Zane got a hand me down for his first tablet, but for Zarek that was just not going to be an option. So TJ and I started doing some research on tablets for toddlers and preschoolers.
Make it Durable
We wanted something that was going to be hardier than a regular tablet, as we learned from his experience with my tablet he had a tendency to drop it. One of Zane’s rules for when he had a tablet was to sit while playing. As he got more responsible that rule wasn’t used as much, so Zarek saw his older brother running around with a tablet and couldn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to.
Our choices were either to get a tablet built to be hardy or get a tablet and get a very hardy case. We decided to keep the cost down we were better off buying a tablet that was already built to be durable as the cases could be just as much as the phones. Nabi was a great choice as the price was just right, under $200, and it offered an amazingly durable case that came with it.
Must Meet the Specs
We wanted to find the most up to date version of Android’s OS so that we knew that it would last a while and we would have less limits as games advanced. Nabi was the only tablet made for kids that ran Ice Cream Sandwich.Besides that it offered the fastest processor and 1GB RAM. I was also happy to be able to expand its memory with an SD card as games get larger and larger lately.
Just a Little Bloated
I was even happier to find out we could expand the memory when I found out how much “extra” software Nabi added to the tablet that I could not delete, or bloatware. I wish I had a little more control over what was on the tablet. I also wish I could customize it a bit more, I finally gave up trying to add a fun background for him after a few tries.
Add the Amazon App Store
The app store they have installed on the tablet is alright, but is still a bit limited for me. We added the Amazon App Store on Zarek’s tablet to get a few more options. What is nice is that the Amazon App Store is getting bigger and bigger, so we are getting more and more options. We had considered rooting the tablet to get the Play Store on it, but decided not to as that will void your warranty.
Mommy Mode
One of the nice features is that we didn’t have to lock this tablet down with an app as it already has Nabi’s special parental dashboard system. Their is Nabi Mode for the kids to access anything you have approved for them. Then you, the parent, can enter Mommy Mode to update, add apps, go into settings, and more. You can even set up a chore list and watch their activity on the tablet to learn more about their usage.
Overall
Just as Zarek said, “(We) love it”, it has been an amazingly durable, safe, and fun experience for him for his first tablet. The Nabi 2 is a great learning tablet to get him to his next device in a few years.
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