On 27/03/13 17:58, Imran Chaudhry wrote:
> There's a number of "geek dads" among us so does anyone have
> recommendations for an Android tablet for kids?
>
Based on my own experience I would not recommend any Android tablets for
kids^Wanyone. That said I have a Nexus 7 which has multiple user
profiles and is thus used by all four of us. Clare uses it now and then
(if it's within reach and no other computers are) for email, Facebook &
web. I use it now and then for Netflix, web, email and the odd game.
The kids use it for playing games, my eldest also uses it for emailing
friends and browsing Amazon.
> I have heard the cheaper tablets have oddities such as wifi being
> impaired by a metal back cover.
>
Quality is a concern. Some of the cheapo ones are real stinkers in terms
of reliability, build, battery life, touch sensitivity and software
upgrades.
One Android specific frustration my kids (and I) have had is the soft
buttons. It's incredibly easy to accidentally close an app, switch apps,
back out of an app or bring up Google Now when you're in the middle of
an intense game of some kind. This is especially apparent with young
kids who haven't mastered finger control as much, but I've done it too
mid game and it made me want to bury the tablet in the garden, dig it
up, shoot it, burn it, chop it up and burn it again.
> I was going to go for a 2nd hand Nubi 2 [0] which although
> Android-based has a "walled garden" of apps to filter out the bad
> stuff.
You can achieve a similar thing by installing apps for them and not
giving them access to the play store at all. Or, you know, buy an iPad.
> I am also considering a Nexus 7 which with protective covers
> can be made more kid-friendly, my concern though is that Play store is
> more "wild" making it easier for the little 'uns to make in-app
> purchases and be exposed to dodgy ads.
>
They can't do in app "purchases" if you don't put a credit card on their
account, or give them credit in Google Play vouchers. They can of course
install free stuff which may bombard them with adverts if you link a
Google account to their Nexus 7 login (which you have to if you want
them to have any apps at all).
Having watched my two (aged 6 and 9) use the Nexus 7 I've been pretty
appalled at nagging popups that many apps in the Google Play store use
to get you to install other stuff. I've logged in as them on it and see
a plethora of additional crappy apps which were 'recommended' by the
apps they already had. There are some awful adverts too which are made
to look like Facebook like pages or system dialogs. It's like browsing
Geocities in Internet Explorer with no advert blocking from 10 years ago.
Conversely I also have an iPhone and an iPad and have _no_ problem with
them play with those whatsoever as they just don't have the same kind of
nagging crappy apps, or if they do, we haven't found them. They also
don't have the accidental swipe issues that Android has.
There are also minimal accessories for Android tablets, even the
officially blessed by Google "Nexus" branded ones. It's 5 months since
the Nexus 10 came out and there's still no official cover for it. I
visited a phone shop last week and the Nexus 4 had exactly one cover.
There's more choice for the Nexus 7, and I've got the official rubbery
Asus one which is okay, but nowhere near as nice as the original iPad
cover from ~4 years ago but cost the same!
Get an iPad :)
Cheers,
--
Alan Pope
Engineering Manager
Canonical - Product Strategy
+44 (0) 7973 620 164
alan.pope@???
http://ubuntu.com/
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