Which budget tablet for children?

January

Santa is bringing tablets to the kiddies...

Budget would probably be about 130/140...

Was looking at this or this.

It doesn't need to be hi-tech. They'll be using it for Angry Birds, Youtube Vids and Netflix mostly...

Any suggestions?

Media999

What age are the kids?

This is better than the links provided. A really good 7 inch tablet. Nook is a top brand from Barnes and Noble.

http://www.littlewoodsireland.ie/e/q/nook.end?cmtag=o&_requestid=49341

Look at youtube reviews and youll see how praised it is.

If budget allows go for the one for 170, 9 inch as its as good as some 300 Euro tablets

Also you have the option of pay later as its littlewoods.

For once littlewoods arent a rip off as its more expensive elsewhere.

philthrill69

Media999 wrote: »

What age are the kids?

This is better than the links provided. A really good 7 inch tablet. Nook is a top brand from Barnes and Noble.

http://www.littlewoodsireland.ie/e/q/nook.end?cmtag=o&_requestid=49341

Look at youtube reviews and youll see how praised it is.

If budget allows go for the one for 170, 9 inch as its as good as some 300 Euro tablets

Also you have the option of pay later as its littlewoods.

For once littlewoods arent a rip off as its more expensive elsewhere.

I had a look at this also because I'm in the same boat as the OP.
Just a small bit worried about the Ice cream Sandwich part of the spec.
Do you know if it can be upgraded to jellybean?

January

Media999 wrote: »

What age are the kids?

This is better than the links provided. A really good 7 inch tablet. Nook is a top brand from Barnes and Noble.

http://www.littlewoodsireland.ie/e/q/nook.end?cmtag=o&_requestid=49341

Look at youtube reviews and youll see how praised it is.

If budget allows go for the one for 170, 9 inch as its as good as some 300 Euro tablets

Also you have the option of pay later as its littlewoods.

For once littlewoods arent a rip off as its more expensive elsewhere.

They'll be 5 and just going 4 at Christmas. Nook looks good thanks for the link. Actually just looking at it and it doesn't seem to have a camera and I think the older one would be wanting to take pictures She's always snapping away on my phone whenever she gets her hands on it...

Media999

philthrill69 wrote: »

I had a look at this also because I'm in the same boat as the OP.
Just a small bit worried about the Ice cream Sandwich part of the spec.
Do you know if it can be upgraded to jellybean?

If your handy with tablets it can take CyanogenMod but if you want to just leave stock ICS is good enough. Whats actually on Jellybean that you need?

Media999

January wrote: »

They'll be 5 and just going 4 at Christmas. Nook looks good thanks for the link. Actually just looking at it and it doesn't seem to have a camera and I think the older one would be wanting to take pictures She's always snapping away on my phone whenever she gets her hands on it...

Ah i see thats literally the only bad thing about it that i forgot.

4 or 5 you want something solid so id say even drop into a few different Places like PC World and DID and all them electrical places an see what looks really solid then just take out the mobile phone in there and see if the same model is cheap online.

I used a lenovo tablet before that was 7 inches that was solid as a brick and good screen. Average weight. PC world sell them so maybe consider them if you can get a cheap one.

Just looking on PCWorld.ie i see they have the kindle fire for 150 with a free 20 euro voucher

http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/KINDLE-Fire-HD-7andrdquo-Tablet-andndash-8-GB/316421/2.9

So if you got 2 you have 40 euro to maybe buy something else between them. Get a cheapo case of amazon delivered rather than fork out for the official one.

Never used a kindle fire but its a really good brand with good reliability from what ive read.

Also decent spec for and 8 inch 110Euro tablet here

http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/PRESTIGIO-MultiPad-HD-8andrdquo-Tablet-andndash-8-GB-with-leather-case/316249/2.9

Might be worth dropping in and having a look.

just seen this on DID. A full 10 inch dual core for 130.

http://www.did.ie/gotab-10-android-internet-tablet-gbt10bk-prd

Seems a really good deal. Kids that age wont care about better spec just ones the games run and that will run games easily. Maybe look for some reviews on it.

Just avoid single core tablets as they really struggle with everything.

RaggyDays

They are too young to get a tablet. Do you really want to expose them to the Internet at 5 years of age ?

Get them a Nintendo DS lite and a few games, they`ll be far better off

January

RaggyDays wrote: »

They are too young to get a tablet. Do you really want to expose them to the Internet at 5 years of age ?

Get them a Nintendo DS lite and a few games, they`ll be far better off

They're already exposed to the internet - they watch age appropriate Youtube videos in school and at home.

Who said anything about the internet? I'll have the internet browser disabled, I'll be downloading their apps and they'll have access to Youtube videos and Netflix on their child accounts which they already use on their dads PS3.

witnessmenow

Get them a tablet that is either designed for kids or can get a case that is child proof as they are very liable to drop it. At that kind of price a cracked screen is a new tablet.

Something like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 maybe? Its available in Argos for €150

Its a bit above the budget though. If you bought it today you would get €20 worth of vouchers though (€10 for buying a tablet, €10 for spending over €100)

Then get a case like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rugged-Samsung-Galaxy-7-inch-Models/dp/B00AV4VVQC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383651903&sr=8-1&keywords=galaxy+tab+kids

There is some child specific launchers on Android, that will block them from certain things, its worth looking into them to see is there anythign useful

donegal.

theres a kids version of the Galaxy tab 3 has a childrens version.
tab 3 for kids

its probably a right bit more expensive than the ones you suggest in your first post but a much safer option for a kid on the internet etc

Media999

donegal. wrote: »

theres a kids version of the Galaxy tab 3 has a childrens version.
tab 3 for kids

its probably a right bit more expensive than the ones you suggest in your first post but a much safer option for a kid on the internet etc

She asked for a 100 euro tablet and you suggest a 350 euro tablet.

donegal.

Media999 wrote: »

She asked for a 100 euro tablet and you suggest a 350 euro tablet.

she asked for a tablet at €130/€140 . the regular tab 3 is£139
and i did mention that although a great choice it was over budget.

listermint

Ibood had the refurbished Nexus 7 for 150 last week. Thats a great deal for that tablet.

It would be my first choice.

beer enigma

witnessmenow wrote: »

Get them a tablet that is either designed for kids or can get a case that is child proof as they are very liable to drop it. At that kind of price a cracked screen is a new tablet.

Something like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 maybe? Its available in Argos for €150

Its a bit above the budget though. If you bought it today you would get €20 worth of vouchers though (€10 for buying a tablet, €10 for spending over €100)

Then get a case like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rugged-Samsung-Galaxy-7-inch-Models/dp/B00AV4VVQC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383651903&sr=8-1&keywords=galaxy+tab+kids



There is some child specific launchers on Android, that will block them from certain things, its worth looking into them to see is there anythign useful

Galaxy 2 and 3 only seem to have 8gb memory - is that enough for games ?

Might be worth checking PC World too, I'm working in London at the mo and they've just reduced the Galaxy 2 to £99 stg

Khannie

I am super scabby. Couldn't be paying those kind of prices for my younger kids (Nearly 7 and nearly 4). I took a bit of a punt today and ordered two of these. The spec looks good. Certainly it's perfect for kids. Battery life I expect to be moderate (probably 2 - 3 hours). I paid the extra for fast shipping. Total (ex-vat) was 120 euro for 2 of them. I expect to get stung for VAT which should bring the price up to around 140 for the two.

If you wanted to hold off until I get mine, you would be able to order the same ones in time for Christmas with the fast shipping. You'd be welcome to play around with them too if you wanted (not sure where in the country you are).

Khannie

RaggyDays wrote: »

They are too young to get a tablet. Do you really want to expose them to the Internet at 5 years of age ?

Get them a Nintendo DS lite and a few games, they`ll be far better off

None of your business tbh. Nobody's even vaguely interested in your parenting opinions in a thread asking about android tablets.

Media999

Khannie wrote: »

I am super scabby. Couldn't be paying those kind of prices for my younger kids (Nearly 7 and nearly 4). I took a bit of a punt today and ordered two of these. The spec looks good. Certainly it's perfect for kids. Battery life I expect to be moderate (probably 2 - 3 hours). I paid the extra for fast shipping. Total (ex-vat) was 120 euro for 2 of them. I expect to get stung for VAT which should bring the price up to around 140 for the two.

If you wanted to hold off until I get mine, you would be able to order the same ones in time for Christmas with the fast shipping. You'd be welcome to play around with them too if you wanted (not sure where in the country you are).

I think these days theres a lot of tablets in shops for about 60 bucks and no need to go as far as China. At least you can return them easily then.

I used to buy a lot of stuff off aliexpress but the last year or so i think prices have come down enough to source here.

That tab is dual core which should be decent. I once used a single core 7 inch tab and it was the biggest piece of junk ive ever seen. It was a brand name in PCWorld a couple of years back and i just though how could they even think of releasing something like that. Crashed on even the most basic games. Avoid single cores at all costs.

Khannie

Yeah, there are some God awful ones out there. It does depend on the single core though. Friend of mine bought an Ainol tablet with a single core AllWinner chip in it there a while back (for his kids) and it is actually grand. I saw it play temple run just fine for example.

Media999

Quick look up on youtube is probably the better way to check them out.

witnessmenow

Galaxy tab 3 is £120 on Amazon at the moment

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00EVTGOMO/

hawkwind23

take a race up north and get the HUDL

http://www.tesco.com/direct/hudl/

if you reserve for collection you can use vouchers and get it sub £100

hawkwind23

£106 sterling

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/hudl-7-16gb-wi-fi-android-tablet-black-tesco-click-collect-double-up-works-1697203#comments

tbukela

My little one ended up using my Galaxy Tab 3 the whole time but after a couple of close calls getting her one for Christmas also.

I've noticed that some of the cheaper ones don't have expandable memory slots which are handy to save videos etc on when not in a wifi zone which I learnt the hard way on holidays.

Looking at the Nook HD 8GB for around €110.

philthrill69

tbukela wrote: »

My little one ended up using my Galaxy Tab 3 the whole time but after a couple of close calls getting her one for Christmas also.

I've noticed that some of the cheaper ones don't have expandable memory slots which are handy to save videos etc on when not in a wifi zone which I learnt the hard way on holidays.

Looking at the Nook HD 8GB for around €110.

Galaxy tab 3 7 inch is down to €154 on littlewoodsireland at the moment and better again if you had a discount code.

Khannie

Khannie wrote: »

I took a bit of a punt today and ordered two of these.

Shipped! Hoping to have them next week as I paid for DHL.

creedp

philthrill69 wrote: »

Galaxy tab 3 7 inch is down to €154 on littlewoodsireland at the moment and better again if you had a discount code.

Sorry for jumping in here but in a similar situation looking at a 7/8" tablet for a 7 year old. Also have a 10 year old who will undoubtedly also use it from time to time. I was looking at the 8" Samsung Tab 3 in PC World and comparing to Nexus 7. Seems like the Nexus is a better tablet (quad core v dual core) but the 7" screen seemed quite small. For a child (and maybe occasional use by myself if I was permitted) is there any advantage to the extra speed of the quad core processor or would I be better off with the slightly larger screen on the Samsung? Any other advantage with the Nexus over the Samsung?

Khannie

Righto....These arrived yesterday and I got a quick play in with them last night. All in it was 150 for the two tablets including VAT with DHL delivery (that added another 30 odd euros to the cost, so it would have been 120 with VAT if I took slower delivery). I am very impressed generally. I uploaded a quick vid to youtube that I took with my phone for the OP to see Angry Birds playing on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMVFOhGRi4E

Quick overview:

The good:
Build quality is good (not excellent)
Tablet feels very fast generally. Browsing the BBC news website (a relatively heavy site) was spot on for example.
Play store works out of the box.
Chrome and Flash player installed by default.
HDMI out so you could use this to watch movies on the hotel TV while on holiday (for example).

The bad
These are very minor things and basically I knew them up front so I am somewhat loathe to put them in here.
Screen resolution isn't very high.
4G of storage isn't a lot, though probably fine for most kids (this is upgradeable with a MicroSD card too. These are very cheap these days).
Battery life is limited. I'm not sure what the battery life will be like but I'm guessing in the 2.5 to 3 hour region. That's fine for kids IMO.

Khannie

Bit more fluting about, so an update:


Pro's:
Temple run 2 plays very smoothly. I'd consider that a reasonable test of any game that a kid will play. It's quite graphically intensive.
Youtube app works perfectly.

Con's:
The rear camera is fairly naff (640x480). Again I think it would be grand for kids. The flash is really weak on it though, so strictly for well lit areas.
If you're holding it in portrait (i.e. length vertical) there is a bias on the screen to the side. It's hard to explain this, but it reduces your ability to use it in portrait mode (I only discovered it because I was giving temple run a whirl). You basically have to tilt it a bit to see the screen properly.

Both of these are very minor things to me. I'm still very happy with the two tablets for 150 delivered in a week (including VAT).

donegal.

January wrote: »

They'll be 5 and just going 4 at Christmas...

Hi January, I just noticed the age of your kids, until now i thought you were looking for recommendations for much older kids.
I have a 4yr old and an almost 6yr old and they both got leappad two years ago. (in hindsight the then 2 year old was too young for it at the time).
They both love them and they'll be getting new games from santa. They have access to their leappads, our smartphones and tablets and would pick their leappads about 70% of the time.
The leappads are not too expensive but the games are not cheap (€15 each) There is a LOT to each game and they're very very educational .

Leappad for the win!!!

leappad on amazon

January

donegal. wrote: »

Hi January, I just noticed the age of your kids, until now i thought you were looking for recommendations for much older kids.
I have a 4yr old and an almost 6yr old and they both got leappad two years ago. (in hindsight the then 2 year old was too young for it at the time).
They both love them and they'll be getting new games from santa. They have access to their leappads, our smartphones and tablets and would pick their leappads about 70% of the time.
The leappads are not too expensive but the games are not cheap (€15 each) There is a LOT to each game and they're very very educational .

Leappad for the win!!!

leappad on amazon

They got Innotabs for Christmas last year...

January

Khannie wrote: »

Bit more fluting about, so an update:


Pro's:
Temple run 2 plays very smoothly. I'd consider that a reasonable test of any game that a kid will play. It's quite graphically intensive.
Youtube app works perfectly.

Con's:
The rear camera is fairly naff (640x480). Again I think it would be grand for kids. The flash is really weak on it though, so strictly for well lit areas.
If you're holding it in portrait (i.e. length vertical) there is a bias on the screen to the side. It's hard to explain this, but it reduces your ability to use it in portrait mode (I only discovered it because I was giving temple run a whirl). You basically have to tilt it a bit to see the screen properly.

Both of these are very minor things to me. I'm still very happy with the two tablets for 150 delivered in a week (including VAT).

Received the tablets the other day and have been playing around with them, got them for 160 euro incl VAT.

Very good tablets, kids will be delighted with them, only thing is, Netflix doesn't work on them because it runs android 4.2 and cannot be updated to 4.3.

Will just buy a big SD card and put some of their favourite movies on.

Thanks for the heads up Khannie!