Franklin AnyBook Reader - 60 Hour Edition (DRP-4000)

by Franklin

• Record the book of your choice onto the Any Book! Pen.
• 60 hours of record and playback time. Language independent.
• Includes 400 blank stickers that are removable and reusable.
• Requires 2 AAA Batteries (not included). Additionally, a set of sound effect stickers for your childs fun and entertainment are included.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1.6 x 1 x 6.5 inches ; 6.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00413PAIY
• Item model number: DRP-4000
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,484 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 1, 2010

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

AnyBook DRP-4000

Your voice. Your child. Your books.

"Read me a book!"

How many times have you heard that? Probably more than you can count. AnyBook reader is here to help. With ease, you can now record yourself reading a book to your child or grandchild. This way, they'll have you with them always, even when you're not there. With this simple touch, record, playback process you can record any page of any book you already own. AnyBook reader stores up to 60 hours of recordings.

Any voice.

AnyBook reader doesn't use a computerized voice. It uses your voice – or your child's – or their grandparent's. In other words: any voice. This allows you to give the words the inflections you want. Create the characters' voices and personalities and help them jump off the page. Go ahead and make them laugh! After all, you know your children better than we do.

Any books.

And you know the books that your kids like. The books that help them learn. We understand that, so we won't ask you to buy any more books. You have freedom with AnyBook reader, freedom to select your kid's favorite book. Or any book from their library. Simply record any of the books they've already got.

Any time.

AnyBook reader is ready for your children whenever they want it. Maybe you're travelling on business or just working late. Maybe you're overseas serving our country or simply live far from your extended family. We're not trying to take your place. But in this small, simple way, your child can know you're thinking of them.

4 Simple Steps

Just follow these simple steps and you will be recording and sharing books in minutes. Unlike other reading pens, the AnyBook reader works with your entire library of books. Just apply a blank sticker to each page, activate a sticker, record that page, and let your child enjoy hearing your voice read to them over and over again. It's that easy!

After a book has been recorded there is nothing else to do. When the AnyBook reader is turned on your child only needs to open the book and touch the end of the pen to a sticker to hear what you've recorded on that page.

Sticker Packs

AnyBook reader comes with a selection of stickers. Each sticker uses a unique code which allows you to associate different recordings with every page of your book. Don't worry! These stickers use special glue which won't damage your book so you can remove them at any time. Select your favorite sticker designs to personalize your recordings.

Fun sound effect stickers are also included so you can add special sounds to your recordings. Make a scary book scarier with "lightning and rain" or fun animal sounds like an "oink"ing pig or a "cluck"ing chicken.

Product Description

DRP 4000 AnyBook Reader is a reading enhancement and reinforcement tool enabling language and reading enjoyment and improvement. This flexible record and playback tool with 60 hours of recording time enables read-out-loud record and playback by parent and/or child, building experience, confidence and reading ability. By recording their own reading voice the child can reinforce their own reading performance and the ability to record and playback any book or text tailors the reading and learning experience to the individual child. With ease you can “read” to your child whenever he or she desires. The AnyBook Reader uses a simple touch, record, playback process that allows you to record the words on any page of any book so you can read to your children or grandchildren even when you’re not there. The AnyBook Reader comes with a selection of AnyBook Reader stickers. Each sticker uses a unique code which allows you to associate different recordings with every page of your book. Don't worry! These stickers use special glue that won’t damage your book so you can remove and re-use the stickers at any time. Select your favorite sticker designs to personalize your recordings.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Gift or Learning Guide November 29, 2010

By M. G. Gagliano VINE™ VOICE

Last month, a new product from Franklin Electronics called AnyBook Reader was launched. It is aimed at the working, busy or traveling parent, far-away grandparent, or any other long distance relatives, who want to bond with a child even when they are apart. It's an interactive reading device that allows you to read & record any book in your personal library in your own voice and then allows your toddler (who may or may not know how to read yet) to follow along with their favorite books and your voice, so that you're reading the book instead of the Nanny!

AnyBook can be purchased through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. There is a 15-hour version ($39.99), and a 60-hour version ($59.99).

Ok, now that you have seen the press release let me tell you all about it.

AnyBook comes with a selection of blank stickers for recording your voice. There are also stickers that have sounds recorded in them if appropriate to the book (dog, firetruck, rain, crying, etc). The stickers are made to be removed and won't ruin your pages. You can even re-record on them or order more if you run out.

You touch the button on the pen to start the record mode. You hear a few beeps and it is ready for you to record. That's it! So easy!

Last week I quickly and easily recorded two books so that I could carry it everywhere with me. My first stop was the school where I was meeting with my son's teachers and therapists.

I opened the first book and put the reader to the sticker. They heard the book being read through the pen and then I opened the next book to show them how the reader will read anything I record into the sticker. They all looked at me in amazement.

I was asked, "how do you get the recording". I explained that I touch the pen to a sticker that I place on the page, the pen counts down and I record the page into the pen by reading. They actually thought it was Ruby on the Max and Ruby book so they were at first confused. When I told them it was me doing characters that is when they were all amazed.

Everyone stated the same thing; they have seen other readers out there but you have to literally buy books from the maker of the pen. That is what makes this pen so much better! You can literally read/record your children's favorite books and they can hear you read to them anytime.

It is the easiest thing and so personal. I love this idea for military families especially but I think this is great for anyone. Perhaps your children don't get to see their grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends often. They visit you once or twice a year. They could read a book or two for the child into the pen and your child can hear them anytime they want.

Another friend had asked about the stickers and if they can put on other things. Sure, why not. This got me thinking how great this would be for a baby learning speech or perhaps someone trying to learn another language. Place the sticker on anything, record what it is and the person can actually learn speech.

What a great gift idea. Imagine a child on your Christmas list opens a book of books with the pen that you have already recorded the books on! This pen says "love".

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Personalized, fun learning tool November 17, 2010

By dknj

Finally! ... a reader that is not limited to buying those special reading systems and the accessories for them. This is like the reading pens, but you can use the books you already have or would rather have for your children AND you record your own voice into it. So, you can personalize the story using your kids' names or by using your own character voices. It comes with sheets of removable stickers that are used to identify your recording. For example, you adhere a sticker on each page of your book. Then, you turn the reader on, touch the sticker with the reader to activate the sticker and then you record your voice reading the page. It also comes with an assortment of pre-recorded stickers with sounds on them (animals, phone ringing, clapping, etc.) to add to the story. My kids have fun with it. You can get creative with it, too. I can totally see myself eventually using this for their school items, crafts, albums, etc.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very cool! November 19, 2010

By Cherise Kachelmuss TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Now there are not many nights that I miss storytime with my boys before bed, but there are the few nights I do and there are times when they want to read a book by themselves. I am not saying there is a total substitution for a parent reading to their child, but their is a device that can now help out a little. The AnyBook Reader by Franklin Electronic Publishers is a device that allows a parent (or another significant adult) to read a book into a microphone-like device and record themselves reading the book. What is nice about the AnyBook Reader is you can use it with any book in your child's library and you can use it with multiple books at one time! (There is a 15 hour and 60 hour version.) You place a small sticker on the corner of the book pages and record each page individually, then your child can tap the sticker and hear you read the story! So no more buying special books and/or cartridges, just buy new stickers when you run out. The stickers use a special glue that won't damage a book and can be removed at any time. A pack of stickers is $9.99 and contains 10 sheets of ready-to-program stickers, each containing 20 stickers for a total of 200 stickers. You'll also get 4 new sheets of sound-effect stickers (80 more stickers).

Setting up a recording and deleting a recording is very easy, almost too easy that I thought for sure I was forgetting something! The stickers are easy to remove but unless your child really picks at them they should stay on just fine. There is a little feedback in the microphone so make sure the room you do the recording in is very quiet (like naptime or after bedtime!) I really though like this idea and it is so easy and quick to do. I could have a basic book done in minutes from adding the stickers to the pages to recording it. What makes this product really unique though is that it is your own voice that you are recording, so not a strangers or a robot voice. This would be especially great for a grandparent to record (and easy for them to use), a deployed military parent or other family member. My sons got a kick out of hearing my voice and now its funny they look for the white stickers in all their books! The AnyBook reader may be a little bit more upfront than other readers (about $60) but its your voice and its any book your child wants! Really you could use these stickers on anything you want to record a message on - the possibilities are endless!