We here at Gizmodo believe that the children are the future and that we should teach them well and let them lead the way. Therefore, we’ve deigned to review the Franklin Princeton Review Pocket Prep for the New SAT-2400 handheld, a small device that offers tips, practice tests, and “educational games” for the post-pubescent scholar.
Because I haven’t set foot in a high school since about 1993, I knew I would be perfect for this job. My years of learned wisdom and maturity would obviously be reflected in my current test performance and because—as I understand it—today’s children are much dumber than I was, what with all this rap music and shiny clothing, I should be able to ace the SAT and get into Brown where they totally don’t have grades and the teachers smoke up with the students and that’s where Sadie Marks is going and we’re soulmates. Plus, Duncan Sheik graduated from there.
The device, which looks like a sideways iPaq, has a set of answer buttons, a power button, and some arcane symbols on the right side. The directional button allows you to scroll through menus and tests while the Home buttons sends you back to the main menu and the back button backs you out of tests and lessons.
Unlike the old-fashioned Princeton Review books printed on cheap newsprint that ripped when you tried to erase them, this device weighs about 5 ounces and is eminently reusable. It includes three practice tests, a full set Princeton Review tips and tricks, and some “educational games” that are a far cry from anything found on the PSP. Navigation is extremely simple. You simply select a lesson or test and begin. The bright black and white LCD isn’t going to reproduce fine art but it’s more than sufficient and highly readable.
As for the quality of the lessons, they are exactly the same as you find in the aforementioned books. The Pocket Prep, which sells for about $132, comes with a carrying case and some sort of yellow writing utensil that appeared to produce marks using compressed black powder. Attempts to bite said utensil yielded little information as to its magic.
The three tests, which I attempted, were very difficult. Apparently, high school students learn things called mathematics and grammar, two arcane disciplines that we in the drink-a-day fun-fun-fun adult world have little use for. When’s the last time you added two numbers or read, thirty-somethings? Exactly.
In all seriousness, however, this prep system is quite compact and would be perfect for a household with a few students of high school age who might be able to pass down the SAT-2400 to each other. While the dead tree books have served us well for years, the durability and reusability of this handheld offers a cost savings and the educational games, including Letris (HA!) and grammar, math and vocabulary puzzles, will at least encourage Junior or Juniorette to at least try to prepare for this test—which does appear on your permanent record and will be very important in the real world—instead of staring at TRL and eating.
Product Page [Franklin]
