Product Description

This interactive talking handheld makes studying for tests fast, fun and effective with 1,000 interactive audio quiz games for Grades 6-8 and printable chapter outlines based on your school textbooks. Customize your quizzes by visiting the LeapFrog Web site and downloading over 100,000 textbook-based using the Mind Station connector (sold separately). Plus, it's a personal organizer complete with 40,000 dictionary words, 200 address book entries, scheduler/one-year calendar, calculator and more.

Includes 6-month membership to the LeapFrog Never-Ending Learning Club, iQuest handheld with 2MB memory, 4MB cartridge with 1,000 questions and a snap-on cover/faceplate. Requires 4 "AA" alkaline batteries (not included). Colors and styles may vary.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43451 in Toys & Games
• Brand: LeapFrog
• Model: 40014
• Released on: 2007-04-15
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 3.70" h x 11.00" w x 11.10" l, 1.10 pounds

Features

• 10 years and up

From the Manufacturer
So much learning in the palm of their hand. And so much of it going directly to their brain. It's a brand new way to do something very old-fashioned: learn. The iQuest handheld is a game based-system that includes 1000's of questions and answers on the key topics from the most commonly used math, science and social studies textbooks. Kids just pop a subject cartridge into the iQuest handheld, then select their publisher, textbook and chapter. And just like that, there's a quick quiz on quadratic equations. Or a few points about photosynthesis. All based on the curriculum kids learn at school. Two game modes, Pop Quiz and Chapter Challenge, blur the lines between fun and studying. An anagram game makes learning vocabulary words a hoot. And audio, animations, scores and instant feedback and hints make the iQuest handheld hard to put down. The iQuest handheld also includes calendar and scheduler functionality. Which means they can keep track of their busy social schedules and get ready for next week's test on social studies, all on the way to the mall. There's also a calculator, 75,000-word Merriam-Webster® dictionary, address book, notepad, headphone jack and volume control. It's a personal, portable study tool they'll actually use. Whether your 5th grader wants to search over 600 topics (from cells to the civil war) or your 8th grader needs to cram for an American History exam (from Washington to Bush) the iQuest won't just sit around gathering dust. And with this much to challenge them every day, neither will their brains. *Not all textbooks supported.

Customer Reviews

the device is decent, but I'm skeptical of the educational approach
First, you probably want to note that I'm a 20-year-old guy who found this laying around in his room, while the product is designed around middle-school students.

I will talk about the device and what it's like to use it, but first I want to talk about my qualm: that the multiple-choice questions it uses aren't sufficient for education.

The educational features consist of a "Chapter Challenge" and a "Pop Quiz". Both ask you multiple-choice questions. But they're slightly different. The Challenge isn't timed, and when you miss something it will give you hints, so you can "play until you win". The Pop Quiz asks the same questions, but is fast-paced and you only get one chance. I'd say the "Challenge" mode is more contemplative and where the learning happens, while the "Pop Quiz" is about testing your mastery.

My qualm is that I don't believe just going through the multiple-choice questions will lead to education. Many of the questions amount to memorizing things. For example: "What are the main types of clouds?" The answer says iQuest is "stratus, cumulus, and cirrus". But, knowing this doesn't give you any insight into how weather works. The three types could just as easily be "Ted, Frank, and Larry". Terminology is important, but not enough. Not all are like this; a better question was "When two cold fronts collide, what type of weather would you expect?", followed by an explanation of *why* you'd expect that.

Another problem with the multiple-choice questions is that, after a few times, you might know the answers just by memory.

Overall, I found the multiple-choice questions to be decent stimulation for thought (and sometimes spurred curiosity), a kind of background for me to think about the subject, but on their own the knowledge they impart is not generally valuable. It is true though that the iQuest questions are supposed to supplement a course, so this may change things. But when used alone by a child, it seems to me not a valuable education tool.

Another note though: The device I found had only the base cartridge; meaning only a section on "Weather" in Science and a few algebra sections in Math. I don't own the connector and haven't looked at other chapters. Perhaps these aren't indicative of all of them. Perhaps even there is more than simply "Chapter Challenge" and "Pop Quiz".

Now, I'll talk about the user interface.

Overall, I found it easy to use, possibly due to the fact that it's so simple. You start with a main menu with many options (Challenge, Quiz, Address Book, Schedule, Dictionary, Calculator, Options). You select one and can only do one thing at a time. (So you can't be taking a quiz and then load up the dictionary at the same time, for example.) I didn't reference a manual and was able to use it with few frustrations.

The keypad is laid out like a computer keyboard, so your ability should vary based on whether you can type on those or not.

My big annoyance: To fully use the device, you need the sound up. (If parents are worried about the noise, know there is a headphone jack.) Feedback is given with sound and sometimes with no text equivalent. So if you turn down the sound, you in some cases won't know what's happening. But, I often found the sound nagging. If you don't do anything for awhile, a voice starts "reminding" you, "To navigate, use the up and down buttons to select a choice" (or something similar). It made me anxious. I wished for different sound modes, to turn off the "nagging" and only give me the essential information.

This is another thing. For better or worse, it's not customizable. The only options are name, date, and time; you can't configure sound for example beyond using the volume button, and you have to do that whenever the device starts because settings are not saved.

That's my evaluation, given my experience.

Great while it worked!
I gave the IQuest to my son for Christmas. It worked for less than one day. I have sent three emails in the last three weeks to Leapfrog's customer support, but so far have only gotten an "we received your email, and we will get back to you" type of response. If this ever gets resolved, I think my son will really enjoy it. My advice: if you get one, keep all the original packaging, and receipts handy so you can return it to the store you purchased it from. So far, I am not impressed with Leapfrog's customer "service".

Sent wrong item...it was pink
I had to return this item as I purchased it for my son. They sent the pink version of the iQuest and told me that the description said 'colors may vary'. I was unable to find those terms anywhere and with 'Red' in the item title, I felt they were wrong. If you are looking for red specifically, don't think you will get it. I had to return the item for a refund at my own expense on shipping.
I had to purchase the item itself from another vendor. On the plus side, my son loves the one I finally found him. He is 10 and has his own PDA now.