Superb reply. Many thanks for that Popey - and others.
Sadly iPad is out the budget. I considered an iPod Touch 4th Gen
(used, ~£99 with warranty) but the small screen put us off.
Know what you mean about the lack of Android support - I wanted an
earphone+mic for my Android phone recently and noticed there was
probably 80%/20% split in the supermarket for iPhone/Pod/Pad devices
versus Android. Erm, don't we hear that Android is outselling iPhone?
Yeah, lack of hardware keys and volume has been highlighted in these
things. In the end though I plumped for the Nabi 2. It's approx the
same power as the Nexus 7 and the build quality seems good. I figured
that as time goes on I can root it and turn it into a more
sophisticated device.
Thanks again for the input!
On 27 March 2013 23:09, Alan Pope <alan.pope@???> wrote:
> 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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