Air Swimmers Remote Control Flying Clownfish
- Up to 40 Range Infra-red Control
- Clownfish Measures 57 x 36 Inches
- Requires helium to float – can be reinflated over and over
- Stays inflated for up to two weeks.
- Requires 4 AAA Batteries (one in the body, three in the controller)
William Mark Air Swimmers Remote Control Flying.
List Price: $ 39.99
Price: $ 21.45
LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet (Green)
- Introducing LeapPad Explorer, the personalized learning tablet just for kids!
- 100+ games, apps, digital books, videos and flash cards (sold separately, works with all Leapster Explorer games and apps)
- Includes a built-in camera and video recorder, 5″ touch screen and 4 apps (Pet Pad, Story Studio, Art Studio and one of your choice)
- 2GB of memory, enabling it to host a robust suite of apps including: ultra eBooks, Story Studio, Art, Animation and Photo studios
- A broad curriculum, with skill levels that automatically adjust to match each child’s pace and remember progress
Introducing LeapPad Explorer, the personalized learning tablet just for kids. A built-in camera/video recorder, 100+ games and activities and innovative creativity and reading apps offer limitless learning and endless ways to play.
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List Price: $ 99.99
Price: $ 152.93
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December 20th, 2011 - 11:01 pm
Air Swimmer Shark,
We bought the Shark for my husband for his birthday. It took a little while to get here, but Amazon had told us that it did not ship, and when the vendor’s new shipment came in, it shipped right away. It needs four AAA batteries. It cost $1 to have the balloon filled at Kroger’s and then about 30 minutes or so to put it all together (We tethered it with a fishing line and weights and one of the kids held it while my husband attached everything to it). Be careful and follow the instructions to put it together correctly! Once it was balanced we were ready to go. It is surprisingly easy to control because it “swims” so slowly. All of us, kids (16 and 11) and adults, were able to use it well in a few minutes. It uses infrared so it works on line of sight. It cannot be used out of doors, even in near windless conditions – wind and drafts make it impossible to control, but it works beautifully indoors. It is obviously not a very sturdy toy, but with a little care (and if you have small children good supervision) it can last a long time. Overall a really fun toy, it looks and works just like shown on the u-tube videos.
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|December 20th, 2011 - 11:28 pm
Difficult assembly and Not As Pictured!,
I like gadgets and unique items, that’s why this flying clownfish caught my eye for my daughter’s birthday party. It comes with many parts and even more stickers and tape to hold the fins onto the fish. Here are some things to keep in mind.
1) Fins do not match the picture…at all! They are cheap brown and are not painted to match the balloon. Big disappointment when you want it to look as real as possible. It’s false advertisement and I feel ripped off.
2) Sticky pads and tape are nearly impossible to remove from their paper sheet and apply to the balloon. This process of taping on fins took almost 30 minutes alone. You peel up a sticky pad and the whole sheet of paper tears and comes up with it. Poor quality.
3) It is IR remote controlled only, which means you have to be within line of sight. I knew this going in, but I didn’t know that the model sold in Toys R Us is RF and has a much longer range. They have a contract with the store to only sell Toys R Us the RF model. Pretty ridiculous and underhanded it sounds to me. I was very disappointed and felt I got the knock-off version…for the same price. The Toys R Us version probably has the REAL fins with it too.
4) The thing is huge. Yeah it fits in my living room but where am I supposed to fly it to. Ok hit that wall, turn around, ok hit the other wall. I’m done now.
5) Balancing the fish is difficult. They supply some putty to weigh it down to float. Adding the right amount is trial and error. But you also have to mount the motorized weight distribution device in the right location according to your altitude. They give you a guide to do this, but it was incorrect for me. My fish will only float or point up to swim upwards. I cannot make it dive because of where I mounted the weight. And you can forget taking it off and remounting it. They already had you apply the sticky pads and sticky reinforcement tape to the balloon so there is no way you are getting it back off again without breaking something.
6) The motors operating the fish are LOUD! It looks so cool floating in mid air, then you begin moving the fin and flying it. EERRRRRRRRRRR. ERRRRRRRRR. That’s the sound as you descend or ascend the fish. The tail fin is not as loud, but all the sounds really take away from the illusion of it being a fish.
These were just some of my thoughts as I set-up and flew it around for an hour or so.
So bottom line…it is over priced and is better suited for the $19.99 price range. Maybe if I got the painted fins to match the fish, it wasn’t so loud and it came with a better RF remote I might pay $40 for it. Skip Amazon on this one and head to Toys R Us to pick one up if you want to give it a try. At least you can return it there easily and only be out a few bucks for the helium.
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|December 20th, 2011 - 11:45 pm
Great Idea, Poorly Executed,
We saw the video and thought this would be a great present for our granddaughter. We purchased it and began putting it together for her. The instructions were ambiguous and confusing. Locations for placement of the fins and controllers were poorly marked/named. We finally put the fish together and left it overnight to begin “flying lessons” the next morning. When we came back downstairs to learn, we found the fish had leaked the helium and was deflated. We were deflated, too!
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|December 21st, 2011 - 12:34 am
My Son Won’t Put it Down,
Hi! I am Erin T. and I run a website called theMomBuzz. Recently I received a LeapPad from LeapFrog to review and I am sharing my thoughts here on Amazon.
The LeapPad has a great 5″ screen. It is large and bright. I didn’t see a way to control the brightness. The screen is larger than the Leapster Explorer Screen, which measures 3.2″. The resolution for the LeapPad is 480 x 272. (The Leapster Explorer was 420 x 420.) It is a touch screen. You can use your finger or the supplied stylus. The stylus is magnetic, but it can be harnessed to the device with a supplied cord. An extra stylus is supplied in case one gets broken or lost. That has happened 3 times to us with other Leapsters – so it is great having that extra on hand.
The LeapPad device is white with green accents. There is also a violet option, which is nice for the girls. On the front of the tablet there is a power button, sound down and sound up button, and home button. There is also a large silver button that can be used like a finger control, to move a cursor up, down, left, right or explore other options.
The LeapPad comes with a camera, video recorder and microphone. The camera can take 30,000 pictures and the LeapPad can record 120 minutes of video.
GAMES & ACTIVITIES:
The LeapPad is similar to the Leapster Explorer in what kids can do with it. They can read e-books, play learning games, enhance art and animation skills, listen to and play music, learn writing, watch videos, and do flash cards. It also has a built-in camera and video recorder, while that requires an additional accessory for the Leapster Explorer.
One thing I LOVE about the LeapPad is that it works with other Leapster Explorer Games and Apps! That means if I download an app for my son’s Leapster Explorer, I can also upload it onto my other son’s LeapPad. And the boys can also share cartridges. And with the LeapPad came a HUGE library of game cartridges and apps to choose from. Most games and apps are extra, though, not included with a LeapPad purchase.
What game(s) do come with your LeapPad purchase?
1. PetPad: Learn to draw letters while teaching a custom pet tricks. Keep your pet healthy and clean with feeding and washing. The Leapster Explorer also comes with PetPad, but with the LeapPad kids can use the microphone to “blow dry” their pet, they shake the device to help their pet JUMP over a pond to pop balloons and they can even tilt the device to move the pet as it follows them onto their home page. You need to connect the LeapPad to your computer to use collected points to purchase food and accessories for the pet. Don’t worry – it won’t die if you don’t do it. But it encourages you as a parent to connect the game to the computer so you can track your child’s learning progress.
2. Story Studio: All About Me: The artwork, photos, writing and recordings kids create all culminate in the Story Studio experience. In the Story Studio, kids create their own book that can be uploaded to view in LeapFrog Connect or shared with friends via Facebook or e-mail.
3. Art Studio: I am SO THRILLED that Art Studio was included with the LeapPad. The Leapster Explorer didn’t have an included Art Program – so my boys were using the Art Studio from Mr. Pencil or Tangled to get creative. The Leapster 2 DID come with an Art Studio, so I was a little sad when I found out the Leapster Explorer didn’t. And whenever a parent asked me what game to get for their new Leapster Explorer, I always said, “Mr. Pencil saves Doodleburg,” because it was educational and creative. But with the included Art Studio, it gives me more options for what games we can get next. With the Art Studio the boys use stamps, shapes, pattern brushes, pencils, erasers (all virtual) to create pictures and express their creativity.
4. Camera/ Video Recorder: The LeapPad has a built-in camera and video recorder. My son used it immediately to take a picture of me. And then I used it to take a picture of HIM for his profile. That’s when I realized that the camera is low-res. He loves taking photos and videos, but he can tell the difference of quality. But it is good for the purpose and helps keep the cost of the product lower than if it was a higher-res camera. With the camera kids can take pictures and videos and then add fun effects.
Additional games, books and videos have to be added either as an app or with a cartridge. Remember, there is a library of over 100 choices. Additional apps and games are separate reviews on theMomBuzz. Please refer to the bottom of the post to connect you to these other reviews.
WHO TO BUY THIS FOR:
The LeapPad is designed for children 4 to 9. I would actually feel comfortable giving this to an advanced, tech savvy 2 year old. (Parents and grandparents will know who I am talking about! So many toddlers can use a smart phone…
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|December 21st, 2011 - 1:29 am
Kids like it, but educational value is not as good as it should be.,
I really want to like the LeapPad – my kids do, but unfortunately it just misses the mark. I am a second-grade teacher, so hopefully that will lend some credibility to my review in terms of its educational merits.
Here’s my breakdown:
Pros:
It seems well built (read: it’s not broken yet)
It keeps the kids entertained (but lots of things do)
The books are great, and when a child comes to a word they can’t read, they can just click it to have it read to them. (Of course, the books are expensive, small, and locked to this device that will certainly be gone/broken/obsolete in couple years)
The videos are great (and expensive, but more reasonable when compared to educational DVD’s). They teach phonics and number sense and are educationally sound.
Cons:
The downloadable games and apps are expensive and don’t offer a good value for the price. For example, my daughter downloaded the $7.50 Train game and she beat it in about 20 minutes. When compared to almost anything else (iPad, physical books, educational DVD’s, a jump rope, etc) this is just not enough bang for your buck.
The system is incredible slow. The kids don’t seem to mind, but I sure notice it.
The system burns through batteries like crazy. It takes 4 AA’s and I have had to replace them every few days. This wouldn’t be a big deal, except that I don’t really let the kids use it all that much.
The Leappad has a built-in virtual pet that you can earn and buy things for. I’ve never been a fan of having children take care of virtual pets (i.e. watering it, washing it, etc.) And this brings me to another point: unless you are watching closely, there are too many choices your child can make that have no learning involved at all. Ironically, if you are paying such close attention, you should probably just be doing something together with your child as opposed to watching them play this electronic device.
And finally:
The reason that most parents would buy this is for it’s games educational value. Unfortunately I just don’t see too much of it here. For example, there is a math dice game where the kids roll three dice and try to make the biggest number they can with it. This is a classic game that we use in the classroom. In the classroom game, the child is supposed to place each dice in the 1′s, 10′s, and 100′s places in order to create the biggest number (while learning place value). In the Leappad version, there isn’t even a mention of the place value (which is the whole point of the game). Instead the child just rolls the dice, places them from biggest to smallest AND THEN the computer turns that into a number i.e. 662 without explaining what’s happening and the game continues. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is in essence teaching the child that 6 + 6 + 2 = 662, which of course is not true (and it reinforces a common mistake that children make).
Another example:
On the Alphabet Stew game, children are supposed to find words on a grid (Boggle-style). There is a list of words (i.e. ‘can’) that the kids must find, but strangely when the child taps the three letters on the grid to spell the word, it doesn’t even say the word out loud. So they spell the word, but don’t learn what word they’re spelling. It’s things like this that make me question who they hired to make these aps.
In conclusion:
I wouldn’t recommend this product as a learning device unless you plan on only purchasing the books and videos. That being said, you could get books and videos without this device. BUT, If you want something to keep your kids busy in small intervals, this might do the trick.
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|December 21st, 2011 - 2:17 am
GREAT for my 3yrs old and SAFE!,
I read a lot of reviews on this toy before I bought it. I read all the good , bad and in-between.. Since the majority is great we bought it for our 3 yrs old daughter. Verdict- SHE LOVES IT. She loves my husbands Ipod touch yet we don’t like that it has access to the web. Which is why I say this is SAFE! Our daughter can get educational information and I don’t have to worry about her pressing a button that can lead to something that she doesn’t need to see. I don’t understand the negative reviews. Yes set up is slow but what do you expect for a hundred dollar computer that has 2mb? I think a lot of people are use to an ipad and you simply can’t compare the two. Yes you can get a refurbished ipad for cheap but you have to make sure your TODDLER and young child does not go somewhere inappropriate; and let’s face it they can easily break an ipad. This has fallen down a couple stairs and survived! I wouldn’t try that on the ipod; ever! The apps are no more expensive than most other educational games out there. Yes angry birds is cheaper and so are others like it but when I wanted to get a Disney app for the ipod it cost 6 bucks. It was not educational and nothing in value compared to the tangled game we bought. Another bad review is set up; I agree with the long wait but it wasn’t unbearable. If you don’t have 1-3 hours then re-think this toy or maybe your busy life because those little 3 hours don’t matter or measure up to the fun my daughter and many other kids have with this toy. The other problem people report is faulty device when it comes to set up. Honestly seems more human error than toy. Many that couldn’t get it to work report later they did something like restart the computer and it worked fine. Out of the hundreds of reviews I read I think I only found 5 true faulty ones. For me, the set up was very easy just a little long but at the same time it takes a couple hours for my ipod to charge its battery so I don’t see the big deal about a couple hours for an actual set up for this leap pad. You can buy an adapter to keep the toy going because you will run out of battery life a lot. I found just like the much other reviews that rechargeable batteries are the best (make sure to have charged back ups). Get a protector for the screen because it can scratch like any other tablet. I don’t think it’s overpriced nor do I think the games are seeing as how they last a lot longer and have more things to do than the apps on itunes. I think there is a lot of high expectations from some when in reality it is a durable, child’s toy that is safe and educational and for a hundred dollars it’s a great deal. My friend’s little boy has the vtech and it’s doesn’t even compare. If you truly got a faulty one Amazon takes it back. That’s their guarantee. The game comes with a couple apps that satisfies children for awhile. My daughter didn’t even touch the tangled game we bought until about a week later. She can’t put this leap pad down and I truly think it’s a wonderful toy. The camera isn’t the greatest but 1) we didn’t buy it for that and 2) I didn’t think a tablet that is like an ipad for kids and toddlers would have the quality picture of a camera that is worth more than the tablet alone. I’m more realistic I guess. I’m not trying to be harsh but I strongly support buying this for young kids and toddlers because it’s safe, durable, fun, easy concept and I think a decent price for all you get. I found a decent amount of games, yes there could be more but it’s still new and I think the choices will grow soon.
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