Amazon.com Review
Let the LeapFrog Crammer Study and Sound System help your students stay on top of new material while they listen to their favorite tunes. Designed to help kids aged eight to 14 prepare for quizzes, tests, and important presentations, the slim, digital Crammer makes it easy to bring tons of flash cards and practice questions wherever they go.
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What We Think
Fun Factor: 
Durability:
(what this means)
The Good: Streamline the process of studying for multiple subjects
The Bad: May not hold up in rough conditions
In a Nutshell: This student-specific MP3 player makes it easy to prep for tests |
At a GlanceAges: 8 to 14
Requires: 3 AAA batteries; Computer to edit test prep materials
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Compact player lets you study for tests wherever you go. View larger. |
Online Study Edge interface lets you download math, social studies, science quizzes, and more. View larger. |
Prep for All Kinds of TestsConnect the Crammer to your PC or your Mac using the included USB cable and download the Leapfrog Connect Application to get started. This lets you get started right away with preexisting flash cards and practice questions, or create your own questions and flash cards, organize them into sets, and load them onto the handheld unit to take everywhere you go.
This means that you learn while you're creating each unique study guide, and you can brush up on facts in the car, on the bus, or during your free time at school. Since the Crammer keeps all your flashcards in one digital archive, you won't have to worry about losing them or carrying around thick stacks of cards for several classes.
The Crammer's main screen is easy to navigate with icons representing eight categories: flash cards, quizzes, music, games, volume, stats, settings, and about the unit. The cool click screen lets students make selections by tapping the edges of the screen or pressing the bar on the top of the unit, which also contains a back button and a shortcut to the main screen. In flash card mode, pressing right or left flips the cards, and pressing enter shows the other side of a card so you can check your answers quickly.
In addition to functioning as a study aid, the Crammer works as an MP3 player. This means it's easy to mellow before an exam and celebrate with your favorite music when it's over.
Stay Connected with Online Resources
Don't have the time to create a truly customized set of flashcards every week? Re you interested in learning that extends beyond what you're doing in class right now? The online Study Edge interface lets you download math, social studies, and science quizzes designed to cover general topics for grades three to eight. You can pick topics like American history, geography, chemistry, and algebra.
For grades three and four, there's also pre-made sets of flashcards that target language arts skills, like spelling and basic math operations. This online resource seems to be expanding, so you can expect to find even more great tools here in the future.
Every time the Crammer is connected to your computer, data is transferred to the Learning Path online. Parents can use this resource to see details like which skill areas a child has downloaded quizzes for and how much time he or she is spending on each subject. Of course any study tool is only useful if students actually use it, and these Learning Path tools encourage parents to facilitate conversations about school work and help them study for their toughest subjects.
Our only real concern regarding this useful study tool is how well the unit will hold up to rough use. Its compact size and solid plastic body seem quite durable, but if you keep it in your gym bag with your cleats instead of in an empty pocket in your backpack, you might run into trouble. Luckily you can also purchase a soft case designed especially for protecting the Crammer, or a range of custom face plates that identify it as your own. The Crammer runs on three AA batteries (not included).
What's in the Box
Crammer, USB cable, earphones, and instruction booklet.
From the Manufacturer
Crammer Study & Sound System Introducing Crammer - the only pocket-sized study system that lets you jam while you cram. Sleek and powerful for studying on the go, the Crammer handheld comes with a powerful flash-card creation engine and access to over 16,000 quiz questions, and it is a fully functional digital music player. Study what you need to know most by going online to create digital flash cards you can download to your Crammer handheld. Download more than 1,000 3rd through 8th grade math, science, social studies and language arts quizzes. Plus use the Spanish Translator to practice words and pronunciations instantly! Access to all the Crammer quizzes is included with purchase and easy to download with the included USB cable. The Crammer system comes with ear buds, a lanyard, access to thousands of quiz questions, room for unlimited digital flash cards and up to ten hours of your favorite music, two free games, a USB cable and user guide. It is on the LeapFrog Learning Path, a free online tool at leapfrog.com that offers unparalleled insights into your child¿s learning.
Customer Reviews
So far, so good
I bought this for my 7 year old (2nd grade) to help him get faster at math - mainly multiplication and division. He found the included games and quizzes and seems to really enjoy it so far.
Pros: Mainly educational. Great for drills. Fun (albeit simple) games. Downloadable, FREE content. Ability to create custom flash cards.
Cons: As another reviewer pointed out, the lack of a backlight is a real drawback. The amount of flash cards available for download is a little thin (which I'm sure will improve) compared to the much larger number of quizzes. You can only create very basic flash cards - e.g. I couldn't find a way to create a division symbol and used a '/' instead. No option to create custom quizzes (a future software enhancement?).
Overall a great concept and a good first incarnation (with hopefully more to come).
Absolutely no control over the display
the main complaints are:
1. Tiny fonts for the flash cards. Ridiculously small fonts with no way to enlarge them.
2. The volume for the OGG/MP3 player is way too low even on the loudest setting.
3. No back light. You must be in broad daylight or under a lamp to see the screen (especially with the tiny fonts).
The concept is great but the lack of customization for the screen display and the fact that the volume is so low sort of makes this a mediocre effort. Leapfrog should just stick with the leapster. Obviously their R&D department took a vacation.
Leapfrog Crammer, so far so good.........
It was this item or the Leapfrog Didj and this one won. It is suggested for grades 3 thru 8. I bought this for the flash cards and quizzes. My 9 year old has had this item for 24 hours and it has been in her hands for most of it (except to sleep of course). The start up is very simple and quick. Leapfrog's website is easy to navigate and has free downloads of the flashcards and quizzes. Songs are very simple to load. I would like to explore more of what it does but my DD won't give it up! My only complaint so far (and hers) are the earbuds that are provided with it are very uncomfortable hard plastic so you may want to pick up a pair of soft more comfy ones. I am satisfied with my purchase.
