Leapfrog To Take on PSP (Kind Of…)

“Mommy, I want my handheld to be connected and Web enabled!” Leapfrog didn’t want the younger kids to be envious of their brother’s and sister’s Web-connected XBoxs, Playstations and PSPs. But they aren’t quite getting wireless “connectivity.” LeapFrog, the creators of technology learning toys, today announced two new Web-enabled handheld video game systems. Updating its Leapster, the Leapster2 Learning Game System uses a USB port to connect to the Net. The connectivity will allow parents to log into an online portal to check their child’s accomplishments and kids will be able to earn rewards when they connect their devices. The second offering is the Didj Custom Gaming System which bridges games with homework for grade school kids and allows them to customize spelling lists and math problems. It sports a 3.2-inch LCD with a 320 x 240 TFT display. The device uses an ARM 9 processor running at 393MHz and has 256MB of flash memory. While the systems both can connect to an online LeapFrog community, they don’t give the kiddies wireless access to their WebKinz or other online favorites. But will those kids still prefer the new Leapster to One Laptop Per Child’s XO laptop? Both systems will be available this summer. The Didj system will be priced at $89.99 and the Leapster2 will sell for $69.99.