My soon the be 6 year old has hijacked my phone to play games and watch movies. lol For his birthday, I'd love to get him his own device- preferably an android tablet. I don't want to spend a lot of money- less than $100. What do you have for your kids? I have read some reviews on some inexpensive tablets and they are always mixed, so I'd love to hear some of your experiences.
Thanks!
I've looked into the Fire, Nook, and the Nabi. I may just hold off until Christmas and spring for something a little more. Thanks for the suggestions!
We just ordered the new Google Nexus 7 which was just released. It got great reviews and for kids it is supposed to be awesome for gaming. It is the most reasonably priced tablet at $199.00 that I have seen and it appears to have a lot to offer in comparison. I can't wait until it arrives!
http://www.google.com/nexus/#/7
Sorry, it's not less than $100, but check out the Nabi 2. I like that it has a "kid mode" so your child isn't buying stuff off of your itunes or accessing "inappropriate" material on Netflix or the web. Plus it has "parent mode" so you can keep apps and whatnot on there. And it comes preloaded with a ton of kid games and apps.
My take on the $50-$60 android tablets is that almost all reviews say they have no battery life (esp for games and movies!) or enough graphics/processing power. I think a used Fire/iPhone/iTouch/iPad would probably work best otherwise.
Kindle fire is not an android but is probably closest to your requirements. You can't find a good tablet for 100 dollars. The cheapest I have seen a good android tablet is around 400.
Yes a Kindle Fire is a good idea. I was also going to suggest an iPod touch, which probably isn't under $100 either, but is basically a tablet, just a little smaller.
A refurbished Kindle Fire, sells for $169 on Amazon, and has the same warranty as a new one.
I know it's more than you said you want to spend, but the kindle fire is wonderful. I got it for my daughter for her 6th b-day and we both are very happy w/ it.
When I took my daughter by my mom's to have daughter show her, I told daughter let's go show grandma how spoiled you are (because I knew this would be my mom's thought). My daughter said that to my mom and she gave me "the LOOK" and said - yes, you are. She then proceeded to tell me I could have gotten her one like she (my mom) has. It's a cheaper tablet she picked up for under $100. I tell you all this to say.....when I go get my daughter from my mom's house, guess which tablet my mom is using? Her very own??? Noooo, she's using my daughter's Fire. She's also asked my daughter if she can take the Fire on vacation instead of her cheap android.
So....I vote goes w/ the android. You can get it for about $20 cheaper if you go to Best Buy and ask for an open one. The geek squad has checked them out and they are perfect. You can also get a warranty in case of anything but a loss. Drinks spilled? Covered. Dropped? Covered.
Amazon has a free app every day. I have the netflix app on the fire and have logged into my acct on it so anywhere there is wi-fi we can stream netflix.
Check out the Twig at Walmart.com.
They do have some issues but if the one you get does not work you can exchange it for another one until you get one that works.
I have been very pleased with the one we got my granddaughter for Christmas. The grandson's didn't work well so we had to exchange it twice. Then it worked very well too.
They are slightly larger than my Samsung Mesmerize and a bit thicker. They are pretty sturdy and have internet ability. My granddaughter goes to the Android Market all the time and down loads all kinds of games that she plays all the time.
I think they are worth the price but they do have some issues and you'll have to find out if your local Walmart will work with you on it or make you send it off to Ematic.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ematic-Twig-EL440B-4.3-Touchscr...
Personally I'd wait until you have a little more to spend and get the new Google 7" tablet for $199
I would suggest either a refurb Kindle Fire...
Or an old-gen iPhone (my son's was a dollar, and now half his friends have them... The ones not allowed phones just have the phone service turned off / parental controls blocking what they're not allowed access to). Kindle has a free app for iPhones so while not as bells and whistles as a tablet, it still has book capacity (and games, of course).
Neither of which is an android tab, but both are under $100.
