Playaway has debuted the Launchpad Quest, a 21.5-inch touchscreen learning hub with up to 150 educational games, storybooks, activities, and more for children ages 3–10. All content on the devices is preloaded, and the Launchpad Quest does not connect to the internet and does not have a camera installed. There are no logins, downloads, or personal data collection by the devices, so children can interact with the age-appropriate content via picture-based navigation (along with the help of several onscreen “Playaway Pals”) without supervision. In addition, no software updates are required. The devices do have a staff-facing admin portal enabling volume control, screen time limits, and auto shutdown times, along with an analytics dashboard for anonymous usage insights such as the total number of user sessions, average duration time, and which apps are popular.

The devices offer “a really great opportunity for parents to engage their kids while they are picking out books,” Alexandria Abenshon, director of children’s programs and services for the New York Public Library (NYPL), told LJ. NYPL was asked to be part of the Launchpad Quest’s beta test during a meeting with Playaway at the American Library Association’s conference in Philadelphia last summer.

In the NYPL test, three devices were distributed to one branch each in the three New York City boroughs that the system serves—Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island—and placed in fixed locations where kids can use computers. Abenshon said that coloring apps were particularly popular. “It was a mix, and they were definitely engaging with some of the phonics programs and storytelling programs” as well as Hasbro and Smithsonian content.

While they are configured to be secure for individual children to use, Abenshon said the Launchpad Quests tended to draw small groups.

“By and large it was a multiuser experience, whether it was multiple kids, or a child with an adult,” Abenshon said. “I would say that tracks for computer use. We see a lot of kids clustered around anything…even with our desktops. It’s a very social activity. Kids are excited to do things together.”

Stephanie Trivison, VP, Product and Marketing for Playaway, said that most other beta test libraries encountered similar usage. “Although we were expecting these to be single user devices, everywhere we looked, there were multiple kids using these…. It didn’t seem to matter what the activity was.”

The apps and content have been “tested and curated specifically with the intention of helping develop foundational skills for kids—really learning and growing in shared-space environments,” Trivison added.

The devices, along with a basic set of 50 apps, are available for $1,699, and additional “Side Quest” expansion packs of 25 apps in the categories of literacy, STEAM, world languages, and just-for-fun arcade games can be preloaded for $279 each. Once purchased, there are no licensing or annual renewal fees.