Amazon is looking to entice kids with the launch of its new Fire HD Kids Edition -- a tablet that is specially catered to and designed for children.
On Sept. 17, Amazon took the wraps off the Fire HD Kids Edition tablet, which will come in two size: 6 inches and 7 inches. The tablet looks to challenge offerings from Fuhu and Samsung (Galaxy Tab 3 Kids).
The Fire HD Kids Edition has been priced reasonably and starts from $149. The device also comes with a two-year guarantee and if the tablet gets damaged during this time -- no matter how -- Amazon will replace it free of charge. Another plus the parents will love is that the kid-friendly tablet is content rich and packs in several games and apps. The FreeTime Unlimited feature will let children watch videos, play games and read books as much as they want without any charge, which makes for happy parents as well.
"Fire HD Kids Edition is a real tablet, not a toy," said Peter Larsen, vice president of Amazon Devices. "Kids break things, so we added a two-year, no-questions-asked, worry-free guarantee. Plus, you'll never be surprised by a bill -- it comes with a year of FreeTime Unlimited, which includes over 5,000 books, movies, TV episodes, educational apps, and games at no additional cost."
Amazon apparently put the Fire HD Kids Edition through the wringer to test its ruggedness and durability, considering it would be used by children. Amazon splashed sunscreen on the tablet, threw water (salt and fresh) and even dropped the device from a height of one meter.
In terms of design sensibility, the thick rubber Kid-Proof Case for the Fire HD Kids Edition screams that it is meant for children. The tablet has similar hardware to the Kindle Fire HD and packs in a quad-core processor and a Gorilla Glass display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The tablet also offers 8GB of on-board storage and comes with a 2-megapixel primary camera and a VGA secondary camera.
Amazon claims that the Fire HD Kids Edition beats the iPad mini when it comes to sturdiness and reliability twice over. When compared to budget tablets, the Amazon device betters the reliability stakes further to more than 20 times.
The 6-inch and 7-inch Fire HD Kids Edition will cost $149 and $189, respectively. The tablets will hit the shelves on Oct. 21 and are currently available for pre-order from Amazon. To pre-order the tablet click here. It is available in three hues: pink, green and blue.
