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

Re:Cost too much

[SomePgmr]

The article says it comes in a "drop-proof bumper" and is preloaded with kids stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if it uses its own, curated, kid-safe market with some protection against inappropriate material or apps that include unguarded in-app purchasing.

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.

[ColdWetDog]

We're rolling out an EHR (electronic health record). Although the vendor supports iPads and 'hopes' to support Android tablets in the near future, we're not going the iPad route. Not because of administration but precisely because they're too popular. We think it's just going to be too easy to walk off with them.

Yes, you can lock it down so no patient info could be compromised, but the issue is a perception that it's an iPad and therefore desirable / fenceable. We're not in the financial position to be able to supply the town with iPads. I'm hoping that we can get a 7" generic Android tablet that runs the the data entry part of the application.

So, there are other valid reasons for wanting something other than a nice, shiny iPad....

Re:Cost too much

[idontgno]

Unless this tablet is childproof from breaking, its not going to sell.

You didn't read TFA. That's OK, this is Slashdot; it would have been weird if you had.

Yeah. It is, to some extent, childproofed. Its edge is a shock-absorbent soft-plastic bumper, so odds are somewhat better that if a kid drops it on the sidewalk, it won't shatter into a dozen pieces.

I couldn't see any other obvious signs of child-proofing (which would require engineering beyond even military ruggedization), but at least that obvious contingency is covered.

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.

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:Android is a toy

[bluefoxlucid]

Also see the "Bicycles are toys" crowd, versus the people who have no car and don't pay insurance/gas/car payment and are happily bicycling to work, to school, grocery shopping, etc.