It's no secret I'm a big fan of the iPad, and I've got a 4 year old son who seems to like it as much as I do. He's still enjoying playing with his LeapPad as the games and learning materials are more age appropriate for him, but I'm already wondering how long it will last before he gives it up completely and wants to move back to the iPad.
The problem with the iPad and similar tablets, at least for me, is the cost. I typically don't let Decker play with my iPad by himself – I'm usually no more than a few feet away or sitting right next to him. One slip up and my $600 tablet could end up becoming a $600 paperweight. Thankfully, Decker understands (I think) the value of the device and how mishandling it will cause it to disappear for a week or more. Decker's got at least another year or two before the LeapPad games are likely to become too easy or at least not entertain him anymore, so I've got some time before I need to go looking for a suitable replacement.
And that's where the Nabi comes in (Nabi is "butterfly" in Korean). It's billed as a kid-friendly tablet (it's running on Android) with plenty of parental-controls built in. Oversized app buttons, a touchscreen, and a variety of content that includes movies, music, books, games, and more makes it a true well-rounded product that may be just what some parents are looking for when it comes to a tablet for their kids. I'm guessing that for kids age 7 and up, this may be a true alternative to the iPad, and at $200.00 it's a much less expensive option. (I'm not saying it'll hurt any less if it falls and breaks, but my heart could probably handle a $200 loss versus a $600 or more loss. Your mileage may vary.)
Before I go hands-on and share both Decker's and my experiences with the Nabi, let's look at the specs.
The Nabi has a 7" TFT capacitive touch screen (800x480 super-bright) – pretty much a must-have for a tablet. Its processor is the ARM Cortex A9 Dual Core (533Mhz x 2) – I'm not completely up on every type of processor but some digging tells me that this isn't the fastest or the slowest, but it's a good choice for an intermediate tablet that's geared towards kids. (There's also an onboard 3D graphics processor to speed things up on screen.) It comes with 512MB of RAM and a basic ROM storage of 4GB. There is both an SD card slot (game cartridges) and a micro SD card slot (more storage) – a nice feature that's found missing in one major tablet... cough cough. You'll find a 1.3 megapixel camera, a mini-USB 2.0 port, a mini HDMI (great for displaying whatever's on the screen directly to your HDTV), a built-in microphone, and an audio jack (that disables the built-in speakers when a headset is plugged in). It supports WiFi (802.11a/b/g/n) and offers up 1080 video – AVI, MPEG, WMV, 3GP, MP4, and a handful more supported formats as well as MP3 WMA, ACC, and a few other audio formats.
The entire device is 4.5" x 7.5" and almost 0.5" thick. I don't have a scale sensitive enough to weigh it, but it's really light. Not cheap light as in it will break if it falls a few inches, but it's just not heavy at all. And if you think drops are a concern, you'll be happy to hear that the company producing the device, Fuhu, Inc, has partnered with Silly Bandz to offer up protective wrap-around rubber bumpers in the shapes of legs, heads, and arms that give the Nabi a unique appearance while offering up a bit more protection.
Tucked in the box are the Nabi tablet, a charger (5V DC), and a micro-USB cable along with some simple documentation that's almost not needed. The Power button is labeled and most all of the ports and buttons are also labeled with text or an easily recognizable icon (for you, maybe not for kids). After turning on the Nabi, you'll be led through a short registration process that took me less than two minutes to complete. I registered my name, my son's name, my relationship to him (Dad), and provided his gender and birthdate along with a password that is used to access the Settings feature of the Android device. Don't lose that password! Without it, you will not be able to go in and configure things like new WiFi settings, power options, and other Android OS settings that you may or may not familiar with. But it is nice to know that the Nabi is basically locked down for Decker and he won't be able to tinker or purchase things without it.
Speaking of purchasing...
It's a tablet, so what would a tablet be without apps, right? Well, I'll say right now that Fuhu has gone above and beyond with this kid-friendly tablet by pre-loading it with a ton of stuff, all included in the $200 price tag. The device comes preloaded with 15 games – Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja, and more. They're what I consider to be kid-friendly, but of course your kids are your kids, not mine, so I'll leave it up to you to judge the merits and safety of the game apps. And, with the Nabi actually being an Android device, there are certainly a ton of apps available, all pending parental approval of course before anyone can purchase. Fuhu has made it easy to find kid-suitable apps (including books and games) using the Nabi Store, an icon on the main page. What surprised me was how many free apps can be found for download, and the remainder fall between $0.99 and $5.99, with the average being $2.99 for most of the apps that I found of interest. I also find it interesting that there will be a Nabi branded collection of game and educational cartridges being released that look to use the SD card slot – prices are supposed to be between $20 and $30 and these cartridges are to be a bit more advanced in terms of game complexity and length. (And just so you know – the Angry Birds game runs just as smooth on the Nabi as it does on the iPad. Decker even prefers the smaller footprint of the Nabi as he can hold it better than the larger iPad.)
Let me jump back and let you know about a feature I discovered that lets you specify the age of the user. If you tap the Menu button on the home screen, it pops up a small menu that offers Select Age Group, Mommy Mode, and Device Settings. I've already mentioned that Device Settings requires the parent password to be able to access the Android Settings feature, but the Mommy Mode is also an interesting selection as it basically disables the interface for kids and turns the tablet into a more adult-suitable device, with what I believe is the Android Gingerbread version (2.3) that looks and works almost identical to the Samsung Galaxy Tab that I purchased over a year ago. (I use it now mainly as an e-reader for loaning out to friends and family.) The Mommy Mode does require the parent password to turn off the kid-friendly interface, but turning off the power (not putting it into sleep mode) will reset it to the Nabi interface (and don't think your kids won't try to break it out into Mommy Mode, so make certain that password is complex, not written down anywhere, and that they're not watching when you type it in). While in Mommy Mode, you can also tap an icon called Kidz Mode that will return the device to the kid-friendly Nabi interface. The Select Age Group, by the way, allows you to specify one of three age groups (3-5, 6-8, 9-11) that appears to assist with certain games and educational apps in determining the proper level of play.
What else? Well, if you've got a Netflix account, the Netflix app is pre-installed and ready to go after you login. Fuhu has installed over 50 free songs from artist Laurie Berkner that can be played through the built in Music app. There's also a Gallery app for viewing photos taken with the built-in camera. And, by the way, the camera app can also be toggled to shoot video, a feature that I didn't find mentioned in the Nabi paperwork but there it is! And it works great!
Another nice inclusion is a selection of 30 free e-books that are accessible via the MeeGenius app – Princess and the Pea, Jack and the Beanstalk, Pinocchio, Jungle Book, and 26 more, all ready for your young reader. Your child can choose to have the story read aloud or choose to Read It Myself. Turning pages is the typical swipe gesture and Decker has that movement down pat. After your child has tired of the 30 free books, the Book Store is available to purchase additional e-books along with a Preview button to get a sneak peek before asking a grown-up to buy.
There's a built-in Web browser app that only allows sites approved by the parent. And how is this done? Well, there's a Parental Dashboard feature that parents can log into to configure safe/allowable websites, so it's nice to have that level of control as many parents I know have different opinions on what websites are suitable and what sites are not. Choose for your own child and sit back knowing they can't visit sites you haven't approved. (Do be aware, however, that there are a number of pre-approved sites that have been configured on the unit such as Barney & Friends, Caillou, Blue's Clues, and more... I've looked them over and they're safe as can be, but don't take my word for it... look for yourself before allowing your own child to browse around.)
The same goes for online friends and email – yes, your child can be allowed to send email and chat online, but only with those users that you approve of. Again, all this is done via what Fuhu calls Fooz Kids, a multi-layered service that has both free services and subscription type services. An example of this is the $59.99 per year Fooz Kids University, an amazing collection of tutorials and games that covers pretty much everything from PreK to 5th grade. Children get report cards (that parents can view) and plenty of feedback on strong and weak areas of knowledge.
In addition to Fooz Kids University, there's also Fooz Kids Mall where kids can buy items for their personal avatars, play games, and more. Decker didn't show much interest here, but I know that for older kids who have discovered games on Facebook and other sites (as well as certain advanced game consoles), that there's something about customizing avatars that they just love. Well, it's here as well. Add in Fooz Kids Flicks (online kid-friendly videos and movies), Fooz Kids Crafts (coloring pages and simple crafts to make), Fooz Kids Treasure Box (a reward-centric site that offers prizes for learning and demonstrating that knowledge), and Fooz Kids Video Mail. And there's much more. You can check it all out at FoozKids.com – check out the Project Happy Kids section to see how Fuhu breaks up all the various services into four unique sections – Create, Connect, Discover, and Learn. Each section offers up a collection of different Fooz Kids services, and pricing options are available. (This is also where you'll access that Parental Dashboard I mentioned earlier.)
And by the way – if you're like me and you're wondering about the Fooz Kids services and if there's been any third-party testing and validation, be sure to check out the list of various awards and recognitions listed on their About Us page. For me, the 2011 Media of the Year Award from Creative Child Magazine speaks volumes!
Even without the Fooz Kids services, the Nabi tablet has quite a bit going for it with just the free apps, free e-books and songs, built-in camera, web browser, and the games. If Decker were just a bit older, I'd likely trust him with the Nabi all by himself, but for now he's having to use it while I'm sitting with him as there are many apps that must be demonstrated to him or set up before he can run with them. But I can already tell that as he gets older, this is a tablet that can certainly provide both entertainment and educational content via the apps and cartridges that can be purchased outright. But it's this Fooz Kids subscription service that really has me interested, and I believe I'm going to sign on for a complete year to see how Decker likes it. Even if it requires me to sit with him to work (or play) through the various features, I think we'll both enjoy it together.
So, overall opinion? Very favorable. It's a tablet, no doubt. And with the Mommy Mode feature, it can be turned into a tablet that any adult can easily use and configure as he or she sees fit. The ability to flip it back into a kid-friendly (and safe) interface is really nice – I don't really have the ability to lockdown my iPad for Decker and only allow him to open certain apps (maybe there's an app for that?) so I can totally see the benefit to handing your child the Nabi and not having to worry about them getting into trouble on the web or by downloading and playing apps that you don't approve.
At $200, it's certainly a reasonable price given not just the hardware but also the bundled free software that Fuhu installs. I especially like that with the Kindle app installed (via Mommy Mode) you've got an e-reader when you want it.
The Nabi isn't going to compete with your iPad. But it's not supposed to. It's a $200 tablet that is fairly rugged (and can be made more rugged, but it's not going to survive deliberate damage that very young children will deliver) and is meant to offer kids ages 4 to 10 a device that doesn't come off as cute-sy. The full color touch screen allows your child to play some great games and learn via some nice educational apps. It's expandable (memory) and customizable to suit your child's age range and current level of learning. And with the Fooz Kids subscription-based services, you've got years of usability as your child grows and needs or wants more learning opportunities.
Decker's eyeing the thing right now. He and I have played around with it a bit, and he's quickly figured out how most of the basic apps work. He's anxious to see what else it can do, and I'm not wanting to hold him back. But we've got plenty of time... he's 4 years old going on 18, and I want to make certain that he's not spending his every waking minute in front of screens, screens, screens. But I have to say... I'd much rather him spend his time on the Nabi then on my iPad when he wants to play a game of Angry Birds. And I certainly prefer him to use the Nabi when he wants to have a book read to him and I'm staring down a writing deadline and just can't take a break at the moment. And the list goes on. My iPad is mine. It's configured the way I like it with a folder that contains some Decker-related items... but it's still mine. The Nabi is his. And if he can take good care of it and show me that he can be trusted to use it by himself, I imagine in less than a year I'll be willing to let him take ownership of it.
I'll definitely be keeping my eye on the Nabi and how it develops. It's apparent there's been a lot of thought (and funds) put into the Fooz Kids services as well as the Nabi device. Tablets are the hot item right now, and kids want them just as bad as we adults do. The trick is to give them something that functions as a tablet but also manages to allow parents to retain some control and oversight. The Nabi is a full-featured tablet (both in kid-friendly mode and Mommy Mode) that allows me to have some say in what Decker watches, plays, and does with the tablet. That's a major win for me (the parent) and not a loss at all for Decker. While he still enjoys the LeapPad, I can already see the day when he wants a bit more from a tablet (and hands the LeapPad down to his younger brother) and I'm glad to have the Nabi already configured and ready to go when he makes that jump.
The Nabi is available exclusively from Toys 'R' Us and is listed at a retail price of $199.99. I'd like to thank Katherine W. for providing a Nabi for Decker and me to try out and play with together.
