The toys coming out of CES this year aren’t just for grown-ups.
As any tablet-owning parent of a young child can attest, as soon as mom or dad brings out the iPad, Kindle Fire, or Android tablet, the little one wants to “play” with it as well. Luckily for these parents who aren’t unwilling to pay for their child to have a similar tablet experience, there is a growing number of devices optimized for the little ones in our lives.
At CES 2013, such kid-friendly tablets have come into focus. Fuhu is the company receiving praise for its two new kids’ tablets – the Nabi Jr. and the Nabi XD. Both devices hit the market next month.
Melissa J. Perenson, Senior Editor of PCWorld, was one of the first to experience the tablets in person.
The Android-powered 10.1-inch Nabi XD “impressed me most,” she says. “It has a uniquely curved design, with white plastic and red plastic accents. The tablet even has both front- and back-facing cameras, an unusual find in a tablet that’s clearly trying to push prices down ever-lower.”
A multimedia machine optimized for parental controls, the Nabi XD costs $249 for the 16 GB model. It’s $349 for the 32 GB version.
Android 4.0-based Nabi Jr. is designed for use by the youngest of kids eying a tablet. Priced at $99 for a 4 GB model (a $129 16GB model is also available, however), this tablet is a sturdy creation that looks like something out of Sesame Street rather than Silicon Valley.
“When your kids see you using a tablet,” Perenson says, “of course they want to use one, too. Thank goodness there are some tablets out there tailored to them, so they can share the experience—without begging for time on your own device.”
So… are you in the market for a tablet for your kids? If so, will one of these devices accommodate your patenting and your pocketbook? Please weigh in with a thought or comment below.
