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Samsung has a giant tablet for grownups, but it doesn't seem to be a hit. The Nabi Big Tab for kids is pretty popular, though. The 20-inch variant usually sells for $300, but it's on sale for $250 via eBay right now. The sale is good for a few days, but there is a limited supply and a few hundred have already sold.
If you've heard of Fuhu, you're either a parent, a tech news junkie, or both. The Los Angeles-based company makes the Nabi line of tablets, some of the first Android-powered devices to be made and marketed directly for children, and the forerunner of more widespread "kid" tablet variants from Samsung and Amazon. Android Police has reviewed several of its tablet designs. Fuhu announced that the company is being acquired by Mattel, famous makers of Barbie, Hot Wheels, and all manner of other children's toys and games.
Fuhu's Nabi tablets are meant for kids, offering up a simple interface with big icons and bright colors. Instead of pricing its hardware low enough that you don't care if a toddler breaks it, Fuhu puts in the extra effort to make sure the device holds up under a kid's fingerprints. Now it has announced a successor to the aging Nabi 2, the Elev-8.
Not all of Uber's passengers are childless 20-somethings looking to stay out late with friends. Some riders have children, and it helps everyone involved if those kids have something to keep them busy. So Uber and Fuhu have come up with a way to keep to do precisely that.
Look, Fuhu's products aren't for you. They're for your kids, or possibly your extended family if you're a really cool uncle or grandma or something. So the company doesn't have the same kind of demanding scrutiny for timely software updates as, say, the latest Galaxy Tab. Even so, the Nabi 2's update to Android 4.4 is being sent out almost a year and a half after the software was first available, and it's not like Fuhu has a ton of other products waiting in line.
When Fuhu announced the 20- and 24-inch Big Tabs, we all kind of chuckled and gave them a pass. Surely kids would like huge tablets, right? I think so. But now things are just getting out of hand - the company just announced 32, 43, 55, and 65-inch Big Tabs. Tablets the size of TVs. It's insanity, I say.
You know what this world needs? More huge Android tablets. I'm talking full-on monitor-replacements. Or small TVs. Let's throw portability out the window in favor of bigger screens. I like it. Fuhu gets that, so it just announced two new massive nabi tablets: the nabi Big Tab HD 20 and Big Tab HD 24.
As far as we can tell, today's over-the-air update for Fuhu's top-of-the-line DreamTab HD8 is the first time the company has published an Android 4.4 device build. Not that the kid-friendly target demographic is likely to care that their tablets are running the latest and greatest KitKat build, but heck, newer is better, right? According to Nabi's support website, the update is going out to tablets today, and can be initiated with the usual manual check in "Mommy or Daddy mode."
Owners of the Nickelodeon Edition of the kid-friendly Nabi 2 tablet have probably been somewhat jealous of their non-Nick counterparts, which got an over-the-air update back in December which added compatibility with the Google Play Store. Or maybe it's just the parents of the owners who care. In either case, the Nickelodeon Edition Nabi 2 now has access to the Play Store courtesy of the latest OTA.
When it comes to big things happening at CES, Fuhu isn't really the first name that comes to mind. Understandably so, as it's a small, niche company. But don't sell it short, either – these guys have been hard at work and have some great-looking products set for release in 2014.
Fuhu is no stranger to partnerships at this point – the company has released the nabi jr. Nick Jr. Edition, nabi 2 Nick Edition, and nabi 2 Disney Edition. And according to the New York Times, it looks like another co-branded device is coming down the pike now, though this one reportedly exits the nabi line and will be released under the moniker DreamTab.
Guys and gals, it's a big day for nabi 2 owners. The days of rooting and flashing Google Play will be long gone later today, because Fuhu will be officially rolling Google Services out the company's most popular tablet.
Fuhu is a company that kind of appeared out of nowhere and blew me away with the nabi 2. Its two subsequent tablets – the nabi Jr. and nabi XD – cover age groups on either side of the nabi 2, so the whole family can get in on the fun. While I've already reviewed the 2 and Jr., I've been waiting to cover the XD for one reason: the Play Store.The first two nabi devices are missing the Play Store, which is one area where both take a hit. Of course, since they're really for school-age children, they get a pass (from me, at least), but it's something I had a much harder time forgiving on the 10-inch XD, which is designed for tweens. I feel like there's a lot more of a need for Play on a device for older kids, as they can just get more use out of it.Fast-forward to now, and the 32GB nabi XD is available for purchase – complete with Google Play. This is the first Fuhu device to feature access to Google Services, which is a pretty big deal.Before we get into the bulk of the review, however, I want to discuss the differences between the two versions of the nabi XD. As pointed out in the specs, there are 16GB and 32GB versions, and they vary slightly from each other. It isn't uncommon for Fuhu to change things up on the same device, just as it did with the 4GB and 16GB nabi Jrs.Thus, here's the short list of differences between the two, itemized for quick and easy parsing:
If you picked up Fuhu's nabi XD tablet for tweens, then it's time to grab it and hit the update button. An OTA recently began rolling out that brings some intriguing new features to the device, including an all-new launcher.
Back in December of last year, Fuhu announced two new members of the nabi family: the jr. and XD. While the latter is designed for tweens and sports a larger form factor, the former is an itty-bitty device designed for the itty-bitty hands of a pre-schooler. At the time, two versions were announced: a 4GB variant for $99 and 16GB for $129. A lot has changed since that announcement, including the specifications of the unit with the larger storage capacity.The device was spec'd like this at announcement time:
Back in early-to-mid December, Fuhu announced a pair of new tablets: the nabi Jr. for small children, and the nabi XD for tweens. While release details were scant for the nabi Jr., the XD was penciled in for a mid-January release date. That time frame has come and gone, but it looks like both device are now available through BestBuy.com, though it's possibly the company pulled the trigger a little bit early since there's been nary a word from Fuhu since the initial announcement.
Fuhu Introduces A 10" Tablet Designed Just For Tweens - Say Hello To The $250 Nabi XD
Say Hello To The $250 Nabi XD
Fuhu - the creator of the nabi and nabi 2 tablets - is on fire. Just a little over one week ago, they announced the nabi Jr., a new 5" tablet designed for small children, and today they're back at it with a tablet designed just for tweens: the nabi XD.
Move Over, LeapPad: Fuhu Introduces The $99 Nabi Jr. Tablet For Small Children
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the Nabi 2 tablet for kids. As a father, I was extremely impressed with its vast suite of educational software.
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the Nabi 2 tablet for kids. As a father, I was extremely impressed with its vast suite of educational software, ease of use, and overall solid build quality when I reviewed it. The one major drawback of the Nabi 2 is that it's not really meant for pre-school-age children. Sure, it could help give your little little one a headstart, but $200 is a bit much to shell out when they may not even start using the device until the ripe-old age of five. Enter the answer to your quandary: the Nabi Jr.
There's no doubt that the Nabi 2 is the absolute best tablet on the market designed just for kids. When I reviewed it back in June, I came away impressed with everything that Fuhu was able to pack into this device, all while keeping the price around $200 (that was, of course, before the Nexus 7 was announced, so a $200 tablet that didn't suck was impressive in itself). The build is solid, it's packed to the brim with educational software, and the Monarch UI is a fantastic and intuitive interface for kids. In short, it's a great little piece of kit for children.
We've talked quite a bit about Fuhu's Nabi 2 tablet, which was designed specifically for children. Given its $200 price tag and powerful Tegra 3 processor, 1GB RAM, and Android 4.0, this device is not only great for the kids, but it packs a punch for parents, as well. (To get a better idea of everything the Nabi has to offer, check out my full review.)