LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Learning Game System (Green)
by LeapFrog
List Price:
Our Price: $50.00
You Save: $19.99 (29%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $34.99 (click here)
Category: Toy
See more product details
Product Summary
Manufacturer: LeapFrogBrand: LeapFrog
Audio: English (Unknown)
Release Date: 2010-07-01
Model: 39100
Color: Green
Product features:
- Leapster Explorer offers endless ways to play and learn
- A library of more than 40 games and activities includes cartridge games
- Children can learn school skills like reading, math, science and geography
- Expand the fun and learning in LeapWorld--a safe, online world of learning games and activities
- For use only with LeapFrog Explorer software. Not compatible with any other LeapFrog platform software.
- Energizer L91BP-8 Lithium AA Photo Battery (8-Pack)
- Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargable Batteries with Charger - 4 Pack
- Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries - 8 Pack
Toys and Games Reviews of LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Learning Game System (Green)
Customer Review: NOT compatible with Leapster2, PRICY games,.... but we still LIKE it. (and some tips/ideas)
Summary: 5 Stars
UPDATE 3 OCT 2010:
It has been 3 months now and, so far so good. The Explorer is still going strong. Our son still enjoys playing with both systems (Leapster2 and Explorer). And we've now added LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Learning Game: eGlobe (Globe Earth Adventures) to the game collection.
Be aware that connecting the Explorer online the very 1st time will take about one hour! Connecting online is an add-on feature for if you want to go to LeapWorld or check the "learning path". If you have a cartridge game, you do not need to connect online to use it. You can just plug it in and use it. I've added a tip on connecting online at the end of the review (in order to keep this update brief).
*****
REVIEW 3 JUL 2010:
If you're currently looking for an educational handheld system for kids 4-9, then you should consider the Explorer. Let me start by saying I'm a fan of the Leapfrog concept (educational handheld system for young kids). So perhaps I'm a bit biased. But we are also honest, so if we don't like it, we'll say it. Our son got a Leapster L-Max Leapster L-Max Learning Game System when he was 4. He loved it and the games he has for it. Unfortunately the L-Max was not durable (you can check my review on it). We then got him a Leapster2 LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System - Green just last january. The Leapster2 turned out to be much better and durable (you can check my review on it also).
And now Leapfrog has come out with the Leapster Explorer. I'm a bit disappointed and bothered by the fact that LeapFrog just brings out this completely new system, while we just got the Leapster2 six months ago. Still I've become such a fan of the concept I decided to get it anyway. Perhaps you can best check the Explorer, it's functionality and specs out at the LeapFrog site. You will find all specs and functionality there.
There are several games available for the Explorer, including: Toy Story 3, The penguins of Madagascar, Disney Princess, Ni Hao, Mr. Pencil, Sponge Bob, and Dora. Most are available on Amazon, otherwise check the Leapfrog site.
But be aware that the games for the Explorer, as the games for the Leapster2, are pricy. Twenty-five box each. (The Leapster2 games you can get at better prices now.) You need at least one game cartridge. And kids will want to switch games from time to time. You won't need a ton of games but a collection of 3 or 4 games will be nice. For example we have a collection of 6 games for the Leapster2 (collected over a period of 1,5 year). Two he got as a present (thankfully), three we bought, and one we downloaded (free) from Leapfrog. He likes them all, and offers him plenty of variety.
In any case, if you're getting a handheld educational system, remember that you'll need to get a few game cartridges. Consider the cost of the Explorer plus one initial game cartridge. And then be prepared to spend the cost of another game or two in the near future. Be prepared to spend/invest this amount, otherwise your kid(s), and you as a parent, will be greatly disappointed.
What also helped us in justifying the investment in LeapFrog system, is that we rather have our son playing with an educational system, then with mindless addictive game systems, which there are so many around. At least with LeapFrog he's learning.
Another advice I can provide is to get the rechargeable system LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Recharger , or get rechargeable batteries!!! Really,.... this will save you a LOT of money on batteries. LeapFrog does not recommend using rechargeable batteries, but advertise to use their rechargeable system. I don't understand why. They claim normal rechargeable batteries will not work well with the system. But we use Duracell Value Charger With 4AA Pre Charged Rechargeable Nimh Batteries, CEF14DX4N (they are less expensive then the LeapFrog recharge system), and they work just fine for us. But no matter which option you choose, either one will SAVE you money!
Another tip might be, if you're planning a long trip/travel with the kids in the near future, then maybe you want to wait till just before your trip to get the system. It might be an idea to include it in your budget for your trip/vacation. We got our first LeapFrog system (the L-Max) just prior to a vacation with a long flight. We were so happy we did. It provided a lot of entertainment for our son during the long flight. But also at airports, during long car rides, in malls, and at the hotel. Besides providing him with educational-entertainment, it also provided us with a lot of piece of mind, so we could enjoy the relaxing time during those long flights, car rides, and strolling through malls, till we got to where he could also enjoy the sights and/or vacation activities.
One other thing you need to know is that the games for the Leapster2 and the Explorer are NOT compatible. So the games for the Leaspter2 will not work with the Explorer. You will need to get new games for the Explorer. Apparently the games for the Didj LeapFrog® Didj Custom Learning Gaming System are compatible but you may loose some of the functionality of the games (at least that's what I'm reading). You would need to get new games for the Explorer. This must be a big disappointment for customers who already own one of the other Leapfrog systems (Leapster, L-Max, Leapster2 or Didj). I certainly was. But I decided to try it out anyway.
Beside the fact that the Leapster2 games are NOT compatible, we still do like the Leapster Explorer. It has ton of functionality and better specs then the Leapster2. Bigger and better screen, more memory and faster processor. You can also expand the Explore with a camera. You will have to buy the camera expansion separately though. So that's additional cost. Our son doesn't have a camera yet. So that maybe an option for the future, but for now we'll wait. Maybe over a couple of months or so.
I can't say yet which one our son likes most, the Explorer or the Leapster2. He is very happy with the Explorer. We bought the Toy Story 3 game with the system. It's perfect timing from LeapFrog. We just saw the Toy Story 3 at the movies. At our 5 year old enjoyed it and now he can play with the characters on the Explorer. These days he's playing the Explorer of course, but he's hasn't forgotten his Leapster2. After all he has six games with the Leapster2 and only one with the Explorer. I don't think he's aware of the better screen. He notices it's bigger, but he gets caught up in the games, so I don't think he really cares.
From a kid (4, 5 or 6 year) points of view, I don't think they really care for the better specs or more functionality. They probably just want to play the games. But parents will probably appreciate the better specs and the additional functionality.
We're happy he likes the Toy Story game, and doesn't bother much with the games on the system itself (yet). Nor does he bother with the 'trailer movie'. The pet game apparently requires you to connect to "buy", virtual food, and/or shampoo, but it's with virtual money, NOT real money. In any case,... I have little time to connect and go online for my son with the Explorer. Maybe when he's older. But for now, we just showed him how to get to where he can start a cartridge game. Just click to close the introduction,... and then you get to where you can choose cartridge game. It's pretty easy and straight forward, so our 5 year old has no trouble with this. This way you also skip the `trailer movie',... so he's not bothered with the ads, and reminders to connect and go online.
There's a whole virtual world online for the Explorer. I'm a bit uncertain yet of the virtual earning and spending of virtual money for kids in this virtual world. I'm thinking it can help with educating about earning, spending and saving. But you know,.. we can do that in the real world too. We always to this anyway already, when he sees advertisement on TV, or in stores (not only toy stores). Explaining what things costs, what costs more, what costs less, when something is needed, when it's nice to have etc. He usually understands. At times it's even an incentive for him to save in his treasure chest (piggy bank) to later buy something he really likes. Who knows, maybe it will help further in educating on earning, spending, saving ect. But as I said, for now, we won't be connecting a lot, so this is not an issue for us.
By the way, we do regulate our son to the use of the Leapster2, and now the Explorer. Or to any other game system. We do have an old Nintendo system at home, he likes to play that also a lot, but we keep that to a bare minimum. Once a week, an hour or so, or preferably even less, once a month (till he completely forgets about, ... you know,... "Mario".). As for the LeapFrog systems, even being educational system, we don't want him spending all his time on it. So we have a range of one to two hours a day. (Except when we are traveling or special ocasions, then he's allowed to play longer if he wants.) We often also have him skipped a day or more. Sometimes even a week or two. There's plenty of other activities to do then just playing on a system.
We can't say anything on durability yet. We had a bad experience with the L-Max, but the Leapster2 was a success and very proofed to be durable. I expect the Explorer to be durable, simply because I think Leapfrog must have learned from experience now. In any case I will update this review should the need arise.
It is also good to know, that Leapfrog has a reasonable customer service. Check it on their website. If anything is wrong with your item, they will help, but you need to contact them and be prepared to be polite, persistent, and to have a lot of patience. For example, we were able to get a replacement for our L-Max. Although it took quite some e-mails to their customer support, they did come through at the end.
Be sure you keep the invoice of the item you buy in a safe place, (and remember where you put it). You will need it if you have to make use of the warranty.
Leapfrog currently has a warranty period of 3 months for all their products, which I think is a bit short. A warranty period of 6 months would give customers much more confidence, and would certainly help the customer in his/her buying decision. But as I mentioned, I expect LeapFrog to have learned from experience, so I hope and expect the Explorer to be at least as durable as the Leapster2. Time will tell.
I'm reading that the Explorer also might need calibration from time to time (just as the other Leapfrog systems). So if your Explorer suddenly appears not to be functioning, don't panic. Chances are you just need to recalibrate it. It's simple. Here are the steps. You can also find them on the Leapfrog support site.
Follow these steps to calibrate the Leapster Explorer screen:
-Turn power on.
-When the SIGN-IN menu appears, press the left D-pad and Hint button at the same time.
-This will give you the PARENT SETTINGS menu.
-Touch the crosshair icon with the stylus. A large crosshair icon will appear in the center of the screen.
-Touch this icon with the stylus and this will bring up the SCREEN CALIBRATION procedure.
-Touch each of the crosshairs (5 in all) with the stylus as they appear.
-Press the B button to exit as the calibration is completed.
I hope this is helpful information. Thanks for reading.
*******
TIP ADDED 3 OCT 2010 - Going online:
The Explorer is pretty much plug-and-play. You don't need to connect it to your PC to play, or setup or synchronize. There's a basic setup the very first time, (name of kid) but that's all. After that it's just insert a cartridge, select and play.
As for connecting to your PC/internet, this is for when you want to go to the LeapFrog World, and also check out the "learning path". You do not need to connect to use the Explorer. As said, it's only when you want to connect to LeapFrog World and/or check the learning path.
Connecting the Explorer to the computer/internet the very 1st time will take about one hour!!! Install the connect software on your computer, follow the instructions, then connect the Explorer to your computer, then start the LeapFrog Connect program you just installed (make sure you are connected to the internet), and then... just let it be! Just wait for about one hour.
The reason it takes so long the 1st time, is because it needs to "synchronize". You may not get a message or sign telling you it's synchronizing,... so just give it an hour time. If you don't succeed, probably best to just contact the customer support.
*******
UPDATE 14 NOV 2010:
The, 'trailer/ad-movie' was never an issue for us,... if you are wondering,... it never was or became an issue for us,... because in our case, our son was/is more interested in the cartridge games. In the beginning he did asked a few times for this Pet game, ... but since I would have to help him with connecting ect,... and do not always have the time,... to help him out with this,..... and also because I was already not very found of the connect experience with the Leapster2,... (I think I've mentioned this somewhere in the review already)... Anyway, I explained to our son from the beginning that we would not be able to connect, to play this game. And we directed his attention to the cartridge games,... which he thankfully, likes sufficiently, not to bothered with the trailer movie, the pet game, or going online. He just clicks to close the introduction splash, and then selects the cartridge game icon, to play a cartridge game. So this issue never really bothered us, or our son.
That's it for my view on this aspect,...
To be honest, I can hardly imagine I'd be adding any more info on this review.
Ah well,...In any case, .... thanks for reading.
***
Description of LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Learning Game System (Green)
The next generation of Leapster with hi-res graphics, a stylus to practice writing, and a powerful processor that allows for action-packed gameplay and the ability to download games, e-Books, videos and more through LeapFrog's online Leaplet store.
- Recommended Ages: 4 years - 9 years
The Leapster Explorer Learning Game System from LeapFrog is an exciting, handheld gaming device that includes preset games and videos, and boasts plenty of downloadable features and cartridges. This durable handheld device for kids aged 4 to 9 years plays Leapster Explorer e-books, games, videos, and more. With the Leapster Explorer, kids practice a range of skills--from reading and writing to math and sciences--through play and entertainment.
|
From LeapFrog comes an exciting new handheld game system focused on learning and fun. The light weight Explorer boasts an amazingly clear touch display and a kid-friendly interface.
 This touch screen gaming device covers music, math, and other educational topics. View larger. |
 Kids can engage in a number of fun, interactive activities - including a digital pet. View larger. |
The Explorer comes with a free Leaplet download that you'll chose from a collection of games and activities on the LeapFrog site. You can access the free download after connecting the Explorer to your computer with the included USB cable and setting up an account. Other preloaded extras include previews and trailers for current and upcoming Explorer titles and Pet Pad, a digital pet that kids can design, play with, and care for.
Grow Your Explorer Library and Your Child's Learning Opportunities
Though the Explorer device comes with a free Leaplet download and a few entertaining extras, you'll want to purchase additional cartridges and Leaplets. LeapFrog has created over 30 games and activities and continues to expand its selection.
You'll appreciate the categories for Explorer games, which are focused on specific skills and learning objectives. Games focused on creativity incorporate art, music, and imaginative play, while school basics games integrate activities for math, reading, writing, and spelling. Some select titles will even help your child learn geography, life skills, and science concepts.
Monitor Your Child's Progress
Be active in your child's learning by tracking her progress in specific games and subjects. When you connect the Explorer to your computer the first time, you'll set up a parent account that shows your child's progress in different learning touchstones and how much time she spends playing certain games. The Explorer's tracking feature automatically updates your child's progress whenever you connect the Explorer to your computer. This feature shows your child's strongest and weakest subjects, and you'll get to know your child's passions and preferences. This information will aid you in helping them cultivate strengths and improve weaknesses. And because the Explorer can hold up to three profiles, it can be used by the whole family.
Other Expandables
The Leaplet Explorer provides access to Leap World, an online virtual space where kids can create their own character, build spaces, and expand their learning and entertainment opportunities.
With the camera and video recorder attachment, the Explorer transforms into a creative multi-media tool. Kids can take pictures and video recordings, edit the material with fun effects, then email the results to family and friends. These fun projects can even be used in other Explorer applications.
| Minimum System Requirements | |
|
|
What's in the Box
Explorer Learning System, quick start guide with CD, parent guide, and instructions.
Learning & Education Toys
Toys and Games
Bestsellers in Learning & Education Toys
Fisher Price - Learn Through Music System W/ Dora SoftwareFisher Price; Fisher-Price; Release date: 2007-04-07; Toy
Price in other shops:
BOOK: Stella SongbirdLeapFrog; LeapFrog; Release date: 2007-03-15; Toy
Price in other shops:
LeapPad Plus Writing: 1st Grade Reading and WritingLeapFrog Toys; LeapFrog; Toy
Best price: $29.99
LeapFrog My First LeapPad Educational Book: I Know My ABCsLeapFrog; LeapFrog; Toy
Best price: $20.00
Pre-K & Kindergarten LeapPad Book: Tutter's Tiny TripToys; LeapFrog; Toy
Best price: $18.99
LeapFrog Imagination Desk Lily's Birthday Party Takes ShapeLeapFrog; LeapFrog; Toy
Best price: $7.88
Power Start, Capsela No.175Educational Insights; Educational Insights; Release date: 2006-06-12; Toy
Best price: $65.98
Kidology Piccolo Interactive Jigsaw Puzzles: 3-28 Piece Puzzles - Ghosts, Monsters, AliensKidology; Piccolo Interactive; Toy
Best price: $12.50
LeapFrog® Explorer Smart GlobeLeapFrog; LeapFrog; Release date: 2006-06-12; Toy
Best price: $289.99
LeapPad: LeapStart Vocabulary - "Richard Scarry's Things to Know" Interactive Book and CartridgeLeapFrog Toys; LeapFrog; Toy
Best price: $14.95
Similar Toys and Games
LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game: SpongeBob SquarePants: The Clam Prix (works with LeapPad & Leapster Explorer)LeapFrog; LeapFrog; Toy
Best price: $22.99
Price in other shops:
LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game Pixar PalsLeapFrog; LeapFrog; Toy
Best price: $17.80
Price in other shops:
LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game: The Penguins of Madagascar: Operation Plushy Rescue (works with LeapPad & Leapster Explorer)LeapFrog; LeapFrog; Release date: 2010-06-01; Toy
Best price: $19.99
Price in other shops:
LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Camera and Video RecorderLeapFrog; LeapFrog; Toy
Best price: $19.29
Price in other shops:
LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game: Mr. Pencil Saves Doodleburg (works with LeapPad & Leapster Explorer)LeapFrog; LeapFrog; Release date: 2010-06-01; Toy
Best price: $17.50
Price in other shops:
LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game: Disney-Pixar Toy Story 3 (works with LeapPad & Leapster Explorer)LeapFrog; LeapFrog; Release date: 2010-05-01; Toy
Best price: $17.90
Price in other shops:
LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game: Disney-Pixar Cars 2 (works with LeapPad & Leapster Explorer)LeapFrog; LeapFrog; Toy
Best price: $16.00
Price in other shops:
LeapFrog Leapster Explorer CaseLeapFrog; LeapFrog; Release date: 2010-06-01; Toy
Best price: $10.80
Price in other shops:
Leapfrog Explorer RechargerLeapFrog; LeapFrog; Release date: 2010-06-01; Toy
Best price: $29.95
Price in other shops:
LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Learning Game System (Pink)LeapFrog; LeapFrog; Release date: 2010-06-01; Toy
Best price: $49.99
Price in other shops: