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A pen that reads, talks

New York: How about a pen that reads what your children write, then barks it out through a loudspeaker? Maybe that does not sound so appealing at first, but the Fly Pen is a smart toy.

Launched this week, it is the latest product from Leapfrog Enterprises Inc. Like the company's popular Leapster and LeapPad gadgets, the pen is both toy and computer, education and entertainment.

The $99.99 (about Rs. 4,500) Fly, designed for eight-to-13-year-olds, is a fat pen with a small camera aimed along the ballpoint tip. It looks at what you write, and it is uncannily good at understanding it. The pen talks to you through a small loudspeaker but, wisely, also includes earbuds, a decision that should save parental sanity. It is powered by a single AAA battery.— AP

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