Android Fire HD Kids Edition vs. Nabi DreamTab HD Kids Tablet: Comparison Between 2 Tablets Made for Kids
Any parent who's had to relent to their child's request to borrow their tablet—only to have the child drop the device and crack it beyond repair, or mistakenly buy hundreds of dollars' worth of apps— can see that it makes sense for a child to have his or her own tablet. Some companies have acknowledged that there is a market for this and started making their own child-friendly devices, such as Amazon and Fuhu.
Here, we pit Amazon's Fire HD 6 Kids Edition against Fuhu's Nabi DreamTab Kid's Tablet:
Amazon Fire HD Kids Edition:
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The device is a real tablet, powered by a quad-core processor and 8GB of storage. It has a vivid display available in either 6 or 7 inches and is equipped with a front and rear facing camera. It also guarantees 8 hours of battery life. The tablet does not have a microSD card slot, which could be a problem if the child stores a lot of videos, music, or apps on the device.
It comes in a rubbery case in bright green, blue, and pink, and the case is extremely useful as it protects the tablet from being smashed should it get dropped accidentally (or hurled in frustration).
To register the tablet, a grownup must create a profile, then set up profiles for each child who will be using the device. One can choose either Amazon FreeTime, which is recommended for children 8 years and below, or TeenProfiles for kids 9 and older. For FreeTime, kids will not be able to surf the Internet or use the tablet's cameras.
The Amazon Fire HD goes for $150 for the 6-inch model and $190 for the 7-inch tablet.
Nabi DreamTab Kids Tablet:
The DreamTab is protected by a bright red, rubbery case with slots for speakers, stylus and ports. It is equipped with an 8-inch screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, so images are clear and crisp. It's powered by a quad-core processor and runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat. It comes with a Wacom pen, which lets kids draw using the Dream Pro Studio software which is already pre-installed in the device.
It comes with 16GB of internal memory and is expandable to 32GB via MicroSD. It also has two cameras and has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Though it's storage is clearly superior to that of the Amazon Fire, the DreamTab's battery life definitely needs improvement as it only runs for four hours on a full charge.
An adult can set up multiple kids profiles, and parents can indicate unapproved sites using the Parent Mode, so that any attempt to access inappropriate sites will definitely fail. Parents can also track the amount of time that kids spend using the device, and moms and dads can program the DreamTab to "go to sleep" when it's time to do homework or play outside.
The Nabi DreamTab is available for $199.99.
