Reading Systems Review: Poingo vs the LeapFrog Tag
Written: Aug 03 '09 (Updated Oct 20 '09)
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Pros: Hardcover books, Cheaper than Tag, Disney,
Cons: reads entire page not single words, limited titles and availability, pages not sturdy
The Bottom Line: A good story reader, but I would opt for the Tag from LeapFrog
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| marytara's Full Review: Poingo Reading System-2-book Set - Disney Pixar's ... |
My daughter received both this Poingo Reading System and the LeapFrog Tag Reading Sytem for Christmas, shortly before her fourth birthday. Did she need 2 different systems, no. But there we have it - one relative gave her the Tag and another the Poingo. For a minute I thought I would regift or return the Poingo unopened. In the next minute I saw that relative sitting next to my child opening it up to play with it so that idea went out the window.
What is the Poingo all about?
The Poingo is a reading system aimed at children ages 3-7 years old it is from Publications International -the makers of the popular Story Reader (Yes, we had that too when my son was younger). In a nutshell the Poingo consists of "magic" pen that when swiped over the pages of special books will read the book to you. I believe the age recommendation should be more like 3-5 and that older kids may like the gadgety aspect of it but find it less appealing as their own independent reading skills emerge.
Point for Point Comparison of the Poingo vs the Tag
Price - Winner: Poingo
The obvious difference between the Poingo and the Tag is the price. To get started, the Poingo is $34.99 and comes with 2 books. The starter set that we got came with Disney Cars and Finding Nemo. It also includes the magic pen, the software, and a set of earbuds. Additional books are priced at $9.99 per book. This is a more appealing price than the Tag - the starter set is $49.99 and includes 1 paperback book, the pen, and software. Additional books and bundles can be purchased - individual books are $13.99 (though you can usually get them on sale for around $10).
Functionality - Winner: Tag
Though both the Poingo and the Tag are "reading systems" just how the magic pen interacts with the books is quite different. The Tag is far more interactive - it can read the words, the letters, the entire page - as well as play games and make sounds. The Poingo reads the entire page, will read and identify select words (highlighted) and give a definition - as well as play games and sound effects. My daughter immediately found it frustrating with the Poingo how if she is listening and the sentence ends with a fun sound effect, the natural temptation is to press the button to hear the sound effect again (and maybe a few times). But, by pressing that sound effect button or any other button stops the reading and it doesn't resume where it left off. Pressing any word on the page will automatically start the reader on reading the whole page again. There is maybe one or two words per page that is highlighted that can be individually scanned - you will hear the word read aloud and then given a definition of the word. This is not like the Tag where you can scan individual letters and words and really learn how to sound out words and develop those early reading skills.
Both systems utlise a USB cable and software to manage content for your reader pen. We haven't encountered any upper limit for the Poingo since we have just 2 stories. With only 6 books available at this time, one would hope it will be OK. Our Tag system got full after 5 stories though I understand the newer Tag 32MB holds more (up to 10 stories). The software to manage the content for the Tag is slightly more user friendly and allows you to track the progress of your child when they play the games in the books. The software for the Poingo is slightly more difficult to navigate and it is simply a load/unload tool for the content. Also, I seem to have a lot of issues with the Poingo software. I needed to reinstall it and now that I have reinstalled it I am unable to log in - even with a freshly created account. So, it would seem my daughter will be keeping these same 2 stories on her Poingo for now.
One interesting difference is that the voice that reads the Poingo stories and activities is one and the same (a male voice) for both books that we have. It is the same voice throughout the entire story and well - it is kind of a boring voice, not the best in terms of inflection nor is it really engaging. The Tag uses "voices" so that you will hear a voice for Dora, or for Ariel, or any of the different characters in the stories. On this aspect, the Tag is a clear winner.
Form Winner - a Draw
The Poingo and Tag pens are really quite similar aside from the color. Our Tag is a white and green pen and the Poingo is silver & red. The Poingo is slightly longer and more ergonomic and the Tag a little more bulky for smaller hands to hold, which is why they have since released the TagJr.
The books for the Poingo are significantly larger, hardcover books with glossy pages. The Tag comes with a book that has a softcover - additional books are hardcover and smaller about half of the size.
Both systems have loud and quiet volume settings, auto shut off and the ability to use headphones (Poingo comes with them).
I'd say this one is a draw - though there are obvious cosmetic differences neither of them comes off as a standout winner.
Availability - Winner: Tag
The LeapFrog is definitely more popular and so you will probably have an easier time finding one for purchase as well as more price markdowns.
There are a lot more extra books and accessories available for the Tag over the Poingo. At this time the Poingo has 6 titles available (all Disney) and the Tag has no less than a dozen. There are also interactive games and learning cards available and no such option for Poingo right now.
All of the Poingo books are Disney. We have 2 Poingo books (Cars and Finding Nemo) and are likely to add the Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Hannah Montana books. Other offerings include High school musical, the lion king and Winnie the Pooh. If you plan on getting the Poingo I hope you are a Disney fan.. Thankfully, we are! For our Tag we have about half a dozen books including disney, nickelodeon, and children's classics. While we are a big Disney family - I like the variety that Tag offers quite a bit more.
Overall Score & Summary
Tag Wins: 2 (Availability & Function)
Poingo Wins: 1 (Price)
Tied: 1 (Form)
We are big readers here, and my daughter loves to be read to. I have always maintained there is nothing better than reading to your child - so if this toy encourages my daughter to read more I figured it couldn't hurt to have a second reading system. But, if I had to choose between the systems, my first choice and recommendation would be to go for the LeapFrog Tag. There are just way more books available and I like the way you can track to see how your child is doing. Also, my daughter seems to enjoy and uses the Tag more because of the fun voices vs just hearing the single male reader voice of the Poingo. I think that the Tag is just more fun, especially for her age group.
That being said, I really do like and recommend the Poingo. We love the Disney stories and I think that the games are a bit more challenging and advanced. They tend to be more content based (science, etc) and less about words and phonics. I think they are aimed at a child who is bored with reading the stories more than a child who is simply exploring and pressing madly all over each page. My kids are definitely "button pressers" and so she loves to explore and see what different things on the pages activate "nuggets".
Any added benefits?
Both the Poingo and the Tag have turned out to be more beneficial than I have ever imagined since my daughter has a visual impairment and is struggling with reading books where "the letters are too tiny". So, while we are working to encourage independent reading - systems such as the Tag and the Poingo are especially beneficial for kids like her who struggle with their eyesight. I add this because you may have or know of a child with a visual impairment and this really would make a super gift for them.
Related review:
Should I buy a LeapFrog Tag Reading System?
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): gift
Type of Toy: Educational
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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marytara
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Location: Jersey Shore
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