is a plastic frog that sits atop proprietary children's books and reads the story aloud, punctuated by sound effects and music. It is relatively inexpensive at $35, but each of the books cost about $11 a pop.

[#1 posted by pork musket , January 28, 2009 12:11 PM]

Some things should not be delegated to robots. I treasure the memories of reading Pinocchio with my parents. Teddy Ruxbin, not so much. Read to your children, don't let a robot do it for you. Now, as a fun toy in addition to reading aloud/story time, that's fine by me.

[#2 posted by MarlboroTestMonkey7 , January 28, 2009 12:16 PM]

Reading skills are so 2008! Goodbye tying laces as well.

[#3 posted by rak0ribz , January 28, 2009 1:28 PM]

@2: Unfortunately, lace-tying is still a necessary skill; at least, that's the (oftentimes physical) impression my fellow 8th-graders left on me whenever I wore my Velcro-closure sneakers.

I know we're never getting our jetpacks, but it's the 21st century now - can't we finally all agree that there should be a direct relationship between fashion and closure tech level?

(Note: I'm not affiliated with the 3M Corporation, even though the above paragraphs likely appear in their mission statement.)

[#4 posted by shutz , January 28, 2009 1:57 PM]

Call me again when they make a small, toy-like robot that can sit atop any book that can be laid flat and scan the text to then read it aloud.

Bonus points if they can offer a way to correct any mispronunciations of the robot by plugging it into a computer via USB cable and letting you point out which words need to be corrected, and an easy way to make the correction.

I'm fairly sure all the necessary technology already exists: all it needs is a specialty webcam tied into a more advanced version of the ol' Speak 'n Spell, along with a couple of small motors to move the robot and stabilize it. Let the children flip the pages themselves.

If there are any makers out there who think they can do this, I'd be glad to help out, I'm just missing some of the technical know-how to tie all the necessary existing technologies together (and a budget to get the necessary parts.)

[#5 posted by annoyingmouse , January 28, 2009 2:08 PM]

Lace-tying? I hope you lace-tying people aren't getting to comfortable in your shoes because we all know that we're now only 6 years away from auto-fastening shoes. With them we shall laughingly wave at you and your laces as we fly past you on our hoverboards. All true.

[#6 posted by grimc , January 28, 2009 2:15 PM]

Auto-fastening shoes will be the MiniDisc of the apparel category. Go ahead and spend your money on quickly obsoleted gadgets while the rest of us enjoy our genetically modified feet.

[#7 posted by flosslounge , January 28, 2009 2:20 PM]

hmmm..that never crossed my mind but would not mind getting one if it was reasonably priced. Anyone knows the price range.
Kindly
Flosslounge

[#8 posted by annoyingmouse , January 28, 2009 2:35 PM]

In reply to myself : "I hope you lace-tying people aren't getting to comfortable in your shoes because we all know that we're now only 6 years away from auto-fastening shoes."

I hope that's a typo and you meant "too comfortable" and not that those lace-tying people are going "to comfortable". They're not heading to that most satisfying of places at all with their medieval technologies and their hate of footwear-innovation. Now I'm off to listen to a MiniDisc.

[#9 posted by Felix Mitchell , January 29, 2009 2:17 AM]

$11 isn't that much for a quality kids book. Still, this is a parental task that shouldn't be delegated to a machine.

Can you imagine a kid reading aloud when his main teacher has been an electronic voice? This sounds like a good premise to a short story.

[#10 posted by mightymouse1584 , January 29, 2009 6:14 AM]

the scene in that book looks straight out of the lion king.

[#11 posted by Sijay , January 29, 2009 8:22 AM]

I'm with Schutz. As it stands, I'd rather not bring home any potential lesson that only some brands of book are "cool enough" for your robot to read to you.

But of course if it could read any book, then I see the possibility that my kid would use it as a crutch against pre-literacy. I'd rather he work at reading if he's interested enough in a book to drop this robot on it.

Or is the interest in books/text the important thing, which this robot could help cultivate even before a kid is capable of reading by himself? I'm kind of torn on this. What do you think?

[#12 posted by Halloween Jack , January 29, 2009 3:15 PM]

I wonder if the robot also says, "Sorry, kid, mommy and daddy aren't all that into you" as well.