Best tablet for kids?

[TheNiceGuy]

Hi all
We have 2, 6, and 8 year olds that are constantly playing with our iPhones. We never had a tablet such as iPad before, but sure the kids would enjoy it. iPads here run about $400, + whatever you add later, so a bit steep especially if we end up buying 2. Any other recommended options, or are iPads considered the best?

 

[Ravynmagi]

I think navigating with an iPad may be easier to some people. I mentioned recently in another similar thread that I think the Home button is a nice feature because it's a big physical button on the face of the tablet that someone can push to instantly get back to the home screen if they feel lost in the UI or something. iPads have a bright and colorful UI as well that I think helps.

I'd probably consider iPad Minis, even the $300 model without the retina or a couple of used or refurbished iPad minis. And perhaps a large silicon case to help protect it from drops.

 

[chimaxi83]

I got my 2 year old a Nabi 2 based on recommendations both online and from friends. Haven't opened it yet though, but it's another one to check out, at least for the younger kids.

 

[JeffMD]

The navi has a great kid friendly front end, but you could do any android tablet and a chunky kid rugged case. Although consider the more popular the tablet, the more cases available for it. It would be hard to go wrong with the nook hd 7 with its cheap price point this Christmas season, and the number of cases on amazon for it. The only caveat is the proprietary charger, if you don't take care of it it will cost you 30 bucks to replace.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Honestly, I think this is where the Amazon tablets shine. A good chunk of the free app a day are kids games. You buy them the tablet, and let Amazon provide the games.

And you can get a Kindle Fire HD for cheap.

 

[s44]

I think navigating with an iPad may be easier to some people. I mentioned recently in another similar thread that I think the Home button is a nice feature because it's a big physical button on the face of the tablet that someone can push to instantly get back to the home screen if they feel lost in the UI or something. iPads have a bright and colorful UI as well that I think helps.

And people *complain* about Samsung's button and Touchwiz!

I think the Fire is a great idea if they're big enough not to break the damn thing, but at this point...
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy...dp/B00F3U2H80/

 

[Ravynmagi]

Touchwiz is a train wreck. I haven't owned a Samsung phone with a physical button, but to me it looks like a good idea if the button is done right. I like the button on the iPad because it's recessed so it doesn't get accidentally pressed and it's large enough to easily use unlike the Nook button.

I was thinking about mentioning the Kindle Fire. I know they are working hard on making their tablet child friendly. I just dunno if the app eco system would be good enough.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Touchwiz is a train wreck. I haven't owned a Samsung phone with a physical button, but to me it looks like a good idea if the button is done right. I like the button on the iPad because it's recessed so it doesn't get accidentally pressed and it's large enough to easily use unlike the Nook button.

I was thinking about mentioning the Kindle Fire. I know they are working hard on making their tablet child friendly. I just dunno if the app eco system would be good enough.

I mean, if the point is to have an in-hand babysitter- then a Fire is perfect. Free app a day will provide all the entertainment needed.

If the point is to train your little Einstein to be the next ruler of the universe, then maybe get an iPad with the better educational apps.

But I am assuming if OP was going for option 2 the iPad would have already been bought, as it is peanuts compared to a deposit to one of those elite private preschools.

 

[lopri]

I saw the new iPad minis yesterday and was shocked at its lagginess. I only had a few AnandTech pages open (albeit one article in print mode) in the background yet the home screens and settings menu pages both saw noticeable delays and frame drops.

Another thing that I learned and got bothered by is the hollowness of its aluminum body. I did not know about this previously but when I pressed the screen down with a bit of pressure while holding the tablet with both hands, I saw the display deforming because of that. I tested the same on other display models including iPad Air, and the same applies to every one of them.

The new iPads are very much of a mixed-bag to me. Especially the mini one. I thought the performance issues were an early version OS teething, but that doesn't seem to be the case. (is it now at 7.0.3?)

 

[lopri]

Oh, the thread was about 6, 8, 10 year olds.. Sorry I got carried away by later discussions. iPads are great for 6, 8, 10 year olds. I got one for my nephew last year and he enjoyed it.

 

[s44]

If the point is to train your little Einstein to be the next ruler of the universe, then maybe get an iPad with the better educational apps.

But I am assuming if OP was going for option 2 the iPad would have already been bought, as it is peanuts compared to a deposit to one of those elite private preschools.

Pfft, iOS will inculcate the idea that the best stuff is acquired by doing things the way your boss/peer group tells you. He'll never rule the world with that attitude.

Oh, the thread was about 6, 8, 10 year olds

Actually it's 6&8 -- no 10. Hm, I thought it was 2, 6, and 8 but I guess the 2 was just counting.

I'm now on the Fire side.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Pfft, iOS will inculcate the idea that the best stuff is acquired by doing things the way your boss/peer group tells you. He'll never rule the world with that attitude.

She will never rule the world if her status symbol tablet is the cheapest one in the pre-school! Kiss Harvard bye bye.

 

[gar655]

I saw the new iPad minis yesterday and was shocked at its lagginess. I only had a few AnandTech pages open (albeit one article in print mode) in the background yet the home screens and settings menu pages both saw noticeable delays and frame drops.

FUD. My daughter has the original iPad Mini and it has no lag whatsoever no matter what is open or sitting in the background. Seems the one you "tested" was FUBAR or you're attempting to push Android- which we won't even go into about lag and its bloated, poorly coded OS that in tablet form needs a minimum of 2gbs of ram to operate in.

Android is fast becoming Windows of the portable operating system world. Next update and Android devices will need 4gbs or ram to approach usability.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Android is fast becoming Windows of the portable operating system world.

I agree.

Just like Windows, Android will have most of the marketshare and the greatest device capability in its class.

 

[s44]

Fix your quote pls, I didn't write that

 

[vi edit]

Honestly, I think this is where the Amazon tablets shine. A good chunk of the free app a day are kids games. You buy them the tablet, and let Amazon provide the games.

And you can get a Kindle Fire HD for cheap.

I tried a Fire HDX and HATED the "Fire OS". Far too busy, hard to find things, and organize. I'd spend half my time trying to get my kids though the menus to get to content. Plus you can't setup cover art for movies like you can with iPads. Plus I found that my 5 year old kept hitting the onscreen home button by accident.

For kids, ease of use, reliability, and availability of apps you really can't beat an iPad. They just come at a premium and try to force you into iTunes to manage content which is annoying.

 

[vi edit]

I've actually got a $70 Lumia 520 phone coming to me to setup for my older kid. I can lock it into "kids mode" so she can unlock, swipe and get to her screen where she has a selection of apps & movies that I add to her screen. It's cheap, has expandable storage viia SD card, and Lumias are pretty damn durable. App store for WP8 blows, but it's "good enough" to keep a 5 year old happy for a while in the car or in a restaurant.

 

[lopri]

@gar655: I have no reason to push Android or iOS to anyone. It's not like I can share others' enjoyment while they use their devices.. Likewise I have no vested interested in any of the tech corporations, directly or indirectly. I am simply sharing my observations.

Having said that, I am reminded of another observation I made while I was there. For whatever reason, all displayed iPhones (16 GB models) I checked had less than 2 GB of space available. iPads had less than 3 GB of space available, and in some of them there was NO space available. I am not sure what is going on with that (some kind of group policy setting to prevent system changes?) and whether that affects the performance of display units.

Next time I visit the store and see something similar I will make a video.

P.S. I reckon that you are aware of the hollow construction of the new iPads and that certain amount of touch pressure can have a negative effect on the displays?

 

[ponyo]

FUD. My daughter has the original iPad Mini and it has no lag whatsoever no matter what is open or sitting in the background. Seems the one you "tested" was FUBAR or you're attempting to push Android- which we won't even go into about lag and its bloated, poorly coded OS that in tablet form needs a minimum of 2gbs of ram to operate in.

Android is fast becoming Windows of the portable operating system world. Next update and Android devices will need 4gbs or ram to approach usability.

It's not FUD. I use iPhone 5S and I see the same lag/delay/frame drop going to home screen and settings menu. 1gb of ram is definitely not helping as pages reload and refresh lot more than necessary in Safari. iOS 7 has lag.

 

[Graze]

FUD. My daughter has the original iPad Mini and it has no lag whatsoever no matter what is open or sitting in the background. Seems the one you "tested" was FUBAR or you're attempting to push Android- which we won't even go into about lag and its bloated, poorly coded OS that in tablet form needs a minimum of 2gbs of ram to operate in.

Android is fast becoming Windows of the portable operating system world. Next update and Android devices will need 4gbs or ram to approach usability.

You're full of shit!

don't know if that could be said here but I said it!