The Amazon Fire Kids Edition Tablet sets a new benchmark for children's tablets. More than just a budget or throwaway tablet, it features impressive parental controls, tons of kid-friendly content, and a groundbreaking 2-year accidental damage guarantee that replaces the slate regardless of who's at fault.
Although the Fire Kids Edition is traditionally priced at $99.99, Amazon currently offers it for $79.99. That includes a kid-proof case and one year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited — a $2.99 per month service that gives you unlimited access to 13,000 kid-friendly books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games.
In terms of hardware, the Fire Kids Edition tablet is essentially the same 7-inch Fire Tablet wrapped in a durable, removable foam shell. The shell protects the tablet from drops, kicks, and other accidents. Otherwise, it features a 7-inch 1024 x 600 resolution display, 1.3-GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A7 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of onboard storage (expandable via a microSD card).
However, it's the software that's most impressive. Amazon offers the most extensive parental controls of any tablet designed for kids. For instance, Wi-Fi access, location-based services, and video playback can be password protected to keep junior from accessing content he/she shouldn't be. Purchases, including in-app purchases, can also be blocked.
You can also link two adult Amazon accounts and create up to four children's profiles on the same tablet. That way each person can have their favorite apps and content ready when they log on.
Naturally, Amazon's Kids Tablet sale won't last forever and this special pricing is only valid through April 15.
