Tablets are taking over. PC sales were down over the holidays while tablets were on the rise. Phones are becoming more like tablets. People in general are shifting their consumption habits - Web browsing, television watching, music listening - and using tablets for everything.
Everyone loves them, even (especially?) kids. Children love swiping the screen to change the page; they love playing games on them; some companies think kids love them so much they can use an iPad to potty train babies.
Considering a tablet's cost, though, can you trust your kids with it? Children can be clumsy, careless, and messy, and all three of those attributes can lead to a broken $500 slate as well as flowing tears from the most hardened individual. That's where alternatives like Polaroid's Kids Tablet, Toys "R" Us' Tabeo, and OLPC's XO Learning Tablet come in.
"Kids can read, play educational games, watch movies and entertain themselves in any number of ways with tablets, either at home or on the go," Polaroid President and CEO Scott Hardy told Wired. "Of course, kids also have a tendency to be a little less careful with the devices than their parents do, and they don't necessarily want or need all of the features, functionalities and, frankly, freedoms that adults want and need from tablets, either."
These kinds of tablets tend to feature 7-inch, non-HD resolution screens with plastic bumpers surrounding the entire slate to protect against messy fingers and falls. These kid-friendly machines also boast their own app stores, curated by teams that ensure everything available is appropriate for children.
The major criticism of these tablets, though, is that they cost $150. That's only 50 bucks cheaper than numerous full-featured, 7-inch Android tablets, leaving many to wonder if the kids machine is worth it when you factor in new security features being added to regular tablets. Already, you can give a parent control over the features of a Kindle Fire, and iOS allows users to choose which apps can be accessed as well as whether or not to limit in-app purchases. Buy a protective case for your tablet and you kid-proof it right away.
Still, many Android tablets don't quite feature extensive parental controls just yet, meaning some parents will still want to opt for the rubberized kid-friendly pads in the meantime. According to Wired, retailers have recieved great feedback from parents, so it looks like they've become a successful alternative. 2013 is expected to see the release of a number of budget-friendly $100 tablets, though, so you have to wonder if the products can be sustainted at their current price level.