Samsung Kids Ninjago Movie tablet
Posted by Huw,
Just a few years ago tablet computers were an expensive luxury but now they are ubiquitous and priced low enough to allow everyone who wants one to buy one, and for every member of the family to have their own.
So, to cater for a growing market of tablets for kids, Samsung has teamed up with LEGO to produce a LEGO Ninjago Movie edition of its Samsung Kids tablet, aimed at children aged 3 to 8.
Its unique selling points are the cool protective case it comes with, and the Samsung Kids subscription service that provides access to a number of LEGO games as well as a whole host of age-appropriate content.
I've been sent one to enable me to tell you all about it...
The tablet itself is a white 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab E Lite running Android 4.4.4 (Kit Kat)
The LEGO Ninjago Movie edition is protected by a rubbery case, complete with big chunky rubbery ninjas that can be removed and rearranged. Personally I found them a nuisance when holding the device but I suspect kids won't worry about that.
When it's first powered up it boots into the standard Android interface, from which the Samsung Kids app can be started.
It takes a few minutes to configure a parental PIN code and the names and ages of the child/children who will be using it and once that's done it will remain in the Kids app until a parent exits it using the PIN, even when powering off and restarting.
Essentially The Samsung Kids app is child-friendly user interface that provides access to a wealth of games, educational programs, books, videos and so on that are downloaded via a subscription to the Samsung Kids service. The tablet includes three months' free access to it, as well as a starter pack of premium learning games.
Plenty of LEGO games can be accessed including DC Mighty Micros, Ningago Movie app, Juniors Create and Cruise.
Parents have access to an activity dashboard that enables them to see what the child has been doing on the tablet, to set time limits for certain types of activity and to add/remove apps that have been installed on the tablet from the Google Play store or elsewhere.
Unfortunately in the time I've had to evaluate it I've not been able to lay my hands on any 3-8 year olds to give it a thorough testing but I reckon that had my daughters, now 23 and 25, had it when they were young they would have loved it. At that age they were using my PC to play the excellent Humongous Entertainment games and Broderbund Living Books available on CD-ROM at the time. How technology has moved on...
Anyway, it's available from number of retailers in the USA for $89.99. If you visit Samsung's website it should tell you where you can buy it locally.
After the three months' free subscription to Samsung Kids has expired, it'll cost you $7.99 a month which, like the tablet, is available in the USA only. We have a code to share with you that'll give you another three months free when you sign up for one: LEGONINJAGO03
Verdict
I'm pretty sure that every 3-8 year old would be thrilled with this tablet, particularly every Ninjago-loving one, and there's still time to grab one in time for Christmas!
Giving kids access to technology and the internet in particular can be a worry for parents these days but the Samsung Kids app removes that worry completely: you can be confident that they are only accessing age-appropriate content for as long as you want them to, and won't be subjected to advertising or tempted by in-app purchases.
Plus, with the Kids app pre-installed you won't need to faff about with Google Play to download it, or a similar one, before letting your kids loose with it.
Great for kids, and their parents!
Thanks to Samsung USA for providing the tablet to review. The review is an expression of my own opinions.
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9 comments on this article
Wow, this is fascinating :) Definitely great for kids :D
The hardware and the concept of "kid-friendly sandboxed Internet" are nice, but three things I don't like are the quite outdated Android version (4.4.4, when the most recent is 8.0), the monthly subscription fee, and the USA-only availability.
Android 4.4.4 is a bit sad. It's also quite sad if you consider the BOOST app will never run on it.
Big up for Freddi Fish and Putt Putt, btw - those were the days ;)
@ccc, you make a fair point but I would imagine that these tablets will not be used for email, browsing etc. so from from a security point of view the older version is more than adequate and kids of this age don't need the latest and greatest.
There are doubtless many similar kids shells but this tablet has the advantage that it comes pre-installed and doesn't need the parent to faff about with Google Play etc. which is easy for you and I but perhaps not for everyone.
@sid3windr, they certainly were! Freddi Fish and the Missing Kelp Seeds, Putt Putt Saves the Zoo... it's a wonder my girls didn't wear out the CD-ROMs the number of times they played them! I see they are still available from Google Play/ the App Store. At least digital downloads won't get covered in sticky fingers like the CDs!
Shame it won't even run the Lego Boost App (needs Android 5 or higher, and bluetooth4.1)
that's a bit of a oversight!!
Samsung and Lego is a poor partnership, and reflects negatively on TLG imho.
So, like why should I get this rather than Amazon's kid tablet version? I've got a three year old (who already owns 2 tablets...) and I'm just not sure what makes this special. I'd like more information about why it is so "lego" rather than just being a nice case on an old tablet.
I would rather just get my kids a normal iPad for a bit more since it has much more room and contents and last's for a larger age range.
AND you can look at brickset!
Huw, I respectfully but vehemently disagree with the following:
" @ccc, you make a fair point but I would imagine that these tablets will not be used for email, browsing etc. so from from a security point of view the older version is more than adequate and kids of this age don't need the latest and greatest."
When it comes to security, no older version is adequate. Heck, even the most current versions aren't adequate.
Also, I asked my kids about this (6 and 7 years old) and they're ok with it (they can live without the ninjas on the case), but they do wonder about which games exactly you can play. Because under 8 often is too young for a 7 year old, when it comes to this. They wouldn't trade their ipad for this (and the iPad is an old hand-me down iPad Air that still runs the latest and current iOS, for what it's worth).