Customer Reviews

Fisher-Price Easy Link Internet Launch Pad

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I'm excited to write the first review for this product. I picked this up over the weekend for my son who is a few days shy of 3. He loves, loves, loves it! This is a great idea for anyone who shares their computer with a littler one. I purchased both the base unit as well as one expansion pack with Thomas the Train and Bob the Builder keys. Each website has multiple activities for varying ages and skill levels. I love that this thing browses the assigned websites in an adapted format for kids without all the difficult scroll bars, popups and useless links. It does utilize the forward, back, home and refresh buttons that will familiarize them with other browsers.
These sites are full of activities that your child can explore and you don't have to panic if they are left unattended. The unit will not allow access to any other programs or settings on your PC or any other websites. That means, no more freeze ups from inadvertent clicks, no more lost info, changed settings, etc...
I think my son will play with this toy for several years to come considering the large span of difficulty levels at each site.
Definitely reccomended to anyone with a child 3 or older and I believe that my son would have played with this probably from about 2 and 1/2 since he was already playing other computer games at his skill level.

When i originally bought this item i wasn't too impressed since it went to websites you could get to normally if you just type in the web address. boy was i wrong to assume thats all this way. my son has come to know how to use a computer so well he impresses me everyday. he is able to get it started on his own with no help by inserting the plastic figures by himself and travels to all the different websites by simply taking one figure out and putting in the one he wants. tehre are so many games on there that he can learn from. they ask him to sort small from big, yellow from green, etc. yeah some dont have any learning value but A LOT do. he has so much fun he doesn't even kow he's learning. i was a little afraid that since he can't read(he's 3) he would have trouble navigating around. like when the screen asks him if he wants to play again, he knows to click it if he does. even though he can't read he navigates just as well as if he could. he usually spends 2 hours a day with this on and off. sometimes longer if we're inside all day. this gets his attention more than any other item he has. i would DEFINATELY BUY AGAIN!

I have this product and it hasn't worked right for over a year. I just got off the phone with their support and was told this product hasn't been supported for over a year. Most of the Key Fobs no longer work due to website changes. This could be easily fixed with an update from Fisher Price, but their official stance is they no longer support it.

I'm highly disappointed and spreading the word to all I can. If you buy this toy it will not even work out of the box. Save your money for a toy that actually works, and a company that stands behind their product.

Bad form Fisher-Price.

The Fisher-Price Easy Link toy is great! Unfortunately, it was discontinued in 2008 and most of the Smart keys are no longer connect with the websites they are supposed to. I just finished speaking with a customer service rep for Fisher-Price, and here is a list of the smart keys that DO WORK: Fisher-Price dog, Sesame Street Elmo, Clifford, Arthur, and Thomas the Train. For the smart keys the DO NOT WORK: Dragon Tales, Bob the Builder, Disney Princess, Higglytown Heroes, Mickey Mouse, JoJo's Circus, Little Einsteins, Cars, Handy Manny, Barney,and the Wiggles. I really hope this helps because I would have been upset if I would have purchased them, only to get them and the sites not work.

Product works most excellent; but you can save alot of money by editing the XML file that picks which website to open based on the 3 included characters. It is in the directory where it is installed. you can edit it with notepad and change the url's. This will save you money by not buying more plug-ins.

Great idea; but charging so much for extra add-ons is insane. Anyone can reprogram the websites for each plug-in. It is that easy. Save your money and learn to use notepad!

Good choise for young-uns!

Best computer product for kids on the market. I bought software in the past but my sons would escape out of it or not understand how to use it. It took me so much time to "fix" problems with my computer that I shut it down for awhile. When I purchased the Easy Link, it was an entirely new experience for myself and my sons. The ease of use is fantastic and I no longer am running from one end of the house to the computer to help with computer problems. A must have from Santa.

This works great and keeps your kids for going to the wrong place. My son is three and he loves it. He is able to get on and play and I do not have to be concerned about anything inappropriate popping up.

The toy was great, at one time!

However, like other reviews here state, some of the "blocks" or characters no longer work due to website changes. The fact that they are still selling them SHOULD dictate that Fisher Price should still support the device (aka maintain the software). Personally if I bought one now, I would file a complaint for false advertising against Fisher Price. They should simply update the software, or be forced to pull the devices from the market and reimburse people that bought them with the expectation of all the characters actually working.

My kids still play it, and they are sad when they insert a character into the Launch Pad and it gives a website error.

The reason I am giving it low marks in the categories are as follows:
"How much fun is this toy?" 3 stars. Some of the characters work, and some do not. It can be fun if it works, but disappointing when it doesn't.
"How would you rate this toy's educational value?" 5 stars, when the device works, the children really love it, they explore and learn.
How durable is this toy? 2 Stars The device itself is VERY durable. However, part of this toy is also software based, so if the software is broke so is the toy. Which sadly enough is the case for this device.
"How do you rate this toy overall?" 3 Stars, luckily my kids actually got to enjoy it before the software became outdated. However, the fact that they still try and play it and run into the characters that do not work detracts from the overall experience and it becomes average.

This item SHOULD not remain "for sale" in this state. I cannot stress that enough, do not buy it.

I tested this on 64 bit Vista and it worked fine. However, please remember to do the following if you're having problems :

1) restart computer after software installation
2) disable script debugging (Internet Explorer)
3) disable script debugging (Other)

To do step 2 and 3 above, you need launch Internet Explorer and select menu [Tools | Internet Options] first, then go to [Advanced] tab in the [Internet Options] dialog. You will see checkboxes for step 2 and step 3 in the [Browsing] section.

Hope you find these three tips helpful. Happy parenting:-)Fisher-Price Easy Link Internet Launch Pad

My four and a half year old loves to play on the computer. I had set up some links for him under the Favorites menu, but he always managed to go into areas that I didn't like. He was discovering cartoons that were too old for him, was exposed to too many commerical images, etc. The more savvy he was getting, the more I was really having to buckle down on his Internet usage.

Then my grandmother got him this for Christmas. At first, I was concerned that this would be too young for him, but it's not! He loves having something that's just for him, and it's easy to navigate. The software installs a browser that's just for him, and it doesn't allow him to stray from the character website. There's also a password protection that keeps him in the browser and out of my email, etc. You can also set printing limits. There are little arrow keys on the unit that allow the child to play games instead of having to use the buttons on the keyboard since some games require that instead of the mouse.

It is also simple to install. You simply plug the docking station into a USB port, and then run the software CD. That's it. To start it up, you just click the appropriate link on the shortcut menu, put in the desired character "key," then go.

According to the Fisher Price website, there's more Disney keys on the way, like Cars, Handy Manny, Princess, Higglytown, etc. Of course, my son would love SpongeBob, but I doubt that will happen! But it would be good to see something like another age level up of character keys so that it can grow with him.

Just a note - Target stores have a lot of toys on clearance right now, and I picked up the Bob the Builder/Thomas and Wiggles/Barney keys for $2.98 per pack!