FLY Pentop Computer: LeapFrog's Big Flop - Krazy Ken’s Tech Talk

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Computer Clan

Computer Clan

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 834
@ComputerClan
@ComputerClan Жыл бұрын
This episode is a tad more personal to me than many and I had lots of fun making it! It was also a big challenge, but I hope you love it! ❤🔔Subscribe and stay tuned because my next episode launches in about 3 weeks (late October, date TBD). It's likely going to be a new scam-buster! I don't know which product yet because I have a few investigations open!
@MatthewCenance
@MatthewCenance Жыл бұрын
What's your favorite thing about making it?
@MatthewCenance
@MatthewCenance Жыл бұрын
And looks like my chances of being the preview comment were already over before it started.
@NALTOHQ
@NALTOHQ Жыл бұрын
Hey! Tad! I see what you did there!
@UltimatePerfection
@UltimatePerfection Жыл бұрын
And here I thought having a pen usb memory is cool.
@MonadoBoy16
@MonadoBoy16 Жыл бұрын
Do a scam-buster on DKOldies and their "Refurbished" consoles!
@endymallorn
@endymallorn Жыл бұрын
The thing I love about this story, and all of LeapFrog’s dev stories, is how they seemed to be willing to throw money out the window if the tech or the idea might genuinely help a child to learn. It speaks to the way the company was founded, that one man wanted to help his own child and just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and he’s been trying to help other parents and spare them that helpless feeling.
@justkittensbeingkittens5892
@justkittensbeingkittens5892 2 ай бұрын
Real and true. Much respect to the good souls out there genuinely trying to help
@WarFoxThunder
@WarFoxThunder Ай бұрын
IKR
@KnittingFoole
@KnittingFoole Жыл бұрын
As a parent of kids at that time, one thing that would have discouraged me from buying something like the Fly would def have been having to keep buying that special paper for kids who would def be messing it up or losing it or whatever.
@slaneyinfamous
@slaneyinfamous Жыл бұрын
and as a kid at the time whose older sister had the fusion pen growing up, we were ABSOLUTELY wasting that stuff lol
@mi5iu491
@mi5iu491 Жыл бұрын
Bad parent. Baaaaaaaaaad
@MadScientist267
@MadScientist267 Жыл бұрын
I agree but I bought the original not for the kids but for myself... To this day it is in demonstratable condition. The thing was bad ass for its time. Knew when I saw it that we were going to be seeing some insane shit turning the corner soon. He's right in that it loses its appeal beyond cool factor and conversation piece, but it wasn't as much about what it did but the idea it could do it, for me. I saw so much more possibility and had to know how it worked. I didn't know the details about exactly how they were arranged but had noticed "patterned dots" and worked out more or less what it was doing. This was interesting to find a couple decades later clarifying a couple odd and end mysteries. Pretty cool little concept even if it didn't really take off. It showed what was coming. That's what made it special.
@dogwalker666
@dogwalker666 Жыл бұрын
Photocopies worked perfectly.
@post-leftluddite
@post-leftluddite Жыл бұрын
I'm 39 now, I remember thinking this thing was stupid and no kid would want it then and I look at it and think the same thing now....I can't believe anybody would have bought this
@LegoWormNoah101
@LegoWormNoah101 Жыл бұрын
It's worth noting that LeapFrog did more than just toys. Around 2003-2009 (IDK the exact dates), Leapfrog posted some Direct-To-Video animations using their characters Tad, Lily and Leapshire, their parents, and many supporting characters. The early specials focused on letters and phonics, while the later ones spread towards many school topics like counting and math, along with downsizing the main cast to just the little siblings and Edison the firefly. Then, they produced a spin-off series using Scout the dog and his friends going through various locations to learn similar topics. There's not been a Direct-To-Video special since then
@MattSuguisAsFondAsEverrr
@MattSuguisAsFondAsEverrr Жыл бұрын
that's literally my only association with the brand then to the point that i got confused when they brought out the dog mascots
@shararm
@shararm Жыл бұрын
You just straight up blew my mind
@tmc249
@tmc249 Жыл бұрын
damn some nostalgia hit me i remembered watching them back then in the early 2010s
@wlpaul4
@wlpaul4 Жыл бұрын
Yo, some of those songs are absolute bangers.
@alextoolstudio
@alextoolstudio Жыл бұрын
I WATCHED THOSE A LOT ON NETFILX
@dylan_00
@dylan_00 Жыл бұрын
The "Go" sound of the LeapPad was so nostalgic lol
@NALTOHQ
@NALTOHQ Жыл бұрын
Absolutely. I bought a pink and purple LeapPad just to hear it again. And SpongeBob Salty Sea Stories. Loved that little book.
@WolfPackYT
@WolfPackYT Жыл бұрын
ONG AND THE VOICE
@andresbravo2003
@andresbravo2003 Жыл бұрын
Same to me.
@thetechsavvy01
@thetechsavvy01 Жыл бұрын
OH MY GOD I haven't heard that sound in forever! So much nostalgia
@JBlooey
@JBlooey Жыл бұрын
I haven't heard that sound in 17 years, yet I heard it clear as day mentally as soon as I saw "LeapFrog" in the title!
@mack.attack
@mack.attack Жыл бұрын
Even the magic of buying two of them couldn't help Ken 😭😭
@PhilXavierSierraJones
@PhilXavierSierraJones Жыл бұрын
The red blinking light may indicate the battery is too discharged to "safely" recharge it. You can usually (emphasis on USUALLY) jumpstart it using a power bank with a recovery mode, like certain bar type single cell power banks (look for the Hotchip branding on the main IC)
@hectorg5809
@hectorg5809 Жыл бұрын
Interesting!
@Mike-77-YT
@Mike-77-YT 10 ай бұрын
Basically, it means that the battery is completely dead.
@richneptune
@richneptune Жыл бұрын
I never saw the original Fly, but a friend at work was very proud of his LiveScribe a decade and a bit ago! It always looked cool, but was one of those "solution in search of a problem" kinda things, the fact it needed expensive and hard to obtain paper was just another reason that detracted from its potential usefulness. It's actually cool to see that they got it into a kids toy and tried, valiantly, to turn it into something of a productivity tool.
@VraerynDaDragon
@VraerynDaDragon Жыл бұрын
I used to have one in High School. Sure it didn't...do much that I actually needed, but you better believe it was the coolest pen ever according to my classmates!
@tomsaltner3011
@tomsaltner3011 Жыл бұрын
Expensive yes, although not compared to moleskin or alike. Hard to obtain? No. I just ordered it and arrived pretty fast. And I was living outside of the US.
@paulweston1106
@paulweston1106 Жыл бұрын
I had one of those for a while, we bought a few at work. You could actually print your own paper from a downloadable PDF so there was no need to buy the paper. We mostly used them for completing pre-printed building survey forms but they did work and you didn't end up with the broken screens that came from dropped tablets.
@xureality
@xureality Жыл бұрын
It was very niche, but I had a livescribe that I used for recording lectures and taking notes, back when professors wouldn't allow you to use a phone to record lectures or a laptop to take notes. What they don't know won't hurt them.
@josephkanowitz6875
@josephkanowitz6875 Жыл бұрын
ב''ה, been a while, but didn't someone like Logitech and/or one of the luxury pen companies have an accelerometer based one that didn't need optical scanning? Not sure how reliable any of that was back in the day.
@reneberthold334
@reneberthold334 Жыл бұрын
In Germany we have a device called TipToi. The episode reminded me very much of it, especially since the technology is the same. In this case, a dot grid is also captured by a camera and output via a speaker in the pen. Somehow it wouldn't surprise me if a licensed technology is used.
@Rocket_Try
@Rocket_Try Жыл бұрын
I was looking for that comment. I would say that it is highly likely, that it is licensed from there. The technologies are just to similar/identical. Do you know already the talk of the guy who hacked a Tiptoi?
@Cooe.
@Cooe. Жыл бұрын
​@@Rocket_TryThey both licensed the same technology from Anato.
@sparkycorkers1196
@sparkycorkers1196 Жыл бұрын
This is just like my livescribe pen that i use to help my dyslexia. It will record audio as you write, you then touch the paper where you wrote, and it will play the aydio from that moment. Bloody brilliant
@kyrylosovailo1690
@kyrylosovailo1690 11 ай бұрын
Let's just appreciate early 2000th engineers that made a computer into a pen, no cloud services, no mobile apps, no subscriptions, no wireless capabilities. Truly the peak of human civilization.
@carlwebbiii6731
@carlwebbiii6731 9 ай бұрын
I dont know about the “peak” but definitely big! 👊🏻😂
@DecayingReverie
@DecayingReverie Жыл бұрын
That sound of pressing on "Go" on the LeapFrog just unlocked chore childhood memories. Holy crap, I used the crap out of my LeapFrog. I loved all the little songs and sounds the thing would play. I only found out recently I am on the autistic spectrum and I really connected to sounds and interaction when other methods didn't connect with me as well.
@ComputerClan
@ComputerClan Жыл бұрын
I'm glad that resonated with you. I actually wasn't going to include the Go chime, but I was demoing the unit for someone in the studio and they reacted to the sound. Then I thought… wow… I need to include that soundbite!
@JamesR624
@JamesR624 Жыл бұрын
12:08 "I did a little mining off camera" 16:28 "Let's open up the butter packet" This man is a treasure trove of culture.
@CaptainAwsome
@CaptainAwsome Жыл бұрын
16:26 D R I V E R I S S U E
@brobeckskazooremixes8703
@brobeckskazooremixes8703 9 ай бұрын
Urethra!
@LdeinerProductions
@LdeinerProductions Жыл бұрын
I had a live scribe when I was doing grad school a few years ago. I am vision impaired and it was really helpful for taking notes because it had a microphone in it and I could just make some marks on the paper or something to bookmark it. My school paid for it too so it would have been cheaper than paying for Otter or something, which does some similar things, but costs a monthly fee.
@pascalguerin5238
@pascalguerin5238 Жыл бұрын
wow. nice!
@hectorg5809
@hectorg5809 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing this!
@coolelectronics1759
@coolelectronics1759 Жыл бұрын
interesting!
@LiamJude
@LiamJude Жыл бұрын
I was OBSESSED with my fly pen as a kid. Just 7 years old and I begged for this. Thank you for the nostalgia 😄
@hectorg5809
@hectorg5809 Жыл бұрын
How long did you use it for?
@alextoolstudio
@alextoolstudio Жыл бұрын
reminds me the time i had the newer leap pen
@JamesR624
@JamesR624 Жыл бұрын
Aww, I LOVED this thing at the time and genuinely thought it was the "future of computing". A "tablet computer" without the bulk of a tablet. It was also an interesting novelty to have "physical apps". I genuinely would love to see this concept come back, maybe as a UI paradigm for tablets. Instead of a homescreen and tapping or typing to find stuff. Just draw your functions. The ultimate in customization. Much better than simply moving icons or changing a wallpaper. Imagine if you could just design the UI yourself, easily.
@pascalguerin5238
@pascalguerin5238 Жыл бұрын
also I have no idea if the iPad or android version is better. I'd think it would be better
@swedneck
@swedneck Жыл бұрын
The natural evolution of this, and something that is actually maybe useful, is the combination of a heads-up display and control glove that Voidstar Labs made.
@ardensetiawan353
@ardensetiawan353 Жыл бұрын
The thing is drawing your own functions would be great at first. But then if you use that function repeatedly, at one point you'll have the idea to just save that specific function to a certain position so you can just click on it to use instead of drawing it again every time. Maybe call that saved drawing "icon". Then you will one day end up with lots of "icons" saved. How to quickly find the icon that you need? How about giving them names, and now you can search them based on their na- Basically, icons and search function is the eventual evolution of any UI. When it's all distilled down, that's all it would be.
@JamesR624
@JamesR624 Жыл бұрын
@@ardensetiawan353 I am aware of all that. I just mean that I like the idea of being able to use something like a digital version of this to "make your own apps" 'on the fly' for basic functions instead of being stuck with whatever the designers at Apple or Samsung or wherever give you.
@PunctualGuy_
@PunctualGuy_ Жыл бұрын
Hey, I had one of these as a kid. My experience was basically the same as yours, used it for about a week then forgot about it. Bet my parents were really happy they spent $100 on that. Defiantly one of those ideas that seemed a lot cooler in theory than in practice. Didn't even know they made a follow up product.
@toomanymarys7355
@toomanymarys7355 Жыл бұрын
I had a hand me down obe I gave my kids for car rides before they were fluent readers.
@CDRiley
@CDRiley Жыл бұрын
I can believe 2005 is almost 19 years old. 😮 Time flying by!
@chrisbaker8533
@chrisbaker8533 Жыл бұрын
I'm still wondering where the 80's went. lol
@hectorg5809
@hectorg5809 Жыл бұрын
Ken has trouble with numbers sometimes, you'll have to forgive him. 2005 was only like 2 years ago, 3 tops
@ninjabuddy1
@ninjabuddy1 6 ай бұрын
I trained for livescribe at my college because it tied voice recording to writing so we recommended it as a cheapish option for note taking accommodations for disabilities. You could actually print the paper and it worked okay, but the voice recording was the primary feature so it didn't matter if there were small inaccuracies. It also had that piano function. My big issue is despite being made to be fairly repair friendly they were very dependent on software so all the wifi ones went into the landfill. They wouldn't even let me keep one.
@peterbustin2683
@peterbustin2683 Жыл бұрын
I love this channel. With all the depressing news, fake or otherwise, around at the moment, its great to see Krazy Ken's happy face and voice. It gives me a much needed lift ! ❤from UK.
@VegasLounge
@VegasLounge Жыл бұрын
2:25 I was too old for LeapFrog, but I did have that globe! It was my Christmas present that year- that sucker was expensive. You could change the options to listen to music clips, language, and various other geographical facts about the places you touched...for some reason I remember really getting into Palau because of it.
@whyjnot420
@whyjnot420 Жыл бұрын
My mother is a speech & language pathologist (now retired). The products shown early in the video made very good tools for her.
@sheppybread
@sheppybread Жыл бұрын
Caught me so off guard at 1:23 😂😂
@agentmueller
@agentmueller 11 ай бұрын
I had one as a kid. The nostalgia is flowing back. I remember the games and the novelty of the original, it was cool, but I remember the paper being the death blow to making it resign to a life in a random tech drawer in the family home. It was a really cool pen though.
@milk_is_a_lie9331
@milk_is_a_lie9331 Жыл бұрын
I have had a few PDA's my last one had a color display. The best thing about is when you can put batteries that you easily find in a store, vs. dealing with a deal iphone battery you can not remove. In the 1980's I have seen a prototype book that had barcodes.
@exactpause9218
@exactpause9218 Жыл бұрын
We've got a toy pen in germany (an maybe different countries as well but idk) these day, which works with the same pattern, but without a writing tip. You can use it in special books or board games, every child got one of those. It's called tiptoy from Ravensburger! :)
@Razoredge
@Razoredge Жыл бұрын
Ken always sharing his passion for obscure tech is wonderful.
@seeigecannon
@seeigecannon Жыл бұрын
It is just a guess, but the blinking red light could be indicating a failed battery. It is unlikely to still be running a NiCd battery, as they were becoming much less common after 2005, but if it has a small lithium ion battery then it could have discharged to the point that the charge circuit wont attempt to charge it for safety reasons. Might be worth cracking it open and seeing what the battery voltage reads.
@1kreature
@1kreature Жыл бұрын
Yep, replace battery by some surgery and it should be fine. The early LiIon's self destructed in 4-5 years.
@jayc1139
@jayc1139 9 ай бұрын
I remember having one myself. I stopped using mine not because I got bored but because...they don't give ya much paper to use. I can imagine the cost that'd pile up of not just getting the pen but also getting more and more paper each time.
@woreno
@woreno 5 ай бұрын
This thing was totally unknown for me. Drawing user interfaces for later use is so awesome! how I couldn't hear about this thing in the 90s! Greate episode
@AnthonyPompa
@AnthonyPompa Жыл бұрын
I had one of those books when I was a kid, and the sound at 3:10 unlocked so many memories for me. My head literally whipped over to see what it was because the sound was so familiar.
@larryinc64
@larryinc64 Жыл бұрын
I had the first pen, and still have a ton of the paper tossed in a closet somewhere. My experiences sounds a lot like yours, I thought the gimmick was so cool for a week, and then I ran through doing each thing it could do a few times, tossed it in a box, and forgot about it.
@DooMMasteR
@DooMMasteR Жыл бұрын
There is a version of this as a toy from Ravensburger, their pen has wifi too, which it uses to sync new content onto itself. My niece has one, and it works really well and offers point and search game stuff from the age of 3 upwards.
@stitchfinger7678
@stitchfinger7678 Жыл бұрын
That leap-pad "Go" sound just unlocked 20+ year old memories, wow
@TeleviseGuy
@TeleviseGuy Жыл бұрын
This tech feels so ahead of its time. I'm surprised the smart pen concept stayed relevant (just look at Livescribe Echo and the Neo Smartpen) and didn't just vanish into obscurity.
@arkhe1n107
@arkhe1n107 Жыл бұрын
I've been watching a few of your videos but haven't subbed so until now. The "Eureka!" was the last straw.
@shatteredblade89
@shatteredblade89 Жыл бұрын
Hearing the chime for the leap-pad put me back into my childhood. It was my favorite thing growing up. That and Jumpstart. God, I feel old now....
@VictiniMujigae
@VictiniMujigae Жыл бұрын
I remember having a LeapFrog tablet when I was little; and I would very often play an interactive _Go Diego Go!_ game on it.
@CovenantAgentLazarus
@CovenantAgentLazarus 10 ай бұрын
Lmao
@Aliyah_666
@Aliyah_666 8 ай бұрын
You can hack them babies, run an android os on it and boom emulation device for kids.
@CovenantAgentLazarus
@CovenantAgentLazarus 8 ай бұрын
@@Aliyah_666 only for like NES but that's it. Everything else is way too choppy
@user-kz4ro9uq4q
@user-kz4ro9uq4q Жыл бұрын
Had a leapfrog device when I was younger. Would play the games and learn.
@bluey-next777
@bluey-next777 4 ай бұрын
15:08 T E N T A C L E D I F F I C U L T I E S *WITH A SCENE THAT MADE ME LAUGH* (At least the hammer is a balloon... not real...)
@apetersenTV
@apetersenTV Жыл бұрын
As a kid in the 2000s, I’ve been a big LeapFrog user back then. Seeing the story of the FLY along with a brief history of the company, nostalgia hit me like a train.
@wikiascratchboy
@wikiascratchboy Жыл бұрын
Holy anchovies! Wasn't expecting you of all people! Also to add to my leap frog experiences I had a leap pad too! Fun times indeed
@coolelectronics1759
@coolelectronics1759 Жыл бұрын
I went through like 6 leap pads I had the green one, then found several more at goodwill etc I had the spongebob book too!
@Robdeltonie
@Robdeltonie Жыл бұрын
I had the second Pentop computer. I had no idea it was called Pentop Fusion. I used it primarily to get my handwritten notes on the computer without having to retype them. It didn't do it that accurately. HOWEVER, I do remember at one point, instinctively, accidentally writing with the Pentop computer in cursive. And somehow, it recognized what I wrote! So it begs the question: How important was that special handwriting format anyway? The world may never know...
@mvmnt.
@mvmnt. Жыл бұрын
Ken, you need to check out what I could call the precursor to this, The Questron... from the EIGHTIES. It was a marvel of colour and light recognition through books with audio feedback from the pen. An incredible learning tool. Essentially, nothing is original.
@borrisg4972
@borrisg4972 8 ай бұрын
Bill Cosby used to use what may have been that device for the early Nickelodeon show/skit "Picture Pages". I forget if it was a full show or a bumper skit played during comercial breaks, but it's pretty cool seeing it being used.
@1912RamblerFan01
@1912RamblerFan01 Жыл бұрын
I had completely forgot about the LeapPad. I mostly remembered LeapFrog for the Leapster, which I used a lot. I also remember having a LeapFrog toy cash register that taught children how to count change, which unfortunately didn't last long before one of our pets damaged it.
@daan8695
@daan8695 Жыл бұрын
I bought a livescribe pen a decade ago. When I went back to college a few years ago I dug it up and started using it. It was pretty useful, except for the fact that the microphone wasn't always good enough to pick up what was being said when I was sitting in the back of the lecture hall. Because it had laid in a drawer for quite some time the ink dried out and the battery stopped working pretty soon after I started using it. I couldn't find new fillings anymore. It sucked, because I loved using it.
@colinroddy5772
@colinroddy5772 Жыл бұрын
My younger sister had a leap pad, that thing was awesome and definitely helped me and my siblings learn stuff while having fun. Hearing the start up sounds definitely brought back the nostalgia!
@MikeBehrensWX
@MikeBehrensWX Жыл бұрын
Open up the butter packet lmfao. That skit used to have me dying of laughter.
@DSOAP
@DSOAP 11 ай бұрын
22:16 omg my family has a newer one of those that runs the same os.
@UltraDoug
@UltraDoug Жыл бұрын
That was a great vid. Never had a leapfrog product, but I sure remember the commercials.
@ComputerClan
@ComputerClan Жыл бұрын
Thanks : )
@TheCrabbyArchives
@TheCrabbyArchives Жыл бұрын
Oh man, one of my rich classmates had one of these when we were in Elementary school together. He was explaining how it worked and it blew my mind.
@astererratum6546
@astererratum6546 Жыл бұрын
I REMEMBER THESE!!! I wanted one of these. Later in high school i wanted that pen that saved/transfered written notes to digital notes. It was so cool. Especially as someone who loves writing stuff down.
@andresbravo2003
@andresbravo2003 Жыл бұрын
Leap wouldn’t be happier. **ahem** still, LeapFrog was owned by VTech on April 4th 2016, and the two Toy Companies were good at each other.
@arthurdurham
@arthurdurham 9 ай бұрын
I either had one of these or a knockoff version as a kid and I agree that it kind of loses its luster quick. I ended up using it more as a voice recorder than anything else. The tech is still cool conceptually but actual practical use is cumbersome.
@JimsTechNonsense
@JimsTechNonsense Жыл бұрын
If teachers had half of your energy I might've retained something taught in high school. Great video!
@NonsensicalSpudz
@NonsensicalSpudz Жыл бұрын
so true
@mankind8088
@mankind8088 Жыл бұрын
30k a year to babysit 25 kids a day, with a predetermined script that you can't deviate from= zero enthusiasm. I got a better idea💡 HOW ABOUT PARENTS TEACH THEIR PROGENY ANY AND EVERYTHING BEFORE THEY'RE 5..........AND EVERY SUMMER AFTER TEACH THEM THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR'S CURRICULUM SO THEY HAVE AN AVANTAGE AGAIN. I now realize the disconnect with society is that the majority of parents think education is a "schools" responsibility when it's actually only exist to supplement what has been instilled at home, and to babysit while parents 9 to 5 it.
@spideylover4105
@spideylover4105 Жыл бұрын
I was a teacher. There are so many things happening behind the scenes that zaps our energy.
@JimsTechNonsense
@JimsTechNonsense Жыл бұрын
@@spideylover4105 I get that too. I definitely wasn't helping the situation haha. Ken just has a big energy about him that keeps you hooked through the video.
@BijanKafi
@BijanKafi Жыл бұрын
"Instead of building the computer into a hand-held device, Leapfrog built the computer into a... pen." Rrrright... 🤔
@danlargent3806
@danlargent3806 Жыл бұрын
Do you remember the Quasar pen? It was used in educational books that had spots to answer by pressing with the pen and it would light up red and buzz when wrong and green and ding if you were correct.
@coolelectronics1759
@coolelectronics1759 Жыл бұрын
sounds very similar to the hot dot system pen I used for math class this pen was compatible with special flashcards to quiz you at
@CommandantLennon
@CommandantLennon Жыл бұрын
I had one of those "smart notebooks" awhile back, complete with erasable pen. Man that thing was fantastic. Really it was just a normal notebook with a mobile app that functioned as a scanner, along with some quick-links, but the most impressive part was throwing the whole thing in the microwave and having it come out clean.
@saintguardian3639
@saintguardian3639 Жыл бұрын
I was always curious about what happened to it. Thank you for doing the research. Plus, I remember those pens and ALWAYS wanted one.
@lmj987
@lmj987 Жыл бұрын
“Open up the Butter packet” Loved the Mad TV reference. I died laughing. 😂
@felicityc
@felicityc Жыл бұрын
they actually still use forms of these, I was given one to assist with notetaking in class, it would record the lecture and you could write notes and pull back sections of the recording based on when you wrote the note. it was cool, but kind of a novelty- it didn't record super well even sitting up at the front, and I didn't like the privacy concerns. still have it somewhere, they basically didn't care about returning it since I think they just had too many anyway. Came with a whole notebook of the special paper to use. It was just too thick and hard to use as a pen though, with my smol hands
@EpicLPer
@EpicLPer Жыл бұрын
I think those Fusion pens are dying cause their internal battery is so discharged that the protection circuit kicked in. I'd love to take one apart and hack a new battery into it and see if that makes it work again, but I doubt it'd be easy.
@lo2740
@lo2740 Жыл бұрын
"install a new battery" simply, because there is nothing hacky in replacing a battery.
@PolarManne
@PolarManne Жыл бұрын
I just watched an old tape I recorded when I was a kid a few days ago and saw a commercial for this in there, and remembered how cool it seemed at the time. How funny that a couple days later this video shows up in my feed!
@sparkycorkers1196
@sparkycorkers1196 Жыл бұрын
Did you try a different usb cable? I had an issue with a livescribe pen, and could only open with the 5th cable i tried
@aznsensation44
@aznsensation44 5 ай бұрын
Miss the late 90s and early 00s when companies were making all these kinds of quirky electronic devices for kids. Anyone remember the Yak Bak? lol. Also this device is indeed very very cool even as an adult seeing this technology that came from early 2000s blows my mind
@user-lt2rw5nr9s
@user-lt2rw5nr9s Жыл бұрын
3:10 The Go button transition sound is so nostalgic!
@TheLadderman
@TheLadderman 22 күн бұрын
Thanks for bringing back my memories of using the leap pad as a kid. That was an awesome piece of tech for the time, and Ive always found it really fascinating.
@kyb7795
@kyb7795 7 ай бұрын
I wanted you to keep going telling us more about leapfrog founders up to date
@AaronPaluzzi
@AaronPaluzzi Жыл бұрын
Crazy thought. Perhaps the blinking red light is an indicator of a bad battery? Perhaps time to take apart the pen and check the battery?
@GreenEcho3586
@GreenEcho3586 Жыл бұрын
Livescribe echo got me through college. The ability to replay the lecture audio when you wrote down the note helped immensely.
@petercarter9034
@petercarter9034 Жыл бұрын
I've not heard of this product before maybe as I'm in the UK, very interesting and well researched, thanks Ken
@aribantala
@aribantala Жыл бұрын
3:02 I don't have any History with the LeapPad but when you opened the "console" (?), it actually reminds me of something I did have, a SEGA Pico. It's about 1:1 in operation, it uses a Book and a Cartridge, but the Pico's Cartridge *is also* the book. The SEGA Pico was a full fledged console, however, and it Hooked up to a TV and gave out a Visual video feedback instead of just audio. It's honestly the coolest thing I had and I remember playing with it when I was at Kindergarten playing Berenstein Bears with my little baby sister
@saxman112
@saxman112 Жыл бұрын
Wow, very cool retrospective, Ken! I never had one of these myself, but I do remember having some products from LeapFrog’s Quantum Leap line, namely the Turbo Twist math system as well as the iQuest Talk about a nostalgia trip!
@coolelectronics1759
@coolelectronics1759 Жыл бұрын
I had twist n shout devision! I would hook it up to my stereo and anoy everyone in the house playing it lol I also had the green frog pad leap system that came with two demo books and had the spongebob book too. I still have the eureka explorer globe system
@timfischer
@timfischer Жыл бұрын
My son (now 19) had a Leapfrog Tag, which was the little-kid version of the pen. It was a cross between the LeapPad and the pens you show here. I remember thinking the tech was kind of cool. (oops, I wrote this as I was finishing up the video, and I see that you actually mentioned it lol)
@rsesters
@rsesters 11 ай бұрын
I remember seeing the commercials for this and telling my grandparents it would be a great Christmas present for my little nephew. They decided that I was dropping hints that I wanted it. They got it for me for Christmas, I was 15 and had no use for it. I think I played with it for a day or two and never touched it again.
@MoonDeLaAxel
@MoonDeLaAxel Жыл бұрын
I miss this thing. I used to have it. I may still have stuff for it around like the paper and so
@Lordrocky24
@Lordrocky24 3 ай бұрын
13:05 Ain’t that a feel.
@BaumeisterKnese
@BaumeisterKnese Жыл бұрын
In Germany we have tiptoi which is also based on points to reproduce content. I have no idea if this Brand is common in America. It is primarily intended for smaller children.
@NALTOHQ
@NALTOHQ Жыл бұрын
I own a lot of edutainment products in the eventual hope of making videos on them all. Was thinking of covering this one. You did a heck of a lot better than I could.
@BroonParker
@BroonParker Жыл бұрын
0:44 Robert Lally seems nice.
@websidedk
@websidedk Жыл бұрын
17:00 Try going back in time by changing the clock on the computer. It's most likely an date-and-time error in the pen that is causing the device not to boot up.
@adamofblastworks1517
@adamofblastworks1517 Жыл бұрын
My mom was considering buying this or something like this for me to help me keep up in school, because of my ADD and I wrote slower than everyone else. She said that it would also record audio, and I could then tap back in my notes to hear the audio recorded while writing it, so I could complete my notes that I ran out of time on when the lesson moved on while I was writing. She asked me if I wanted it, but I kind of didn't believe that it really existed/wasn't a scam and tried to get by with less advanced methods, like just recording classes on a pocket audio recorder. It was a struggle.
@UltimatePerfection
@UltimatePerfection Жыл бұрын
I wonder if it's possible to print a brand new flypaper on an inkjet or does it require special ink/paper composition in addition to the dots.
@EthanReimann
@EthanReimann Жыл бұрын
Something about the name Flycon is just amazing to me. I never had a Fly pen, but did grow up with one of the later LeapPads. I think it was the second gen model. I have so many good memories with that tablet!
@coolelectronics1759
@coolelectronics1759 Жыл бұрын
did you have the one that used physical books or did you get the one with a screen? I had the green one that was a book with this pen you would tap the green go circle. I remember wanting to have a huge collection of books going to walmart and seeing all the software tytles they had
@EthanReimann
@EthanReimann Жыл бұрын
@@coolelectronics1759 i had the screen one
@SylverstoneKhandr
@SylverstoneKhandr Ай бұрын
Holy crap, I had that pen as a kid. I almost forgot, but it was something I really loved using and getting to show off for my friends at school.
@doublepinger
@doublepinger 10 ай бұрын
I recently worked on a Fly Fusion and the battery still works (we recycle tech turn-ins). I was surprised to see it (among other *ancient* learning tools). Too bad I didn't get to get it to you before the video was made! Good video, was wondering where Leapfrog disappeared to
@virt-manager
@virt-manager 7 ай бұрын
14:15 please, not the loss meme reference
@Yeahhhhthisisgood
@Yeahhhhthisisgood Жыл бұрын
I love the topics you choose. I thought about started a blog and writing about weird obscure gadgets like the ones you feature here. You’re awesome friend
@richardwernst
@richardwernst Жыл бұрын
Don't forget the CueCate!
@JohnDlugosz
@JohnDlugosz 2 ай бұрын
You didn't mention it, but several years earlier there was a highly-publicized design award for a sleek "pen" that confused many people into thinking it was a real product. It was just a model prop and some use cases described. That included the "draw a calculator". So when I saw FLY, I saw it as someone attempting to make a real working version of that.
@BBC600
@BBC600 Жыл бұрын
I like how it has a Canada option to presumably account for "zed."
@soviut303
@soviut303 Жыл бұрын
This type of input device is still a great idea. Modern optical systems could easily allow something like this to work on regular paper, white boards, etc.
@TheLivingCatastrophe
@TheLivingCatastrophe Жыл бұрын
To work on regular paper? Ha! Not likely! Those corporations would more likely force us to use proprietary paper than let us use standard paper!
@soviut303
@soviut303 Жыл бұрын
@@TheLivingCatastrophe You realize the original required proprietary paper, right? My point was that advancements in optical tech could do wayfinding without the need for paper with special patterns on it.
@gnpaone
@gnpaone Жыл бұрын
I still own one of these pen and the whole set bought in my childhood except for the battery in the pen is swollen out due to long time no use and never thought of getting a new battery but I enjoyed the features of that pen in my childhood
@citywitt3202
@citywitt3202 Жыл бұрын
Oh man the Odyssey globe. I think I’ve got one upstairs still. I remember I played the countries quiz and got an obscure one off the bat too, put the pen to my forehead in frustration and was immediately given a point. The population of my left index finger was 1.3 billion and its national anthem was row your boat. Fun times :)
@Day100
@Day100 Жыл бұрын
Itd be rad seeing an AI interpretating version of this. I hate AI integration into everything, but I could see the text transcribing aspects being super useful in many classes. Typing something out doesn't help me retain as much as writing it for whatever reason.
@wolfetteplays8894
@wolfetteplays8894 Жыл бұрын
That’s a slipppery slope. We don’t need the surveillance state in our writings too.
@dasherpie
@dasherpie Жыл бұрын
I owned one of those leap pad things and a leap frog tablet 🥺 and one of those vtech consoles ❤️
@ZacharyRodriguezVlogs
@ZacharyRodriguezVlogs Жыл бұрын
I had a LeapPad. It was so interesting touching around the device without the book or the cartridge.
@greenaum
@greenaum Жыл бұрын
Just a thought... could you photocopy the paper?
@dogwalker666
@dogwalker666 Жыл бұрын
Yes we did.
@mgtpersonal
@mgtpersonal Жыл бұрын
Nice video, ken! Although our country never had one, we had something similar brought in early 2010s by a english school we have here in brazil called wizard, although it was only for reading english words in their books. Unfortunately (or fortunately), it was boring, low quality and heavily criticized by students, like my sister, who used one back then. So wizard discontinued the pen quickly and was never seen again. Wizard is now owned (or uses learning standards, idk) by pearson. In the end, nice video!
@sdani.
@sdani. 29 күн бұрын
i still have my wizard pen!
@KimPossibleShockwave
@KimPossibleShockwave Жыл бұрын
A modern version of this would be so lit. Sync it to a tablet or phone and use regular paper/fountain pen ink cartridges, and you could copy notes physically and to your device. It could even work as a teaching aid, helping kids.
@afarewelltokings
@afarewelltokings Жыл бұрын
15:30 i ran into this same problem with the Leapster and LeapPad devices
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