ipad alternative for kids for santa!

happydays5

hi all , my twins have both decided they want ipads from santa! joy! yes! but i am not so well informed on the alternatives which is the only way i could afford to indulge them at the moment.... could we start a thread like this for the forthcoming months as i have two other friends who are in the same positiion as myself..... also ..... my husband is an avid book reader so i had decided to get him a kindle or similar but his cousin told me a few weeks ago i should get him a tablet also which he can use for internet as well as to read books .... all advice appreciated...... very confused!

belcampprisoner

Google nexas

Big Lar

To be honest a tablet will blow the eyes out of him while trying to read books on it, e-readers have a more gentle screen and the kindle is probably one of the best ebook readers out there and Amazon do provide great customer support and guarantees in the event of a malfunction, we are on our third one since last Christmas :eek:. The screens seem to keep cracking, I myself think that its the rough treatment but Amazon just keep on replacing them

The android based tablets seem to be way better value for money and there is a wide selection, like belcampprisoner said above the Google Nexux is one of the hotter items, I have a Achros 101 tablet here with over two years and its after standing the test of time and the three kids hammering away at it also - Would recommend

flyguy

I was quite stubborn as a kid, if I said I wanted an iPad that's what I would want (but then my parents would tell me where to go..)
Anyway how about a refurbished one (like new+warranty)
http://store.apple.com/ie/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad
Also plenty used one for sale, adverts.ie?
If not apple, Kindle fire HD? Check amazon.ie

Overheal

There are 2 tablets I know of that are ideal for kids: One is the Kindle Fire HD, and the other is the Nabi 2.

The Nabi has a native "Kid mode" and a "Mommy mode" so your kids are locked into only apps and websites that you approve of. In Mommy mode youre the admin and can do pretty much whatever you want. No cameras, comes with a rubber protective body. It's also preload with "$200" of kid content and games

The Fire HD is the newest tablet that has a similar kid mode the name of which escapes me. Its a great improvement on the original: more performance on the inside, it's based on the Android 4.0 kernel instead of the 2.3, it has stereo sound (which is still rare in tablets - movies sound great on it) and a front camera.

iPads also have "Restrictions" you can activate to do parental control with. Android may have similar. Rumors are abound that Apple may release an iPad mini by christmas but don't expect it if it does come to be in ready supply: you will want to preorder, preferably online, within the first hour of preorder commencement to be assured of happiness. But your safest bet is the Nabi or Fire HD. Fire HD is great for older kids, if theyre younger I'd go with the Nabi

Bellu

I still think the iPad 2 is OK, is cheaper than the iPad 3, and also is amazing to use it.

Or Google Nexus 7 is a not bad choice, read this blog: http://www.enolsoft.com/blog/google-debuts-its-nexus-7-tablet-at-199-ups-challenge-to-ipad-and-kindle-fire/

Khannie

http://www.mp4nation.net/tablets-phones/ainol-tablets/ainol-novo-aurora-7-ips-screen-ics-android-tablet-16gb-1-5ghz-1gb-ram-hdmi

I have held one and the screen and build quality are superb. There is software on the market that allows you to put it into a "kid mode" where you restrict access to only specific apps. If I were getting something for my kids, this (plus some kind of rubber protection device) would be it.

edit: Around 100 euro from here.