IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AMAZON Most tablets are not really suitable for kids. Few have parental controls baked-in that let you leave your children playing happily without having to check they aren’t looking at something they shouldn’t. And we don’t fancy a metal and glass wafer’s chances against an overtired five year-old.
The Amazon Fire 8 HD Kids Edition Tablet is ready-made for children, inside and out. Let’s start with the most practical parts.
Built for Kids
Almost all modern tablets have a screen topped with an ultra-thin layer of glass, at risk of shattering if dropped. This glass is an important part of how a tablet looks and feels. Amazon hasn’t replaced it in its Fire Kids Edition Tablet, but protected it more than just about any rival, with a kid-proof case.
This creates a protective border that soaks up any knocks and scrapes so the screen stays safe. It also acts as a handy, comfortable grip. There’s a choice of blue, yellow and pink. You could buy an Amazon Fire Kids Edition tablet for each of your little terrors, and use these to tell who owns which. Argument avoided.
The tablet also comes with a two-year “worry-free” guarantee, which covers you should an unfortunate event occur. “If they break it, we’ll replace it. No questions asked,” says Amazon. This is a fantastic extra for what is quite an affordable tablet.
Serious fun
It’s no toy either. The Amazon Fire Kids Edition Tablet comes in 7-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch screen varieties, with resolutions of up to Full HD+. And all models have dual cameras, 16GB or 32GB of storage and access to thousands of kid friendly apps, books, games, movies and audio books.
And you can use it like any other tablet. It’s tailored for kids, not cut down. Switch it into “parents mode”, unclasp the Kid-Proof Case and you can have some fun with it yourself. It’s a full featured Amazon Fire Tablet. However, for the little ones the Fire for Kids Unlimited service is another big draw.
A full year of access to Fire for Kids Unlimited is included with all Kids Edition Fire tablets. It offers unlimited access to more than 5,000 apps, games, videos and books, and they can be downloaded for those long car and plane journeys, when a tablet can be a lifesaver.
Kids Unlimited
For 3 to 5 year-olds, there are Mr. Men books, Peppa Pig videos and Sesame Street apps. Those in the 6 to 8 range might prefer playing Angry Birds, or an episode of Paw Patrol. Have a 9-12 year-old? Perhaps Star Wars: Puzzle Droids or David Walliams’s Billionaire Boy will fit the bill.
There’s masses of educational content too. An Amazon Fire Kids Edition Tablet is for learning as well as play.
All the Fire for Kids Unlimited content has been stripped of ads, links to social networking and in-app payments too. You can rest easy knowing they won’t stumble onto something they shouldn’t see, or end up racking-up charges on your credit card.
There are many more child-friendly software optimisations packed into the Amazon Fire Kids Edition Tablet too. You can read about them in our article on parental controls.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
