LeapFrog LeapStart 3D Interactive Learning System Amazon Exclusive, Violet

Sad that this didn’t work when I opened it, and my return window is closed :(

That’s the second one we are buying.It’s great and has helped my kids to improve their reading. However i find that there are 3 inconveniences: when it has to be hooked to a computer so that the book can be downloaded. You need only its cable for it to work properly.Second is the storage. It can’t hold too many books. You have to delete some books to put new ones if you have used all the storage.Third is it goes through batteries real quick.

We are obsessed with our leapfrog 3D learning system!!We have collected 30 books so far, and this is our second purchase of this system. I purchased one 2 yrs ago and it stopped working, so it was time to replace it. After the other one lasting 2 yrs, I have to say it's worth the additional $50 for the next couple of years.The system requires batteries, and I highly recommend rechargeable batteries. Just trust me on that one.How does this system work? Well you need a laptop or a computer so you can download the book audios to the system. There is not a ton of storage so you cant download all of your books at a time. You can have about 6-7 books on your system at a time, depending on the amount of storage each of the books takes up, bc it varys. The 3D books take up way more storage then the story books.With that being said, I usually trade out books once a week. I have my daughter pick the ones she wants for the week. Then we change them out the following week.I homeschool my daughter, and I cant tell you how much I love these books! My daughter always gets excited to pick her books for the week and I never have to make her use her leapfrog. She plays on her leapfrog daily. It makes me so proud of her, that she enjoys learning. I am very thankful that leapfrog made this system.Tips:I admit it took some getting use to when I first downloaded the system a couple of years ago. But once I got in a good routine of downloading and undownloading the books, it became quick and easy.One book I purchased from the UK and we live in the US. Well I didnt know the books were different. (Makes sense though.) There is a tab so you can download your UK books and US books. You just have to switch back and forth while downloading. And yes you can have UK and US books downloaded at the same time on this system.My critique to the company would be to include better instructions for different downloading methods and other issues that can arise while setting up this system. I had to go through trial and error and there were times where I was so fed up and frustrated. The frustration can be avoided if you could provide more detailed instructions, information and troubleshooting for problems that can arise.Overall, even with the hurdles of when you first recieve this system it's worth it in the long run. Getting to see your child(ren) enjoy learning is amazing. And this learning system helps to encourage that.

Edit: I finally gave this to my 3 year old, and he really really loves it. I'm surprised he is sitting so patiently playing with it. It took him a little while to understand why only some of the touch points trigger a visual image on the screen, but then he saw that as a game to try to find them (but right now he is obsessing over why he sees Rubble in Paw Patrol but not Chase - because we're using the starter preview pack thing that comes with it). He likes listening to the audio even when there is no visual. I'm knocking it down from 5 to 4 stars because I foresee it not holding his interest as long as other items at the same price point, but I could be wrong.Initial review: I am basing this 5 star review solely on my own fun playing with the device while my 3 year old is sleeping - and I'm "supercharged" (as he would say) on caffeine, so it may be the coffee speaking.... but this is really a much more engaging, practical model than the prior Leapfrog Leapstart (but not perfect). Also I wanted to note that I paid fifty for this, which seems fair but I bet one day it will be forty. :)Pros:(1) The "3D" feature is really entertaining and cute. It's not quite 3D (which I suppose is good as that's supposed to harm kids' eyes?), but definitely feels a bit like Scout and Violet are going to walk over to play with the pen. At the same time, it isn't so overwhelmingly electronic that I feel like I'm giving my 3 year old a tablet. There aren't an overwhelming amount of animations, and they are good for reinforcing the content (numbers - you hear 3 and see a 3 on the screen).(2) I love the handle to the device. It feels like a little mini briefcase because of the handle.(3) It is smaller, my streamlined, and easier to operate than prior models.(4) You don't need a screwdriver to open it - just a coin will do! YAY!(5) My son thinks the animations can hear him and is speaking to them, which is making me laugh.Cons:(1) The 3D image only appears some of the time, depending on where you press the pen. There don't seem to be a ton of animations, but I think that is intentional because that would defeat the purpose of the book element... but when I'm using it, I'm always looking for the animation and get excited to see it, so I can see how for some kids it could be a distraction.(2) As usual, it's a little painful to download the content - but definitely much quicker than prior models.(3) It doesn't come with batteries and isn't rechargeable.(4) It only stores about 5 books at a time.I personally love it - but I've always loved LeapFrog products (except for their tablets, which aren't great). I'll update this if my son feels differently, but I think this will be great for car rides. Super cute and truly educational. If you had only fifty and wanted to buy this or a cheap tablet (kindle), you would get more out of the kindle ultimately - but this feels more educational and I'm definitely glad I bought it. I genuinely have fun seeing how excited my son is and playing with it myself. :)

It’s nice, but a non-3D seems like it would be fine considering the limited number of 3D books I’ve found available, & I’ve seen that Leap Frog has products that are more like tablets available these days, so maybe these devices are a little outdated now? Just this grandma’s opinion. Our grandson (5 y.o.) likes it pretty well anyway, so that’s probably the better measure of how good it is.We replaced one that was not functioning anymore (the old one couldn’t connect to computer even with a new cord & was out of warranty).You need access to a computer, to create a Leap Frog account and then download the Leap Frog software onto the computer in order to finally download the books onto the device using the micro USB cord, supplied. You need to buy the books to insert into the device for the cold to use. (The child can insert them also, depending on their abilities).There is limited space for the downloaded book data, so it seemed to me that if you owned the entire Leap Frog book collection, you’d have to swap some out periodically or just keep the favorites in place. If I remember correctly, we put 4-6 books on this, and had a little room left. Sorry, I don’t recall the exact number and don’t have access to the device to check at this time. I imagine the amount of data used varies from book to book. 6 of these books may be plenty for most kids I guess.

Purchased this for my son, and I love how it’s something that can grow with him. The books are labeled for age level which is nice, so I’m not getting him books that are too advanced or too low of a learning level for him- he’s only 3. This version with the 3D screen is so much cooler than I remember (my little sisters had the original Leap Frog book with the interactive pen lol) You do have to plug it into the computer to download the books, which is fine with me. The set up was fast and easy. Initially It took about 20 minutes from start to finish (you have to download some things first to get it set up) but once you make an account, it’s as simple as plugging it in, logging in and downloading more books (or making room for new ones, I have only downloaded 3 books so far, about 5 minutes at most) I have read that it doesn’t have the greatest storage capacity, but that’s to be expected with all of the interactive 3D things the books now do. I purchased for $40 which I think is a pretty fair price for what you get (one starter book is included). You can charge the book, charger/usb is included, or it takes 2 AA batteries. Also I like the size: it’s not too big and bulky but also not too small. Easy to bring in the car, restaurants, etc. Overall pretty happy.