{Holiday Gift Guide} Fisher Price iXL 6-in-1 Learning System Review

Fisher Price iXL 6-in-1 Learning System

Ages:  3-7 Years Old

Price:  $80.00

ABOUT:

These days, even preschoolers want cool digital devices. Wait ’til they get their hands on iXL—the learning, entertainment and media center just for kids. Like them, it’s small but powerful. Full of creative fun. And very, very smart. It flips open and turns from a book to a game player and so much more—it’s like having six digital devices in one! Kids will love all the different ways to play, learning important fundamentals along the way. Folds closed for on-the-go fun. Requires 4 AA batteries (not included).

iXL also requires a PC or Macintosh computer with internet connection, CD-ROM drive and USB port. The Media Manager CD-ROM it comes with makes it easy for kids to load and manage their own photos, music and software titles. iXL can store multiple files.

Base system includes:
• 1 interactive story and activity
• 1 learning game
• Writing activities
• Art tools and stampers
• Music sampler
• Sample photo images
• And it’s easy to add more!

iXL teaches:
• Story comprehension
• Counting (by 1’s, 2’s, 10’s)
• Art and creativity
• Phonics
• Vocabulary
• Writing
• Spelling and lots more!

Minimum System Requirements:

Microsoft® Windows XP, Windows Vista™ or Windows 7:
• 150MB free hard drive space
• Internet connection

Macintosh OS X v10.4 or higher:
• 150MB free hard drive
• Internet connection

MY THOUGHTS:

The Fisher Price iXL Learning System is pretty neat.  It comes in a hard plastic case and you open it up like a book.  There are only three buttons (other than the volume up/down) – the on/off button on the top and inside there is a Home button to go back to the menu and an Action button used in some activities.  I love that it is not full of buttons that my son doesn’t understand.  The whole system is touch screen using an attached stylus pen (which is nice since it is hard to lose that way!)  There are 6 activities right out of the box to do – Digital Reader with one story, Game Player with one game, Notepad to practice tracing letters and numbers, Art Studio to draw pictures, MP3 player with an assortment of songs and Photo Viewer with a few pictures that you can draw on and add stamps to.

I quickly installed the iXL software on my Mac (which I had to go to the Fisher Price website since the CD it comes with is PC only) and the Application is pretty basic.  It allows you to customize profiles for each kid, add songs, add photos, and add software that you purchased.  Now I wish you could download software but right now you have to go to the store and actually buy the software to then come home and install it.  Each software title that you can buy (there are only 8 titles right now) includes a character version of all six of the activities so there would be a Batman game, Batman photo studio and so forth.  I am hoping they come out with more titles pretty soon because my son is not a big fan of the ones currently available.

Overall, I think the Fisher Price iXL is pretty durable and love that it carries the Fisher Price brand name and quality.  It is a little expensive for what you get and I do wish you could download software (especially cheaper software since the current titles are $25 each.)  I can see my son getting bored with the one story and game on there pretty quickly, but it is neat that he can practice tracing his letters, listen to music and check out our photos.  The story is neat though as it is interactive and you can click words and images to make them move or repeat the word.  So far I have added photos to it and it was very easy and quick, done via USB transfer.  I love the size as it makes it easy for little ones to hold and grasp, especially with the small-included stylus, but it is about 1 inch thick.  There is also a headphone jack, SD card slot, and it requires 4 AA batteries (not included.)

BUY IT: You can buy the Fisher Price iXL 6-in-1 Learning System for a suggested retail price of $80 through Fisher Price Store online or look for it wherever you are doing your toy shopping!

Mama’s Money Savers Disclosure: I was sent a Fisher Price iXL sample to review and give my honest opinion. Please see my Disclosure Policy.