Simon CrispNovember 3, 2013Choosing the best tablet for kids

Gizmag takes a look at some of the most popular tablets for children

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As anyone who has ever found sticky little fingerprints on their tablet will know, kids love touchscreen technology. But while you can appease them by installing apps on your device, the time will come when they will want one of their own. With this in mind, (and with Christmas fast approaching) here's the Gizmag guide to the best tablets for kids.

Update: There is now a new version of this guide. Visit our 2015 Best Kids' Tablets Buying Guide for updated info.

We'll start off by thinking about what to consider when shopping for your child's first tablet, and then look at some of our favorites. We'll be focusing on devices which would be suitable as a first tablet for four to seven-year-olds, and for easier management and additional functionality we've limited our selection to those with Wi-Fi.

Things to consider: Durability

In the hands of even the most careful and diligent child, a tablet computer is an accident waiting to happen. Whether that means it being dropped, accidentally trampled on, or maybe driven over by the odd toy train. Therefore, things to keep an eye out for include chunky grips to minimize the risk of accidental drops, and rubberized bumpers which protect against damage caused when they do happen.

Some tablets will have this built-in, while others will require an additional protective case. Cases can also add a level of water resistance, which might come in handy if the contents of a juice carton was to find its way onto the tablet.

Size, Screen and Power

Tablets with nine(ish)-inch screens, have been designed for adults, and in the hands of a young child they'll look strangely out of proportion. Something with a screen in the five to seven inch range would be a much better fit. It's also worth remembering that those chunky protective bumpers and bezels increase the size of a device beyond what the screen size might suggest.

Screen resolution can also vary wildly, with some kid-focused tablets having low-res blocky screens. If your child's used to devices with vastly superior screens, they'll instantly know they're being fobbed of with something inferior. The same goes for processing power. Kids who regularly use grown-up gadgets could find some of the lower-powered tablets a bit sluggish.

Operating System and Parent Controls

Kids tablets run a range of operating systems, with choices including the child-specific ones developed by the likes of LeapFrog and VTech, custom Android versions which have been tinkered with to be more family-friendly, as well as familiar grown-up options.

Child-focused operating systems have been designed for kids to navigate and use safely, with features like educator approved apps and kid-safe web-browsing. They also feature built-in parental controls allowing you to limit what is used, and when. This is also available on some of the family-friendly Android tablets, though parents may have to take slightly more care to ensure the safe limits and restrictions are set up.

Apps

If there's a particular app on your smartphone or tablet that your child's addicted to, you'll want to make sure it's available for their tablet too. Luckily, with Android kids tablets, you typically get the same sort of app selection as you would with any Android tablet. Some manufacturers are also building their own kids app stores with titles judged as child-friendly by experts.

That said, LeapFrog and VTech probably still have the edge on quality educational titles, with large libraries of content developed with age appropriate education in mind. They also have deals with the likes of Disney to ensure your child's favorite characters are well represented. But this does all come at a price, downloads cost more than other app stores, and cartridge titles can cost US$25.

Do you want to use it too?

It may seem a daft consideration, but the question of whether you will want to use your child's tablet is valid one. Do you want this tablet to just be a toy, or do you want to get additional use out of it? If so, you'll want to think about whether the screen-size, resolution and processing power are up to what you'll want to be doing.

Many Android kids tablets have a parent mode, where you can side-load apps which are not accessible to your little one. This means you could grab their tablet when they fall asleep in the buggy, and settle in for a Netflix session at the nearest coffee shop.

Top tablets for kids LeapPad Ultra

The LeapPad Ultra is the top model of the LeapPad family. Thanks to a large seven-inch screen with a 1,024 x 600 resolution and an 8 GB internal memory, it's more like a grown-up tablet than previous toyish models. It has a 800 MHz processor and boasts two 2 megapixel cameras, built-in Wi-Fi and is designed to withstand the odd knock or drop.

Because it's from LeapFrog, the Ultra runs its easily managed operating system, and is compatible with more than 800 educator-approved games, eBooks, apps and videos. These can be downloaded by parents or bought on cartridges, and there's a selection of 11 pre-loaded.

The $150 LeapPad Ultra can also access the internet, but this is a managed experience through a kid-safe browser. Powered by Zui, everything on LeapSearch has been handpicked by learning experts and can be fine-tuned by parents.

VTech InnoTab 3S 1

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The InnoTab 3S is the top offering from VTech. This time a five-inch screen is order of the day, though it has just a 480 x 272 resolution and is powered by a mediocre 360 MHz CPU. The InnoTab 3S features Wi-Fi, a 2 megapixel rotating camera and 4 GB of internal memory.

Compatible with age-appropriate content from the VTech Learning Lodge, the InnoTab 3S comes packed with 17 free apps including an MP3 player, video recorder, clock and eReader. It's also capable of kid-safe web browsing with a selection of parent-approved websites.

Costing $100, the VTech InnoTab 3S also has the possibility to send and receive text and voice messages (along with photos and drawings) via Wi-Fi to the Android and iOS devices of family members if they install a VTech app.

nabi Jr

The nabi Jr is an Android tablet from Fuhu aimed at younger children (3-6 year olds), which has a five-inch screen with a 800 x 480 resolution. It runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, not that you'd know to look at the custom and colorful child-friendly user interface.

Powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 2 A9 Dual Core processor, the $100 nabi Jr has 4 GB of internal memory and a 2 megapixel rotating camera. The child-focused tablet experience is further backed by parental controls which include time controls, web filters and app management.

Child-friendly apps can be accessed in the nabi App Zone via Wi-Fi, and the included Wings personalized learning system teaches children through a series of challenges, while allowing parents to track their progress. A parental mode also allows for the side-loading of other Android apps you might not want your little one to access.

nabi 2

The nabi 2 is a seven-inch offering from Fuhu. It has a 1,024 x 600 resolution and is powered by a NVIDIA Tegra 3 Duad Core processor. It boasts a 2 megapixel camera, 8 GB of internal memory and 1 GB of RAM, all of which make it one of the higher powered kids tablets.

As with the Jr, its Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system is buried under a child-friendly user interface and the Wings adaptive learning system is again on hand to help children learn, and kid-friendly apps can be accessed by the nabi App Zone via Wi-Fi. Parents can still side-load their own apps for use when the nabi 2 is not being played with.

While the standard nabi 2 retails for $180, special edition Disney and Nickelodeon versions packed with branded content, sell for $200. An unlimited kids TV streaming service can be added for $2.99 per month.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids

The Galaxy Tab 3 Kids is a kid-specific spin-off of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. Featuring brighter colors and additional child-friendly protection it looks every bit the toy, but it boasts some impressive tech inside. There's a 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 1 GB of RAM, and a 7-inch screen with a 1024 x 600 resolution.

Selling for $230, the Galaxy Tab 3 Kids also has 3 megapixel rear and 1.3 megapixel front cameras, 8 GB of internal memory, and built-in Wi-Fi. Samsung has also announced a range of bumpers and cases that will be available to help protect the tablet from butter-fingered youngsters.

On the software side, Samsung has given the Android 4.1 a child specific skin which screams aimed-at-kids with bold colors, cute-ified illustrations and big buttons. Parental controls include the ability to set daily usage time limits, and block the use of certain apps entirely.

Kindle Fire HD

While the Kindle Fire HD isn't a kids tablet per se, its price, the parental controls that Amazon includes in its tablets, and the optional FreeTime subscription, make it a very interesting option. Particularly if you pop it into a child-safe case for added protection.

Though adults might want to opt for the HDX version, the $140 Kindle Fire HD has more than enough under the hood to keep most kids happy. Its seven-inch screen has a 1280 x 800 resolution and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor will keep things moving quickly. While it does have Wi-Fi, it's worth noting that the Kindle Fire HD does not feature a camera.

But it's the ability to create and manage profiles for children (and set limits about what they can use and when) that makes it a viable kids tablet. The Kindle FreeTime subscription service also allows unlimited access to a selection of kids books, games, educational apps, movies, and TV shows for a monthly fee of $4.99, or $2.99 for Prime users.

Other candidates

As we've seen, a tablet doesn't have to have been specifically designed for children, to be suitable for them, especially if housed in a protective case. Because of the selection of apps available, almost any tablet will keep a child entertained.

However, if you want to go the route of an otherwise adult tablet loaded with kids titles, whether that's a Nexus 7 or an iPad Mini, you'll want to think hard about how you'll manage internet access, what apps are available, and controlling in-app purchases … and make sure password restrictions are your friend.

Summing upThere are loads of tablets aimed at kids out there. We've only included our favorites here, but in the past year or so we've also seen the VTech InnoTab 3, the LeapPad 2, the FunTab Pro, the Meep! and the Tabeo. All of which makes picking your child's first one a difficult and daunting decision.

To that end, we hope we've helped you decide what's important in a tablet for your child – whether that's durability, having a child-specific operating system, or compatibility with other apps – to help narrow down your search.

We're pretty sure that almost any child could have hours of fun playing with the tablets we've looked at here. All have their relative merits, but of course only you can decide which is right for you and your family.

為孩子選擇最好的平板電腦 choosing為kids

Gizmag使一些兒童

形象畫廊的最受歡迎的平板電腦一看最好的平板電腦（16張）
誰也沒有找到自己的平板電腦很粘指紋，就會知道，孩子們喜歡的觸摸屏技術(shù)。但是，當(dāng)你可以通過在設(shè)備上安裝應(yīng)用程序來安撫他們的時候，他們會想要一個自己的時間。想到這，（，隨著圣誕節(jié)的臨近）這里是通過引導(dǎo)孩子最好的平板電腦。

更新：現(xiàn)在有一個新的指南版本。訪問我們的2015個最好的孩子的平板電腦購買指南的更新信息，我們將開始考慮購買時，你的孩子的第一個平板電腦，然后看看我們的最愛。我們將專注于設(shè)備可作為第一片四到七歲的孩子，和更容易管理和額外的功能，我們已經(jīng)限制了我們的選擇與Wi-Fi。

的事情要考慮：耐久性

在手中，即使最細(xì)心和勤奮的孩子，平板電腦是一個等待發(fā)生的事故。這是否意味著它被丟棄，不小心踩踩，或可能被奇怪的玩具火車。因此，事情要留意包括厚實(shí)的握把降低意外下降的風(fēng)險，和橡膠保險杠，防止損傷引起的時候發(fā)生。

一些藥片將有內(nèi)置的，而其他人將需要一個額外的保護(hù)套。情況還可以添加一個水平的抗水性，可如果一盒果汁含量來找到自己的方式到平板電腦派上用場。

尺寸、屏幕和功率

片（ISH）的九英寸屏幕，已為成人設(shè)計的，在一個年輕的孩子手中，他們會奇怪地看出來。屏幕在五到七英寸范圍內(nèi)的東西會是一個更好的配合。值得注意的是，那些厚重的防護(hù)保險杠和擋板增加大小的設(shè)備超出屏幕尺寸可能會建議。

屏幕分辨率也有很大差異，有些孩子集中在低分辨率的屏幕片塊狀。如果你的孩子用的設(shè)備有著強(qiáng)大的屏幕，他們會立刻知道他們被欺騙和劣質(zhì)的東西。同樣的處理能力。那些經(jīng)常使用成熟的小工具可以找到一些低功率的片有點(diǎn)遲緩。

操作系統(tǒng)和家長控制孩子

片運(yùn)行多種操作系統(tǒng)，包括孩子選擇具體的跨越和偉易達(dá)的喜歡開發(fā)，定制的Android版本已經(jīng)修補(bǔ)了為更多的家庭友好，以及熟悉的成年人的選擇。

孩子集中的操作系統(tǒng)被設(shè)計為孩子瀏覽和使用安全等特點(diǎn)，教育家和兒童安全認(rèn)證的應(yīng)用程序的Web瀏覽。他們還具有內(nèi)置的家長控制，允許您限制什么是使用，以及當(dāng)。這也可以在一些家庭友好的Android平板電腦，盡管父母可能要稍微注意保證安全限制設(shè)置。

應(yīng)用程序

如果你的智能手機(jī)或平板電腦的一個特定的應(yīng)用程序，您的孩子的沉迷，你會想確保它是可為他們的平板電腦太。幸運(yùn)的是，與安卓的孩子們平板電腦，你通常會得到相同的應(yīng)用程序的選擇，因?yàn)槟銓⑴c任何安卓平板電腦。一些制造商也與職稱評為兒童友好的專家建立自己的孩子應(yīng)用商店。

說，跨越與偉易達(dá)可能仍然在質(zhì)量教育有優(yōu)勢，隨著心靈的年齡適當(dāng)?shù)慕逃齼?nèi)容的大型圖書館。他們還與迪斯尼的喜歡，以確保您的孩子最喜歡的角色是很好的代表。但這一切都是以一個價格，下載成本超過其他應(yīng)用程序商店，和墨盒的標(biāo)題可以花費(fèi)25美元，你想使用它嗎？

這似乎是一個愚蠢的考慮，但你是否愿意用你孩子的平板電腦的問題是有效的。你想讓這款平板電腦成為一個玩具，或者你想獲得額外的使用它嗎？如果是的話，你要考慮一下屏幕大小、分辨率和處理能力是什么你想做的。< /對多個安卓兒童片有一個父模式，在那里你可以側(cè)負(fù)載的應(yīng)用程序是無法訪問您的小。這意味著你可以抓住他們的平板電腦當(dāng)他們睡著在馬車，和定居在最近的咖啡店，Netflix的會話。

孩子LeapPad超

< P頂片> LeapPad Ultra是LeapPad家族的頂級模特。多虧了一個七英寸的大屏幕和一個1024 x 600的分辨率和8 GB的內(nèi)存，它更像是一個成熟的平板電腦比以前的玩具的模型。它有一個800 MHz處理器，擁有2像素的攝像頭，內(nèi)置Wi-Fi和能承受的奇怪的敲門聲或下降。

因?yàn)閬碜钥缭绞剑艿囊子诠芾淼牟僮飨到y(tǒng)，并與800多名教育家認(rèn)可的游戲，兼容的應(yīng)用程序和電子書，視頻。這些可以下載由父母或買了墨盒，還有一個選擇11預(yù)加載。

< P > 150美元的LeapPad超也可以接入互聯(lián)網(wǎng)，但這是一個管理的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，通過一個孩子的安全瀏覽器。由嘴，一切l(wèi)eapsearch已由學(xué)術(shù)專家和可微調(diào)的父母。

偉易達(dá)InnoTab 3S 1

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InnoTab 3S從偉易達(dá)前祭。這一次一五英寸的屏幕是一天的順序，雖然它只有一個480×272分辨率，是由一個平庸的360兆赫處理器供電。InnoTab 3S功能的Wi-Fi，2像素的旋轉(zhuǎn)攝像頭和內(nèi)存4 GB。

兼容年齡適當(dāng)?shù)膬?nèi)容從偉易達(dá)學(xué)習(xí)小屋，InnoTab 3S是擠滿了17個免費(fèi)的應(yīng)用程序包括一個MP3播放器、錄像機(jī)、時鐘和電子書閱讀器。它也能夠孩子安全的Web與選擇的家長批準(zhǔn)的網(wǎng)站瀏覽。

耗資100美元，偉易達(dá)InnoTab 3S也有可能發(fā)送和接收文本和語音消息（連同照片和圖紙）通過Wi-Fi家庭成員的Android和iOS設(shè)備如果他們安裝了偉易達(dá)程序。

彩蝶JR

Nabi Jr從伏虎為了年幼的孩子在一個Android平板電腦（3-6歲），其中有一個800 x 480分辨率的一五英寸屏幕。它運(yùn)行的是Android 4.0.4冰淇淋三明治，你肯定不知道看習(xí)慣和豐富多彩的兒童友好的用戶界面。

采用Nvidia的Tegra 2 A9雙核處理器，100美元的彩蝶JR有4 GB的內(nèi)存和2像素的旋轉(zhuǎn)攝像頭。孩子專注平板體驗(yàn)進(jìn)一步由家長控制：時間控制的支持，Web過濾器和應(yīng)用程序的管理。

孩子友好的應(yīng)用程序可以訪問在彩蝶APP區(qū)通過Wi-Fi，以及包括翅膀的個性化學(xué)習(xí)系統(tǒng)的教孩子們通過一系列的挑戰(zhàn)，同時讓家長跟蹤他們的進(jìn)展。父母的模式還允許側(cè)其他Android應(yīng)用程序你可能不希望你的小孩進(jìn)入加載。

彩蝶2

的彩蝶2是一七英寸提供從伏虎。它有一個1024 x 600的分辨率，是由NVIDIA Tegra 3雙核心處理器供電。它擁有一個2像素的攝像頭，內(nèi)存和1 GB的RAM 8 GB，所有這一切都使它成為一個高動力的兒童片。

與JR，Android冰淇淋三明治操作系統(tǒng)是埋在一個孩子友好的用戶界面和翅膀的自適應(yīng)學(xué)習(xí)系統(tǒng)又一方面幫助孩子學(xué)習(xí)，和孩子友好的應(yīng)用程序可以訪問的應(yīng)用程序區(qū)通過Wi-Fi的彩蝶。父母還可以邊加載自己的應(yīng)用程序時使用的彩蝶2不玩。

而標(biāo)準(zhǔn)彩蝶2的零售價為180美元，特別版市迪斯樂