BlackBerry-Like Toy Too Realistic?
Company Coming Out With One For Young Kids That Strongly Resembles Grownups' Device; Is It Learning Tool Or Way To Hook Tots?
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Text & Learn, left, next to a BlackBerry (CBS)
Educational toymaker LeapFrog plans to release "Text & Learn" in August. It's aimed at kids three-through-six.
Text & Learn is bigger than the real thing, and will come complete with a keyboard and LCD screen.
"What it does," says LeapFrog's Shannon Eis, "is just expose learning concepts, core, very preschool early learning concepts -- letter recognition, days of the week, (etc.)"
But is it wise for kids to use such a toy? Or could it make them more prone to BlackBerry "addiction" later on?
"It does actually let kids engage in sort of a faux texting," Eis concedes, "so they can send and receive messages from Scout, the character featured in the product."
But, she adds, "It's not Web-connected, doesn't have interactivity. It's not letting kids communicate with each other."
On The Early Show Thursday, pediatrician Dr. Lisa Thornton said Text & Learn probably could prove useful -- up to a point.
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