Archos Introduces Child-Friendly Android ICS 7-inch Tablet
Later this month, Archos is releasing a 7-inch Google 4.0 tablet just for kids.
Tired of the kids whining to play this or that on your sleek Android tablet? Now here's your chance to shell out $129 for an Ice Cream Sandwich pacifier called the Child Pad. While the name is a little weird, Archos seems intent on providing the young'ns with a 7-inch gadget packed with the latest Android OS, a 1 GHz SoC and 1 GB of RAM.
"As a pioneer in the portable audio and Android tablet market we realize the importance of providing a tablet that can offer hours of entertainment for all ages, especially kids," says Henri Crohas, Founder and CEO. "Archos strives to offer great tablets with only the best of features at affordable prices and we expect this tablet to bring a smile to the faces of kids and parents’ everywhere."
Based on the slim list of details, the Child Pad won't be Google sanctioned, as the built-in Kids App Store will be powered by AppsLib instead. The store will be filtered down to 14-friendly categories and 10,000 apps including games, entertainment, communication, multimedia, books, comics, sports and more.
To make the tablet even less appealing to adults, the gadget will feature a kid-friendly user interface with colored icons, and home screen folders with direct access to games, entertainment, learning and puzzles. The tablet will even come packed with the top 28 kids' apps including Angry Birds, Pig Rush and Flight Frenzy.
Archos says that the Child Pad tablet will comply with both CIPA and COPPA regulations, ensuring a safe tablet environment for kids and peace of mind for parents. That said, the device will contain parental controls and safe web browsing provided by Editions Profil, the developer behind Profil Parental Filter.
The Archos Child Pad will be available by the end of March for $129. Check back with the Archos site later on to see a full list of specs.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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A Bad Day The question is...Reply
Is it durable?
Unless if this was marketed for very tame kids, whatever you give them, you better be okay with it being broken. -
esrever Wow, this is actually a very good idea. A good way to introduce kids to technology. Just needs some decent educational apps.Reply -
DaddyW123 If this is rugged/durable, I could see XDA rooting it and installing full blown ICS with google on it. Then people could spray paint the bezel to improve the kidding look. Then you end up with a cheap, durable, full ICS Tablet.Reply -
Benihana Don't all these kids already have iPhones, iPods, and iPads? I see little 4 year olds playing on these devices at work (I work retail), so I'm not sure what age this is exactly targeted for.Reply -
ryandsouza BenihanaDon't all these kids already have iPhones, iPods, and iPads? I see little 4 year olds playing on these devices at work (I work retail), so I'm not sure what age this is exactly targeted for.Was thinking along the same lines. But maybe due to the "kid interface" mom & dad won't be tempted to grab it for themselves...Reply -
amk-aka-Phantom Has web browsing. Not "safe" for kids in the way that paranoid parents crave for.Reply -
archange Seems like a decent piece of tech and not a bad idea in itself.Reply
Why on earth, then, call it "ChildPad"?? It''s not just a little weird, it's downright creepy. -
jkflipflop98 A Bad DayThe question is...Is it durable?Unless if this was marketed for very tame kids, whatever you give them, you better be okay with it being broken.Reply
Kids will break an anvil if you leave them alone with it. Anyone with children already knows the base rules. -
DaddyW123 jkflipflop98Kids will break an anvil if you leave them alone with it. Anyone with children already knows the base rules.That was pretty much the sentiment at my fraternity house too. The walls were lined with 3/4inch plywood under the sheet rock so that it was harder for us to put holes in the walls... we still managed to break everything somehow. Anytime we built something, the saying was "is it TKE proof? - eh, we'll find a way to break it".Reply