Hasta La Gadget!

“There’s like a billion things you can do with this! Play games, read books, download apps, make your own animation,” the child actors cry. “When is it coming out?” All should be revealed June 7th, according to teaser trailer at LeapFrog‘s website — that’s when the company will unveil its new mystery device. You won’t need to wait nearly that long, though, because CEO Jeffrey Katz has already been more than forthcoming with the company’s investors.

The new device is called the Leapster Explorer, and it’s a Linux-based ARM-powered touchscreen computer that doubles as a gaming platform and e-book reader, integrated into both the company’s Learning Path parent monitoring system and LeapWorld virtual world. We hear tell it will have a content marketplace for app and video downloads… and there’s a digital camera and video accessories planned for the kid-friendly gadget’s future. To spite LeapFrog marketers further, the Explorer is already available for preorder — spotted at J&R this afternoon — and both the online retailer and a sweepstakes running at the LeapFrog website confirm the Explorer will retail for $69.99. But when is it actually coming out? Katz just told investors they’d “see it in stores around the first of July.”