Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased this at Best Buy for my 3 year old granddaughter and spent hundreds more on on apps and gear. I gave it to her immediately after it was released this July. She soon fell in love with it; it was by far her favorite toy (and ours) as it kept her amused during car trips, doctor and dentist visits, etc. We had issues from the beginning with the screen freezing, scrambled screens, and slow processes, all of which I could live with since she loved it so much. Today, a little more than 30 days after giving it to her, it is totally dead and will not power on at all. We thankfully purchased a warranty, and are going to exchange it, but I have no confidence the new product will be of any better quality. In addition, all the apps I purchased can only be put on three devices. If I get one more dud, I will not be able to transfer my hundreds of dollars in apps to the new device. This purchase has been the biggest mistake I ever made. Take my advice and purchase an ipad, ipad mini, kindle fire, anything but this. Update: Sept. 2,2013. I returned the original item to the store ( thankfully I purchased an extended warranty) and got a replacement. Two days after exchanging the ultra, the replacement refuses to charge with the wall charger. Really leapfrog? 2nd update : Nov. 10, 2013. The replacement has had SEVERAL issues. The entire system has crashed recently, but my daughter was able to repair it, although it took the better part of her very busy day using time she doesn't really have. The system itself (when it is working) is SLOW, SLOWER, OOPS SO SLOW MY GRANDDAUGHTER THREW IT IN FRUSTRATION! (Perhaps that explains the need for the case to withstand dropping?) i am more disappointed than ever with the ultra as time goes on. I have also found my granddaughter's taste in apps changes rapidly; she is very fickle. However, I have decided not to purchase another leapfrog app. Rather, I am looking into just purchasing a Kindle Fire HD for Christmas with its multitude of cheap apps and availability of a low cost monthly subscription to thousands of age- appropriate children' s apps. I would also purchase a warranty and the toughest case out there. I am now going to comment on the manufacturer's comment. ( I' m actually surprised it took me this long). I had already contacted customer support NUMEROUS times before writing this review, trying to give them time to help. Each time I was placed on hold for a completely unacceptable time , ( over an hour in some instances), and given very little true tech support -( for example, one time I was told to " take a picture of the frozen screen and email it to them and wait for an email reply". etc., etc.) Try explaining that to a three year old. In addition, I want to reinforce what others have warned about. Many of the 5 star reviews were written by people who received free ultras. In addition, I believe leapfrog has a program (or contest?) to reward members who leave positive feedback. Whether or not that applies to Amazon reviews, I do not know. I read about the program on leapfrog's facebook page. BTW, has anyone other than me noticed leapfrog s customer support only seems to comment on negative reviews that many people find helpful? So sorry leapfrog, I really wanted to like this product but the more time that passes the more disenchanted I become. So much so that I am willing to lose all the (considerable) money I have invested only 3 1/2 months after purchase. Take my advice Christmas shoppers and spend your hard earned dollars elsewhere. 3rd update: thanks again to the extended warranty, I was able to return this thing. With the money I received, I was able to purchase a leappad 2 AND a kindle fire HD. ( thanks to Black Friday deals). I only purchased the leappad 2 so my granddaughter could use the hundreds of dollars worth of cartridges and apps I have already purchased. I bought a Griffin Technology survivor case for the kindle, haven't received it yet. I will update on all after she receives everything this Christmas and has had a chance to use it all. 4th update: dec.26, 2013: I gave her the leappad 2 a couple of weeks ago because she kept asking where it was. Setup went better than the ultra and there was enough memory to load all the apps I had already purchased for the ultra. What I don't like about leappad 2: It also has glitches like the ultra. For example, the screen often freezes on solid green; the only solution is to turn it off and back on again. I had to purchase separate rechargeable batteries and a charger for the leappad 2; total price for batteries, charger, and leappad 2 was about $29 for everything with all the coupons and discounts I received; that's about all it is worth. The amount of time required each day to " fix" whatever is wrong at any given moment with either the ultra or the leappad 2 is ridiculous. Any of you who have little ones know they want it fixed NOW!! It's also a big pain to take the batteries out and charge them every night. In addition, the apps are limited and very pricey. (For example- Max and Ruby videos are about $1.00 per episode for the kindle fire HD if you buy the whole season but are $2.50 per episode through leapfrog, making leapfrog videos 250% more expensive than Amazon videos. You can buy whole seasons on Amazon but only a few limited episodes on leapfrog). I gave her the kindle fire HD (2012 edition- paid $99 at Best Buy online ) yesterday in a pink Griffin technology survivor case. (About $30-35 on Amazon). First impressions of the case- love it! Totally encases the kindle fire with a built in screen protector. It is made to military standards- drop proof from 5 feet, water resistant ( gotta love that for toddlers), has built in stand so she can prop it up and watch it at the table while snacking, even the buttons have protective covering. If it fails in some way I will update but so far seems to be a great investment. ( ***survivor case update: January 30, 2014: my granddaughter dropped her kindle ( in the Griffin technology survivor case) all the way down the wooden staircase. The survivor case gave it total protection; her kindle never skipped a beat. I don't think the leappad ultra would have survived a fall like that. I now believe the kindle fire in the griffin technology survivor case is sturdier than the leappad ultra. I have since ordered two more cases- one for hubby's kindle and one for my iPad. ) Finally, an early review of the kindle fire HD. After she used it a couple of times I asked her which "iPad" ( she calls every tablet an iPad) she liked better. Her answer- "the pink one." ( kindle). I can't even get her to look at the leappad now. (Which I really don't care about given how poorly their products perform) . Kindle has great graphics, quick response to touch, easy to set up parental controls, tons more apps and videos available at a much better price point, many free things with prime membership, and the ability to grow with your child. FYI, I am a retired elementary school teacher who has some knowledge about what kind of apps are good for little ones. One example- puzzles are great to teach spatial recognition and problem solving. Lots of free and low cost toddler puzzles for kindle, really none that I could find on leapfrog. Don't be fooled by the educational " hype" leapfrog spouts. If they really cared about education and kids they would make a better product, have customer service available when kids are actually home from school (they are closed from 3:00 p.m. on Friday till 9:00 a.m. Monday as well as every night after 5) and have a much better app selection at an improved price point. Parents don't mind spending money on education as long as they see value for what they spend. My opinion- value for what I spent on leapfrog products- very poor. Value for what I spent on kindle and survivor case- excellent! 'Nuff said. June 6,2016 I just wanted the let everyone know that my granddaughter's kindle is still working. However, I upgraded her and her two year old brother to an iPad mini last Christmas. While I liked the kindle, the mini is much more user friendly and has tons of apps that are easy for little ones to use. In addition, I discovered an iPad mini is actually much cheaper than a leap pad when you factor in the cost of leap pad apps. I put griffin cases on both and they have held up well the first six months of use. Best gift ever!!