Crave

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrribbit.

(Credit: Nextar)

I may be betraying too much ignorance here, but up until today, I had no idea Toys "R" Us was such an extensive purveyor of MP3 players.

Sure, I expected to find products such as the SanDisk Sansa Shaker and the Barbie MP3 player, but Zunes and Walkmans? Not exactly what I envisioned on the shelves of the fun-time retailer.

In fact, my furrowed brow is apt to become permanently affixed to my face, what with how odd I find this next device, dubbed the Ribbit. Even odder: the manufacturer's actual product page has it designated as the "Rabbit"--likely an error, considering that this is clearly not the animal they have in mind. Rather, as its onomatopoeic name suggests, it's an MP3 player in the shape of a frog. A really tiny frog, by the looks of it.

The Ribbit is precisely the type of gadget I'd expect to find at Toys "R" Us. It's part toy, part MP3 player, and clearly designed with amphibian lovers in mind. As might be expected from such a small device--it measures 1.5 inches by 1.27 inches by 0.93 inch--the frog player is fairly simple, though it does include an OLED display and features such as a voice recorder, playlist support, and eight EQ preset modes. (All it's missing is a waterproof exterior worthy of its animal inspiration.)

The Ribbit is currently available online for the quite palatable price of $25 for a 1GB capacity. You can even choose from two "Easter appropriate" colors: pink or green.

Ribbit MP3 player--photos

SpiralFrog continues to dodge bullets.

The troubled ad-supported music service that has needed loans to keep operating was supposed to pay creditors $7 million by April 19. At least from the outside the situation looked bad because it was only three months ago that SpiralFrog needed a $2 million loan. Where would a start-up that's only been in business for six months get that kind of money?

Turns out, SpiralFrog's managers renegotiated the loan terms and the company now has a year to repay, according to a company spokeswoman.

So SpiralFrog keeps hopping, but for how much longer?

At the end of the month, privately held SpiralFrog is due to report year-end earnings for 2007 (the company reports like a public company as part of an agreement with investors). That report could hold important clues about the company's prospects.

Early indications are that SpiralFrog, which attracted lots of media attention two years ago when it announced plans to offer free legal music, has met with mixed results.

The good news is the New York-based company topped 1 million unique visitors in January and music-industry sources say it has made several hires in recent weeks.

But the service still wrestles with the same problem it has tried to remedy for two years: a highly limited song selection.

Once trumpeted as a potential iTunes killer, SpiralFrog's music library is dwarfed by iTunes. After two years of trying to sell the four largest music companies on its business model, SpiralFrog executives have managed to sign one: Universal Music Group. It's extremely hard for a music service to compete against Apple's music store, but it's nearly inconceivable to do it without songs from all top four labels.

Meanwhile, social networks, such as Imeem and Last.fm, which stream music to users' PCs, can boast licensing deals with the majors. And MySpace and Facebook are also in talks with the labels about offering music.

Numerous sources close the record labels said SpiralFrog's problem mostly comes down to its business model. Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group don't have much faith, the sources said. EMI Music Group's publishing unit already has an agreement with the service and the label could eventually sign, according to one source.

Another deal breaker for the labels has been the turmoil at the company. An executive shuffle in Dec. 2006 and SpiralFrog's money troubles has given the big music firms pause, said the sources.

Those financial worries may continue to undermine the company.

SpiralFrog needed to pay Universal Music $3.3 million before it ever sold a single song. Even if managers convince another major to sign on, where are they going to get the money to pay the fees?

In the third quarter, SpiralFrog burned through $3.4 million while reporting revenue of $20,400. But the free-music service, which launched in September, had only been open for a three weeks during that period. Starting with the fourth-quarter report, we're going to start seeing how scrappy SpiralFrog really is.

LeapFrog's upcoming Didj gaming system.

(Credit: LeapFrog)

I stopped by a LeapFrog event today to at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York. I was pleasantly surprised when the company representatives trotted out a new handheld learning/gaming system, the Didj ($89.99), which is due to arrive this summer. LeapFrog doesn't exactly bill the Didj as a Nintendo DS competitor, but the the new device is geared toward 6- to 10-year-olds, an age bracket where the DS currently rules.

LeapFrog also had its upcoming Leapster 2 ($69.99) at the event, which is targeted at even younger children. The idea behind the Didj is to up the gaming and graphics ante while continuing to integrate the learning stuff that the company's known for. Those educational elements are starting to show up in a handful of DS games, but LeapFrog's giving the whole educational-gaming slant a harder spin to appeal to parents who would prefer to have their grade-schoolers graduate to something other than the DS.

While the Didj doesn't have a Wi-Fi connection like the DS, there's a whole online angle that LeapFrog's working with its LeapFrog Connect Application. The application lets children customize game content (the device connects via USB to both PCs and Macs).

According to LeapFrog's news release, "Players first select and personalize an avatar. Then they design the game, choosing background scenery, color schemes or music. Most important, parents and kids can then customize content, connecting gameplay with schoolwork. Multiplication hard to master? Kids can choose to be quizzed on the 6s, 7s and 8s tables. Spelling a stumbling block? Kids can create a custom spelling list from the 10,000-word database and practice for next week's test."

The Leapster 2 will be available this July as well.

(Credit: LeapFrog)

I saw an early build of the game that ships with Didj and the graphics are indeed--excuse the pun--a nice leap forward for LeapFrog. The system is scheduled to be released in July with an MSRP of $90 and a total of 10 games will be available during the first year, including Star Wars and Indiana Jones branded titles.

Here's a rundown of the Didj's key specs:

• Processor: 393 MHz Arm 9
• Display: 320x240 resolution
• One 24-bit 2D layer (no hardware acceleration)
• One 16-bit 3D layer
• One YUV video layer (no hardware acceleration)
• Graphics: API OpenGL ES 1.1--A reduced instruction set version of OpenGL for embedded systems
• Main RAM: 32 MB DDRI 131 MHz
• NAND Flash: 256MB for data storage/download content
• Media Cartridge: 64MB
• System Software: Brio--Firmware is built on an abstraction layer called Brio to make OS and hardware transparent to developers. This means all software must be ported to Brio to run on this device.
• Screen LCD: 3.2 inches, 16.7-Million Color TFT

The music industry continues to take baby steps toward ad-supported music as EMI has become the third major record label to license songs to social-networking site Imeem.

The companies said on Monday that Imeem users will be allowed to upload EMI-produced songs to the site. The ad-supported service is free to users and Imeem plans to share ad revenue with the labels. Sony BMG and Warner Music Group previously cut similar deals with Imeem. Users can post the music to their personal pages and share the music with friends, but the offering only allows them to stream music and doesn't include downloads.

Some might be misled into believing that Imeem would appear to be outpacing SpiralFrog, a company that attracted much fanfare and scrutiny a year ago for ballyhooing an ad-supported music service. New York-based SpiralFrog has emerged as the standard bearer for ad-supported music but has managed to sign only one major label to a licensing deal: Universal Music Group.

The difference between Imeem and SpiralFrog comes down to streaming. SpiralFrog offers free downloads as long as customers are willing to sit through some ads. One of the sticking points that some record executives have about SpiralFrog is that they hesitate to attach the word "free" around their music. With millions obtaining songs for free from illegal file sharing, music-industry honchos don't want to perpetuate the perception that songs are valueless.

Imeem, headquartered in San Francisco, is different in that it offers music but not to own. The service is meant to help people discover songs, and Imeem has supplied links to iTunes and Amazon in case users wish to buy a song.

Who knows, should Imeem's music offering succeed, perhaps that will help record executives grow more comfortable with ad-supported downloads.

A portal to mobile-configured Web sites is all you get with Frog.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

From the many positive announcements written about Frog since May 2007, a fresh, interesting approach to accessing the mobile Web shouldn't have exceeded expectations, especially six months after the initial release. After all, GeekSugar, MobileCrunch, and The Boy Genius Report all gave Frog nods as a viable home page alternative. After trying it out for myself, all I saw of Frog were warts.

Unlike traditional browser solutions that optimize page viewing, Frog adopts a portal model for accessing the Web. Nine quick-launch buttons each take you to a Web site optimized for mobile viewing.

While creating a Frog account online, users can add button icons for favorite sites from scores of options (good.) Four, to be exact. The other five slots are chosen for you and won't budge if you try to swap them out (bad.) However, it might be less of a problem if you already use MSN Weather, Google, Orbitz, RestaurantRow.com, and Fandango steadily and don't intend to swap the orientation on the screen.... Read more

For decades, tech companies have been trying to create a digital pen that appeals to the masses. But after years of effort, the world isn't exactly overrun with high-tech quills.

A new crop of companies, however, say it's too soon to write off the idea.

This week, Irvine, Calif.-based Iogear announced plans for a digital pen that can work with standard paper. Last month, educational computer maker LeapFrog introduced the FlyFusion, its second go at the digital pen. And later this year, Silicon Valley start-up LiveScribe plans to introduce a $200 device that can not only take digital notes, but also synchronize them with an audio recording.

The latest bunch are a far cry from the earliest attempts to add a brain to the standard Bic. But the question remains: Will these new devices be more than a curiosity? Or will they, like their predecessors, find themselves quickly relegated to the back of desk drawers or spend their days as expensive paperweights?

The quest for a digital pen people actually want has lived alongside another perennial tech pursuit--getting people to navigate traditional computers using the pen as an input device. While Microsoft has managed to create a few converts with its Tablet PC and many graphic designers use pen tablets for their work, the overwhelming majority of people still do their hunting and pecking via the venerable keyboard.

As for the standalone digital pen, it has been around, in its modern incarnation, since Sweden's Anoto developed a special kind of paper that allows a pen with a built-in camera to easily track itself.

Logitech has been using that approach since 2002, when it introduced the Io digital pen. It has since added handwriting recognition and Bluetooth wireless abilities.

Still, it has yet to really take off. "It's a small part of our business," said Logitech spokeswoman Nancy Morrison.

The allure of such devices is undeniable. The idea of a pen, only better, inherently sounds good. However, there have always been significant trade-offs.

That's still true with the latest crop. Both the FlyFusion and LiveScribe devices require special paper.

Brian Wells, the senior product marketing manager for Iogear, said digital pens have always required special paper, special pens or both. The benefit of the company's $99 Digital Scribe, he said, is that it can work with any pen and write anywhere. "Any paper, a sheet of paper, a sticky note, masking tape," Wells said. "Heck, you could probably attach it to the top of a wall."

Iogear's pen, however, must be connected to a computer while the notes are being taken. That's a big drawback, because most people who have their computer with them might just use that to take notes. (Iogear hopes to eventually add an untethered version.)

Wells said there is still a big market, such as college students in classes where they need to take down more than text, things like diagrams that can best be done with a pen and paper.

LiveScribe agrees, but takes the notion a step further. One of its big selling points is that it can record audio and then synchronize it with the handwritten notes. Microsoft offers a similar feature for computer-based notetakers that use its OneNote application, though the LiveScribe pen offers the benefit of being able to work without being tethered to a PC.

The device is expected to cost less than $200 and make its debut before year's end, the company said when it first discussed the product at the D: All Things Digital conference in May. LiveScribe declined to provide an update or comment for this article.

LeapFrog, meanwhile, introduced its $79 FlyFusion at the end of July. The device is a sequel to Leapfrog's first Fly. The last generation was a standalone device that used specially coded paper to enable youngsters to draw a calculator and then add up some numbers or draw a piano and then play music.

The new pen is cheaper, $79 versus $99, and about 25 percent smaller than its predecessor. "It really looked and felt like a toy," senior brand manager Chad Weiner said of the first Fly. Still, Weiner said, the original "sold surprisingly well," though he would not give specific sales figures.

This time around, Iogear is aiming at slightly older youths, adding the ability to take digital notes and then connect them back to a Windows PC, where they can be either saved or e-mailed as images, or converted to text (with the results varying widely based on the penmanship of the author).

For Iogear's Wells, the digital pen has been a labor of love. He's tried out devices since 1992, when he got his first one after graduating high school. That first model, which he took with him to Cypress College in Southern California, cost $300, required special paper and was tethered to a big plastic piece that sat under the paper.

Over time, though, the technology has improved. Wells said Iogear connected a couple years back with a chipmaker that had the technology that would work with any ink or paper.

"We thought it was about time," he said. "We thought we can really make a run now."

One thing all the new products have going for them is that they come at a time where Windows' support for digital ink has never been better. With Windows XP, only the stylus-based Tablet PC edition really supported pen input. With Windows Vista, though, the operating system supports more kinds of ink, including that from tablets like those from Wacom, as well as things like Iogear's Digital Scribe.

"Everything just kind of fell together," Wells said.

LeapFrog's FLY Fusion comes with 64MB of built-in memory and is expandable to 128MB.

(Credit: LeapFrog)

LeapFrog's original FLY pentop computer garnered some attention when it was announced in late 2005, but truth be told, we kind of forgot about it after it came out. Well, the company has a new FLY--the FLY Fusion ($80)--and, as you might expect from a second-generation product, it's sleeker and has more features.

While the product isn't due to ship until early August, it can already be pre-ordered at Amazon. Here are the highlights, according to the site:

• With the FLY Fusion Pentop Computer, everything you write on FLY Paper is automatically scanned and digitized.
• With the tap of your FLY Fusion pentop computer, you can interact with your notes, get instant feedback and step-by-step help, even play MP3s and games, all on paper!
• FLY Fusion Pentop Computer includes: rechargeable battery, memory expansion slot, FLY Fusion installation CD, FLY Notebook, FLY World Application, 13 FLY Fusion Games, and USB Cable.
• Recommended age range fifth to ninth grades.

I saw a quick demo today of the Fusion (not to be confused with the Gillette Fusion razor) and was impressed enough to request a review sample (it should arrive soon). Truth is, I wasn't much a note-taker in school, and this thing made me wish I could go back and do it all over again. With this kind of technology at my disposal, I would have been a note-taking machine. Or at least I could have saved some of my better doodles.

LeapFrog's My First Computer comes with a wireless keyboard.

(Credit: LeapFrog)

LeapFrog's new ClickStart My First Computer may not run Windows, Linux or the Mac OS, but it's designed to introduce kids aged 3-6 to the whole concept of computing without messing with daddy or mommy's expensive PC. The $60 system features a "child-friendly" wireless keyboard with nice big buttons, a console and a mouse that converts for right- or left-handed play. The console comes with a few built in games and activities, and you can buy additional software cartridges ($19.99) that plug into the top of the console.

Not surprisingly, there's a friendly green puppy named Scout to guide kids through navigation, mousing, counting, ABCs, phonic skills, simple math, shapes, and colors. Tots can even click on an in-box to get a greeting-card style e-mail, complete with sound for nonreaders.

I saw the whole thing in action today, and I'm ready to buy my 3-year-old one. With the QWERTY keyboard training under her belt, I figure she'll be able to step up to the big PC and start blogging by age 5. In fact, word is LeapFrog's developing a game called Ratatouille: Anyone Can Blog. In it, kids learn how to link to baseless rumors or better yet, just make ridiculous stuff up so other people can link to it and send traffic through the roof. A Photoshop tutorial for teaching the basics of doctoring images is included.

OK, I'm kidding about the last part, but a Ratatouille game really is in the works--and a Finding Nemo and Dora title are available this month along with the system.