Amazon announces a kids tablet that doesn’t suck
Kids love touchscreens. Being able to directly interact with things on a screen is very easy for kids to pick up. Plus, games are fun. Many companies have tried to cash in on this market with kid-friendly tablets. The only problem is most of them aren’t very good. They’re cheap, under-powered, and usually run a weird UI. Bigger companies, like Samsung, are starting to get in the game. Enter the Amazon Fire HD Kids Edition.
In terms of specs this tablet is good enough to be used by anyone. It comes in 6 or 7-inch varieties (all HD), with a quad-core processor, front and rear cameras, and Dolby Digital Audio. But this device isn’t about the spec sheet. Kids don’t care about processors. They care about books, movies, apps, and games. That is where this tablet shines.
The Fire HD Kids Edition runs Amazon’s version of Android, so of course you get access to tons of apps and games. Amazon has also thrown in a year of “FreeTime Unlimited.” This service provides access to over 5,000 kid-friendly books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games. All free for an entire year. Don’t worry about all this content going to bad use. They’ve included parental controls, profiles, and time-based limits.
The 6-inch version costs $149, while the 7-inch version will cost $189. They come with your choice of colored protective rubber case, and 2-year worry-free warranty. Amazon will replace the tablet for free if anything happens (and something probably will). No questions asked. Pre-order starts today and the tablets will ship on October 21st. This is sure to be a hot holiday item.