Toys R Us Unveils Android Tablet For Kids

puddingebola writes "Can Toys R Us provide the iPad killer? The 'Tabeo' s a 7 inch Android tablet running ICS with a micro-SD card slot. From the article, 'Powered by a 1GHz processor, the multitouch device comes with 4GB of built-in storage but can handle up to 32GB with a micro SDHC card. The device comes with 50 preloaded games, books, and educational apps and offers access to 6,000 more apps through the Tabeo Store.'"

Comments

Cost too much

[na1led]

Seriously, why would anyone pay $150 for this cheap thing when you can get much better. I'd rather pay $150 for the kindle fire, or even the nook. Unless this tablet is childproof from breaking, its not going to sell.

Re:Cost too much

[eyegone]

It is designed for children and it looks like it suits that group.
No it isn't. It's designed for children's parents.

not an iPad killer

[mbaGeek]

my first thought is of someone yelling "developers, developers, developers!" (the success of the platform will be directly related to the amount of useful work that can be accomplished using it)

this has the potential to carve out a niche - but has zero chance of "killing" the iPad - i.e. fundamentally different markets...

Re:not an iPad killer

[Darth Snowshoe]

This. Why is "iPad-killer" even a thing? People buy iPads because they want iPads. If you offer them something better, cheaper... they will continue to buy iPads.

Re:not an iPad killer

[mbaGeek]

you raise an interesting point.

the Apple culture seems to irritate Steve Ballmer, and mystify industry experts. Yes, there is a sizable "Apple fanboy" market (those eagerly waiting to pre-order Apple's next product sight unseen) but that has been built on the fact that Apple has been releasing great products for a long time (but it hasn't ALWAYS been that way - the company went through some lean times once)

Apple is in a position in the tablet market that they once held in the personal computer market (and we all know how that ended).

Is someone really making something better AND cheaper than the iPad? Is the iPad just a $500 status symbol/fashion statement? I'd argue the answer to both question is "no." The iPad is positioned as a productive piece of hardware that happens to be elegant ...

My personal bias: I would like an iPad - but I don't want to pay $500 for one (I love my iPod though) - so I have a Nook color. The Nook color is "nice", only cost me $100, but is just a glorified reading device (although I could watch Netflix with it - which was important in my decision process).

Stop Trying to be a Killer.

[jellomizer]

Why do you thinks these products fail. Is because they are trying to kill the competition vs. Find their own niche where the competition fails to thrive.

The iPad is here and it will stay as long as Apple Deems fit. Now that doesn't mean it need to be the only tablet on the block, but apple has left gaps for areas to success.
1. Low End Market (The Kindle Fire area) Low end Tablet, for those who don't need the fancy iPad.
2. Business Market. Businesses really don't care for the iPad closed nature. They need to do their own trusted tweaks to them.
3. High End Market. (Microsoft?) We want a full featured PC but just an optional keyboard.

Android had seemed to stay in the Me Too area. Its success in the phones wasn't as much as the success in the OS but because Apple stuck only on AT&T for too long and people didn't want to switch to AT&T for whatever reason (often good one), the tablets which had less success was because they are less tied to a carrier thus people make a choice. So you have an iPad or something else that is priced the same as an iPad and equal specs... You might as well go with the iPad.
I am NOT saying Android is a bad OS or your tablet or phone is second par to the iPhone. But Apple got the image first, the rest are trying to takes its place in an area where Apple already has that place.

Re:Stop Trying to be a Killer.

[DerekLyons]

You think nobody is going to walk off with an unsecured tablet that's not an iPad? I have a bridge and some land in Florida to sell you.

Re:Stop Trying to be a Killer.

[CanHasDIY]

Android is a me too phone?

Tell that the the android phones with physical keyboards, hdmi output, or sd card slots. These are things that the iPhone never did.

In other words: "Our product is like theirs only we added a couple of features."

That's the very definition of a me-too product.

Like when Apple started adding hard drives to their desktops, after everyone else started doing it?

Seriously, though, these fanboi pissing contests, while close to the dumbest shit I've ever encountered, do make for fairly entertaining reading.

You're not thinking like Mom

[LordNicholas]

As a nerd, but also as someone in the mobile games business, I'd say there's definitely potential here. All they need is a big sticker saying "No accidental app purchases!"

Mobile games on an iPad run the risk of Junior buying $500 worth of virtual currency. The same moms who aren't tech-savvy enough to disable that feature are the same ones who'd more than happily spend $150 on a kid-proof Tabeo. There's also a dollar value on the fact that Mom doesn't need to spend any time or energy ensuring Junior doesn't download anything objectionable.

Those are just two examples- there are plenty of others.

Good idea, excessive price point.

[Animats]

It's a good idea, but $150 is too much. Generic 7 inch tablets are now down to $40-75 on Alibaba. This thing will probably drop below $100 on December 26th.

The future of computing is $79.95 tablets in blister packs at the convenience store. Intel, Microsoft, and Apple are desperately trying to stop this.