# tablet for children



## telco (11 Nov 2013)

hi there

I am getting my 2 daughters a tablet as their Santa present , however I don't want the tablets that are aimed at children as they will out grow them quickly. My max budget is €130 each. Preferably a 9 inch screen with dual camera , did some research on the cheaper versions available in Harvey Normans , the reviews were not good. I know you get what you pay for but with the huge choice out there I would have thought it wasn't a too difficult ask ! can anyone recommend make/model ( android ) mostly for downloading games apps , books, taking photos ...

many thanks


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## SparkRite (11 Nov 2013)

Have look here......

[broken link removed]

have dealt with them before, no probs.
But order quickly if you want Santa to deliver them.


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## telco (11 Nov 2013)

thanks for that , were you hit with customs/sales tax ?


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## chrisboy (11 Nov 2013)

telco said:


> hi there
> 
> I am getting my 2 daughters a tablet as their Santa present , however I don't want the tablets that are aimed at children as they will out grow them quickly. My max budget is €130 each. Preferably a 9 inch screen with dual camera , did some research on the cheaper versions available in Harvey Normans , the reviews were not good. I know you get what you pay for but with the huge choice out there I would have thought it wasn't a too difficult ask ! can anyone recommend make/model ( android ) mostly for downloading games apps , books, taking photos ...
> 
> many thanks



Hi, for young kids a 7" tablet is actually more suitable, and the case of you get what you pay for is completely true when it comes to tablets. I have a samsung galaxy tab 3, 7 inch and its brilliant. Herself has an ipad, and ive had a couple of the cheaper ones too. Although a little over your budget, i'd be looking for the 7" galaxy, really is an excellent piece of kit, and is as fast and responsive as they'll need..


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## Bronte (12 Nov 2013)

I'm not good on technology, but a couple of weeks ago on the radio they mentioned a device for kids by Argus for 100 GBP.  A new product to compete with the more expensive devices, and as far as I could tell, it would be manufactured by the same people that do the expensive ones.


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## tallpaul (12 Nov 2013)

Bronte said:


> I'm not good on technology, but a couple of weeks ago on the radio they mentioned a device for kids by Argus for 100 GBP. A new product to compete with the more expensive devices, and as far as I could tell, it would be manufactured by the same people that do the expensive ones.


 
If you are referring to the MyTablet by Argos, they are already thinking of discontinuing the product after some appalling reviews.

You do get what you pay for in the tablet world. What is particularly good value at present is the Nook HD 7" tablet on Littlewoods for €109. This has a fantastic screen and access to the Google play store. The only thing it doesn't have is a camera. Otherwise I would look for the Samsung Galaxy Tab. 

In general terms, a quality name gets you a quality tablet...


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## vandriver (12 Nov 2013)

+1 on the Nook HD 7 inch.My son got one for his birthday and loves it (79 stg from Asda Direct).
However if no camera is a deal breaker,then look elsewhere!


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## telco (12 Nov 2013)

many thanks for the suggestions , I have an Ipad and a Samsung Galaxy phone , so we have experience of the good brands, my inability to get near them at home though prompted the idea of the Santa pressie !
Front camera at least needed for skyping cousins in NZ, am a little reluctant to go for branded names given one child is only 6 and has a habit of losing items, I may revisit that though as no point in spending money on something that won't deliver what we need..and keep them supervised at all times ! out of interest @ chrisboy, why is a 7inch screen better for small kids ? thanks again


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## telco (12 Nov 2013)

Think I have landed on the right one for the girls HP Slate 7, on promotion with one of retailers at the moment €159 , €20 cash back after 21 days, also comes with cover and earphones

It got good reviews with the technology team on News Talk, anybody have experience with it ?


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## Leo (12 Nov 2013)

Expert Reviews generally do good, balanced reviews, they're not too impressed, but looking at the specs, it will do exactly what you want.


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## chrisboy (12 Nov 2013)

telco said:


> many thanks for the suggestions , I have an Ipad and a Samsung Galaxy phone , so we have experience of the good brands, my inability to get near them at home though prompted the idea of the Santa pressie !
> Front camera at least needed for skyping cousins in NZ, am a little reluctant to go for branded names given one child is only 6 and has a habit of losing items, I may revisit that though as no point in spending money on something that won't deliver what we need..and keep them supervised at all times ! out of interest @ chrisboy, why is a 7inch screen better for small kids ? thanks again



Well, the smaller kids seem to be able to hold the 7" in one hand and swipe with the other, the 10" is more cumbersome for the smaller hands.. Also theyre lighter, and although they dont bounce well, my 7" has survived a couple of falls and i know one or 2 people who've said their 10" hasnt fared so well!  The fact that the 7" is a fair amount cheaper especially since a small child WILL drop it, would sway me towards it.. Make sure you order a couple of rubber protectors for them off ebay for when you do get them, only a couple of quid each..

Personally, id prefer a 10" but the 7" does me fine!! (Dont read that the wrong way!)


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## chrisboy (12 Nov 2013)

[broken link removed]

This here is an amazing deal, from argos, use parcel motel to get them shipped to you for 3.50 euro... You most definitely wont do any better than this.


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## tallpaul (13 Nov 2013)

chrisboy said:


> [broken link removed]
> 
> This here is an amazing deal, from argos, use parcel motel to get them shipped to you for 3.50 euro... You most definitely wont do any better than this.


 
That's simply fantastic value... it may be last year's model but would be absolutely perfect for the OP...


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## dee mac (13 Nov 2013)

Samsung galaxy 7inch in littewoods reduced from 249 to 154 great value!


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## p15574 (13 Nov 2013)

I know it's slightly over your budget, but Power City had the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7" recently for €150, it's a perfect size, especially to double as an e-reader with the Kindle app installed.  Quality name, quality product. Probably the same model as the Littlwoods one referred to above.

I certainly wouldn't touch a cheapo model with a bargepole. 

Another option is a Kindle Fire from Amazon, which in essence is an Android tablet that's slightly hobbled. They can be de-hobbled, but sometimes it's better to limit what they can do on the tabs.


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## telco (13 Nov 2013)

thanks everyone , being swayed to the ASUS google, it has a dual camera I believe ? not obvious from spec on ebay...how does parcel motel work ?


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## TarfHead (13 Nov 2013)

telco said:


> Front camera at least needed for skyping cousins in NZ


 
I guess that SKYPE would amount to a very small proportion of the time spent using the tablet. And, for those times, would you not all be on the call, and use the iPAD ?

And any tablet is cumbersome as a camera. And often the camera lens is low-spec.  So, if that's your only need for a front-facing camera, I think you should extend your search to include units without one.


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## p15574 (13 Nov 2013)

telco said:


> thanks everyone , being swayed to the ASUS google, it has a dual camera I believe ? not obvious from spec on ebay...how does parcel motel work ?



Note that that one is a "Refurb". Nothing wrong with that, per se, but the usual price of that model is closer to £200.


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## tallpaul (13 Nov 2013)

telco said:


> how does parcel motel work ?


 
[broken link removed]


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## Leo (13 Nov 2013)

p15574 said:


> Note that that one is a "Refurb". Nothing wrong with that, per se, but the usual price of that model is closer to £200.



Argos are still selling the older model in-store as well! And for €310!! PC World have the new one for €300 (with a cash-back offer bringing that down to €270). The new one retails at $280 in the US.

So you can tell which is which, the new one has a quad core Qualcomm Snapdrgon S4 processor running at 1.5GHz and 2Gb RAM, old one, 1.2GHz NVIDIA                                   Tegra 3 processor and 1Gb RAM.


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## Stephanno (14 Nov 2013)

Think about not just the cost of the tablet but also the cost of the Apps your daughters are using: if they are using mostly Apps on the iPad, if you buy an Android tablet you need to purchase the Android version (if available), or similarly if they uses mostly your Samsung Galaxy, check that the Apps are compatible with whatever version of Android ships the tablet with.


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## telco (15 Nov 2013)

many thanks for all the helpful replies, the refurb tablets on ebay ( argos) sold out by the time I got parcel motel set up and logged back on , there was another ad up for same model for another distributor in UK however there was some cosmetic damage on them , which did put me off buying them as they are Santa presents. Having done some more research I have now landed on the Asus note pad which meets all requirements , within budget, got good review and are available in pink ! ( bonus- apologies to all the tech experts .. )


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## Berberis (15 Nov 2013)

Don't know if its too late but there are ones  on Groupon for €145


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## Leo (18 Nov 2013)

Berberis said:


> Don't know if its too late but there are ones  on Groupon for €145



Too expensive for a generic tablet. You'll get the same elsewhere for less than €100.


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## Maz24 (19 Nov 2013)

Bought my Granddaughter a Samsung Galaxy tab 2, it is a 7" but I find anything bigger is difficult for small hands, it seems to be quiet dear in Irish stores but Tesco UK are selling for £109, tablet is excellent, was surprised how good graphics, sound and connection speeds where for such a low priced tablet.  I believe Tesco's Hudl tablet is around the same price and I have been told this is also a great tablet.


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