By Parents undecided on which tablet to get their children for Christmas may want to consider a new Tegra-enabled option by the folks from Fuhu, inc. The company has announced the nabi Jr, something they’re calling a “leap forward in the toy tablet category.” The proverbial leap will cost you just $99, and as a kid I’ve never gotten a “toy” as cool as this.
The 5 inch WVGA features NVIDIA’s dual-core Tegra chipset and will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s not the latest version of Android but it’s modern enough so children won’t have to worry about compatibility issues with their favorite games and apps. And what child is really foaming at the mouth for Jelly Bean anyway?
This device isn’t just going to be for gaming, though. Parents can breathe easy knowing that the nabi Jr’s software has been designed with education in mind just as much as it was designed to be fun.
The Wings Education System is integrated with learning tools for children from kindergarten all the way through 6th grade. Books (with assignments), educational games and more will allow parents to feed the entertainment needs of their children while simultaneously improving basic reading, writing and mathematical skills. Parents can even assess their children’s education level to identify problem areas and suggest a learning track to improve the child’s understanding of a particular subject.
Additional accessories and features, such as video baby monitoring, a karaoke setup, a cash register (with virtual currency) and a game controller will all be available to enhance the experience even further. And children can even get their own virtual pet to care for in case you want to start preparing them for the real deal whenever you decide to get them a cute dog or cat for Christmas.
The device will be available in 4GB and 16GB models for $99 and $130, respectively, and you will start to see them retail in the middle of this month. Accessories will be available starting February 2013 at varying prices. Read on for full press details.
Fuhu, Inc. Announces nabi™ Jr., A Leap Forward in the Toy Tablet Category with a $99 Full-Featured Learning Tablet Built Just For Kids
nabi™ Jr. is the first full-featured, NVIDIA®-powered, $99 Android tablet with 5-inch capacitive touch screen, Android ICS and pre-loaded with educational apps, games, and videos
EL SEGUNDO, CA., Dec. 4, 2012 – Fuhu, Inc., the leading innovator in tablets made just for kids, introduced today the new nabi™ Jr., featuring an NVIDIA® Tegra® dual-core processor, Android 4.0 ICS, 5-inch high-resolution (800×480) capacitive touch screen and rotating front and back camera for only $99. nabi Jr. is a breakthrough in a category filled with low-quality toys.
“nabi 2 is one of the hottest products for kids in 2012, we took everything kids and parents loved from nabi 2 and adapted it to a younger market at a $99 offering for nabi Jr. We are confident that we will redefine the toy tablet category and that kids and parents will be blown away with the incredible experience this product delivers,” said Jim Mitchell CEO of Fuhu, Inc. “The amazing educational system combined with the content partnerships we have lined up with the performance of this tablet will redefine expectations unlike ever before.”
nabi Jr. redefines education with the first tablet-based adaptive learning system that takes a holistic approach to courseware vs. individualized text books and stand-alone apps
Pre-loaded with Wings™ Education System (Pre-K and K), nabi Jr. is a revolution in learning, digital reading and creativity. Covering Pre-K through 6th grade in reading, writing, math and arts, Wings was built with common core, state-standardized requirements in mind and, from the ground up, innovative and fun user interfaces and amazing graphics. Wings is the most advanced tablet education system to help give your child a head start and develop a love of learning, strong study skills and confidence.
Wings™ Adaptive Learning System
Wings is the first tablet-based adaptive learning system that creates individualized lesson plans based on your child’s proficiency across over 2,500 fundamentals in reading, writing and math. Wings helps your child achieve success through skill set mastery in reading, writing and math with over 40,000 challenging lessons with amazing graphics and characters.
Wings™ Challenges
Wings Challenges puts the challenge of games into learning; it’s a learning system we coined “game-u-cation” a system that motivates your child to progress through a series of challenges, unlocks, hidden maps, character discoveries, achievements and bonuses as they master fundamentals in reading, writing and math.
Wings™ University
Wings University is a comprehensive bookstore filled with additional lessons (1st – 6th grade), read-a-long books and innovative creativity apps and activities.
Wings™ Learn & Earn
Wings™ Learn & Earn is an incentive-based learning program that rewards your child with nabi™ Coins for educational achievement that can be utilized to redeem apps, games and real accessories.
N-Site™ Reports
The first in real-time metrics, Wings™ N-Site gives you an immediate understanding of your child’s proficiency, trouble spots, time spent and areas of improvement. It’s the most powerful tool for parents to have true insight into their child’s educational progression!
No cartridges; no AA batteries and includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Redefining the toy tablet category, nabi Jr. includes a full-featured app store made specifically for children as well as the ability to side-load Amazon app store. You’ll never be short of activities, apps, games or movies and music for your child on the nabi Jr. With over 1,000 apps and games available there is really no necessity for costly cartridges. Whether your child wants fast-action gaming or to explore their inner Picasso, nabi Jr. has an app for that. Simply connect to Wi-Fi and access the nabi Jr. store made just for kids.
Made durable and kid-safe
Like its older sibling nabi™ 2, nabi Jr. was made to withstand drops, bumps and the occasional spills that are inevitable in a child’s hands. With its food-grade, drop-safe bumper nabi Jr. is sure to last whatever your child puts it through. Of course, nabi Jr. comes with its industry defining standards of parental controls that help you easily manage usage and access of web, apps and games.
Integrated Plug and Play Toyccessories™
Your child’s first tablet, that grows with them! From their first days in the cradle, the nabi Jr. transforms into the world’s most powerful baby monitor. Leveraging nabi Jr.’s 800×480 high-resolution 5-inch screen for a clear view, and optional infrared night vision camera and remote zoom and turn functions, and microphone this baby monitor is simply incredible. Utilize nabi™ Cloud and any Android phone to stream and see what baby is doing anytime, anywhere. And when you’re with your baby, utilize nabi Jr. to keep their attention with nabi Jr. apps, games and videos! Best of all, once your child has outgrown the necessity of a baby monitor you still have the power of nabi Jr.
Baby Monitor
Enjoy the peace of mind with the nabi Jr. wireless video baby monitor. The video monitor comes with a camera to let you keep watch over your baby. The parent unit is your nabi Jr. 5-inch, high-resolution tablet, and the zoom function offers convenient use. Infrared night vision lets you keep an eye on your little one, even in low-light conditions, and the high-sensitivity microphone allows for two-way communication. The monitor features an out-of-range alert, a room temperature display, a sound level indicator and a low-battery alert.
Karaoke Machine
The nabi Jr. Karaoke Player comes with an amazing portable hi-fi speaker and microphone. Be the life of any party with the nabi Jr. Portable Karaoke Player! When the mega-bass sound kicks in you’ve got the ultimate karaoke experience! Plug into your TV to watch scrolling lyrics from your television (when used with HDMI plug). Featuring Auto Voice Control, speaker balance and echo control you’ll always sound your best.
Cash Register
nabi Jr.’s cash register brings fun and learning together in one talking register. Each transaction is tracked on the tablet screen in large, easy-to-read numbers. Play money is included, allowing kids to learn about saving and spending money the easy way. Each transaction is replayed back with the amazing talking feature, so your cash register can teach while you play.
Kids have fun counting bills and coins, making change, running the credit card, scanning items, weighing things on the built-in scale. Life skills increase exponentially in the context of meaningful play! Transactions are also rewarded with lights, sounds and positive voice messages. Addition, subtraction, place value, and coin recognition games are included!
Game Controller
Take full control of the gaming experience with nabi Jr. Game Controller. No need to compromise with awkward and frustrating touch screen control for the games that demand a real console gamepad. It combines the best new hardware and software available with great innovative design to make the perfect game controller. Ultimate responsiveness equals ultimate game play.
Introducing nabi Pet
nabi Pet is an interactive toy that kids can name and raise by feeding it, walking it, playing with it and even cleaning it! Each pet develops its own personality based on how children interacts with it and takes care of it. Kids will have fun seeing how their pets respond to their actions. Remember that as kids tilt it, shake it, hold it and squeeze it, nabi Pet may surprise you by how it responds! nabi Pet not only becomes a fun companion for your children, but it also teaches them to be responsible for raising their pet.
Pricing and Availability
The nabi Jr. will be available mid-December for a suggested retail price of $99 for the 4GB model and $129 for the 16GB model. nabi Jr. will be available at nationwide retailers in stores and online. nabi Jr. will be available in North America, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea and China. Accessories will be available in February 2013.
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About Fuhu, Inc.
Fuhu, Inc., creator of the nabi tablet, is a leading designer, seller and innovator of thoughtful consumer products and services for children. Fuhu is committed to creating children’s solutions that are: (1) socially responsible, (2) made right, (3) make a difference in people’s lives, (4) for parents by parents, and (5) dedicated to the intellectual development of children. Fuhu is headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., with other U.S. offices in Denver and San Jose. For more information, visit www.fuhu.com and www.nabitablet.com.
5″ is kinda small….
children tend to have small hands. id like to get my son whos 2 something like this next year, so that he cant really mess it up. he’s always grabbing my phone, turning the screen on and sliding the lock over to get into my phone. hes managed to take pictures and he bought a book on google play for 5 dollars. some short story book. it was cute finding pictures of the side of his face while he was messing with the camera. lol
5 in is a small but what’s worse is they announce after a lot of parents have gotten their children’s Christmas shopping done, to include myself.
Kids are kind of small too.
Reminds me of those old kid friendly laptops from the likes of leapfrog that were fun to use back in the 90s or so. The none color ones that had simple apps built in and could be expanded on by adding carts. Those types of things are coming back but in more complex forms ala tablets like this.
Isn’t ASUS supposed to be making a single core tablet for $100? How did these people get a Tegra 2 for the same price? They must have cut A LOT of corners to do that?
Their smoking crack if they think a 6th grader is gonna use this preschool tab.
I think the drug of choice is now meth. Crack went out in the 90’s.
No wonder Judge Lucy Koh favored Apple, she was still living in the 90s when she told the lawyer he was smoking crack.
Why? Apple has teenie boppers all the way up to seniors using a Childs play thing
Well I don’t think anyone expects a 6th grader to want to use it, but if they need it for some reason then why not? Don’t forget all the challenges with learning disabilities and autism still plaguing the education industry. There very well may be 6th graders needing a simple educational tablet like this.
meh..I ended up buying my 4yr old a nexus 7
$100 for an iPad mini case? That’s inane! /s
there is too much bloat in your articles.
Why not just buy a tablet that has real potential and can grow with the child? My 5yr old daughter uses our Xoom every day. And my 1yr old likes it as well. It’s all about finding games that are appropriate for them – and putting it in Airplane Mode so they don’t accidentally purchase an upgrade to the game. Also, when the tablet is not close, we give her our phones (GNEX or Incredible) and she knows how the games are the same. Lots of good learning games – reading, writing, math, stories, puzzles, etc. Yes, there is some Angry Birds as well but that’s OK.
A Nexus 7 or 10 would grow with the child and as they get older, they could use more of the features available.
Thanks for the article though.
Because this costs 50% to 20% of those other tablets you mention, plus can withstand being abused by a kid. My son would absolutely demolish a xoom in about an hour
There are kid friendly cases out there. For ipad at least. I imagine a lot of Android tabs would fit the same case but if not there are probably other kid cases out there. I know I need one. My 2 yr old was loving my tab 2 but there isn’t any chance I’m letting him play with it unsupervised without a case.
I bought my daughter the Nabi 2
Specs: Display: 7-inch, Capacitive, Multi-Touch Display,. 1024 x 600 Resolution. CPU: NVIDIA® Tegra® 3, Super 4-PLUS-1™ Quad Core.
It also has an HDMI out and expandable memory. Got it on a Pre-Black Friday sale for $129 at Walmart (regular price $199). The Nexus can’t compete with that price, not to mention the HDMI out and expandable memory( I do have a N7 for myself though.) So the Nabi 2 does have room to grow.
Root is available for the Nabi2 via XDa.. and you can enter “Parent Mode” which turns it into an ICS 7 inch tablet.
I did the same at Best Buy with their Premier Silver pre-sale. I picked up two of them and plan to root and load the Play Store after Christmas.
Nice… gotta love their price-match. Picked up 2 Galaxy S3’s for 96 cents each when Sams had their special the Sunday before Black Friday! Trying to decide if I am going to Root the Nabi or just side load APK’s and add the Amazon app store.
I looked at the $200 version last night. The rubberized red cover was completely detachable and not hard to remove. Any child could easily remove it. Other than that I wasn’t really able to determine if it had any real hardening or protection features. Since this article fails to mention anything like that either… it makes me wonder how sturdy this thing is…
Ah I see this in the press release:
“Made durable and kid-safe
Like its older sibling nabi™ 2, nabi Jr. was made to withstand drops, bumps and
the occasional spills that are inevitable in a child’s hands. With its
food-grade, drop-safe bumper nabi Jr. is sure to last whatever your
child puts it through. Of course, nabi Jr. comes with its industry
defining standards of parental controls that help you easily manage
usage and access of web, apps and games.”
They only mention that the ‘bumper’ protects it? What protects the screen? Is it water proof?
Yes it is
It has gorilla glass,they all come with gorilla glass
The little Mrs. Wants to get my niece a leap frog pad thingy.. for the same price this looks like it has so much more going for it. Hope its in my area in time for Christmas.
No reason to buy this with the parental control applications and functions available throughout android. This is a highly limited and over priced tablet compared spec for spec and useability. I bought my 6yr old a Nexus 7 from Santa and have already begin hunkering it down. I played with these gimmicks. Haha
Nabi 2 has an SD slot and HDMI out. I consider it a far better child choice than this or the Nexus 7, especially since I got it for $129. Once I root, I’ll have a fully functional Android tablet that I can load as many movies and TV shows as I’ll need for long car trips.