With the iQuest, children can own a smart handheld that not only prepares them for school tests, but also helps them get organized with an address book, calendar, dictionary, and other handy tools.
This battery-operated handheld is both attractive and easy to use. Children select from a number of menu options on the large LCD display by using a scroll button, and enter information into the unit using the small QWERTY keyboard. The unit comes with a Starter Pack 4MB cartridge featuring 1000 questions based on 5th through 8th grade curriculum, and additional cartridges loaded with customized quizzes are sold separately.
With the Starter Pack, kids can participate in a "pop quiz" by selecting either Math, Science, or Social Studies, and their grade level (5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th). After selecting "Math Grade 6" and the subcategory "Percentages", for example, they might need to answer the question, "What's 200% of 30?" Chapter Challenge is loaded with a variety of question styles, and successful answers earn points. Depending on the category and grade level selected, children might need to answer, "True or False: The Great Plains region is perfect for farming because it gets plenty of rain" or "Choose the best definition of 'geography'."
Handy tools that keep children up-to-date and organized include an address book, calendar/scheduler, dictionary, calculator, and notepad. Kids can keep track of their "contacts" by entering addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses in the handheld's address book. A calendar is always at their fingertips with the unit's Scheduler. Kids can refer to the calendar and enter events and reminders for any day of the year. The notepad feature also helps organize kids' lives—electronic notes can be entered here. Very impressive is the Merriam Webster's School Dictionary. As kids type in a word they want to look up, a scrollable list appears as each letter is entered. The unit also works as a calculator.
Owners of the iQuest can opt to purchase a Mind Station connector add-on. This will allow them to download chapter outlines and quizzes based on the available school textbooks. Note that a membership fee is required after the first 6 months of trial membership. This "extra" is not necessary, but it is an expandability option.
Additional cartridges that focus on the subjects Math, Science, and Social Studies, are available to expand the learning power of the iQuest. These allow users to add new curriculum-based quiz questions, created in partnership with The Princeton Review, to their unit. Not all school textbooks are supported, but the line features 250+ textbooks from popular publishers.
Some of the handheld's features include volume control and automatic shut-off when the unit is idle. We found the iQuest a tad chatty at times. Instructions and prompts to continue occasionally annoyed our testers. We also wish the volume control could be saved upon shutting down the unit. As it stands, the default volume is a little too loud for starting up the iQuest in school or library settings. However, this handheld is impressive on many levels. Its design and features are popular with children in the target age group; the quizzes offer hints and display the correct answer when an incorrect solution is entered; its size and portability features make it suitable for learning on the go (great for long car rides!); and its bonus tools help kids feel organized.
