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A tablet can be a valuable addition to any parent's arsenal, but you can't just hand a toddler unfettered access to the World Wide Web. Instead, you can choose from a handful of slate PCs that keep children in mind, with thoughtfully curated kids' content services, carefully designed restrictions, and thorough parental controls.
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids vs Fire HD 8 Kids Pro: Which fits your kid best?
Before you buy your child's first tablet, here's what you need to know about Amazon's kid-friendly line
Amazon's Fire HD tablet series offers one of the most streamlined experiences for enjoying popular content. And while it's ideal for accessing the Prime Video catalog, it's not limited to just Amazon apps. It also works perfectly with some of the most entertaining streaming services, including Netflix and Disney+.
Amazon's latest Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet drops to $90, its lowest price yet
It comes with a 2-year replacement guarantee because kids
Amazon's Fire tablets are some of the cheapest Android tablets you can get. They might not be the most powerful or attractive looking devices, but they're great for consuming content in the Amazon ecosystem. The newest models were released earlier this year, and we like the 8-inch version. The Kids Edition has handy features like child-proof casing and simple parental controls, and now it's been marked down to the lowest price yet of $89.99.
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- Mishaal Rahman, one of our buds over at XDA Developers, tracked down the specs for the tablet:
Bloomberg is reporting that Walmart is "moving into iPad territory," in its plans to make a children's tablet. This clearly low-end device from a retailer known for its cheapness somehow constitutes — and I feel the need to quote Bloomberg again here — an "iPad rival."
We've seen a few tablets designed specifically for children, though "designed" can sometimes be a bit of stretch. Nabi's hardware is kid-focused from the ground up, but Amazon and Samsung (two of the biggest tablet makers on the planet, by volume) just add a software skin and an impact-absorbing case to an existing product. In that context, Verizon's newly-announced GizmoTab is an interesting offering: not only is it one of the rare tablet designs meant uniquely for children, it also has surprisingly solid hardware underneath all that padding.
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.
A few weeks ago, Ryan and I tag teamed the Kindle Fire HD 6 and 7 in a review that left us both pretty dang impressed with what Amazon has cooked up in its newest budget-friendly tablets. Since then, I've been playing with the Fire HD Kids (6" - $149; 7" - $159), Amazon's attempt at entering the kids' tablet market. I'm using the six-inch model for this review, but the tablet is also available in a seven-inch model. Like the "regular" HD 6 and 7, the tablets are virtually identical, save for the size. The software is the same on both devices.
I know a lot of people with kids. And from those people, one of the most common questions I get (especially this time of year) is "what's a good tablet for my child?" In the past there has only been one answer to that: Fuhu's nabi. The age of the child has a lot to do with my recommendation, of course, as there are different nabi series for varying ages. But the point is the same: the nabi has been the reigning champ of kids' tablets.But that has changed over the past couple of years, and Fuhu is starting to get a run for its money. Samsung has the Galaxy Tab Kids, Amazon has the Fire HD Kids Edition, and there are slews of newcomers hitting the market every day. I've been playing with one such newcomer, the Kurio Xtreme, for the last couple of weeks. This $130 Intel-powered tablet has a lot to offer, but can it compete with all the other options on the market?
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:
Well, it's CES time again – time for manufacturers to show off what they've been working on for the last several months in hopes of coaxing you into opening your wallet to them. Normally, we get a slew of fantastic, exciting, and innovative devices in the CES storm; however, there are also a few that just aren't worth even considering. This new Polaroid tablet for kids is one of them.
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.
If you're thinking of getting your little munchkin a Nexus 7, Barnes & Noble Nook HD, 7" Kindle Fire HD, or a similar 7-inch tablet/e-reader for Christmas, then you'll undoubtedly want a way for them to keep it safe. But c'mon - this is your kid we're taking about. They don't want a folio, gel case, or even a nifty Active case for their device. They want something fun. Something unique. Something cute.