Hi

We are looking at getting a cheap end Android tablet for our 6 year old towards the end of year, so she can watch tv, play games, read some school books online etc. We have seen the Arnova

http://www.staples.co.uk/technology-...rnova-7-g3-8gb

link above for about £70 which is fine. However, obviously the speed of it etc is not going to be as good as a galaxy. I am worried that it wont download BBC iplayer, youtube etc, everything she does will be under adult supervision of course.

It also doesnt have a USB input and only a microsd which is a pain load to programmes.

Please can anyone recommend any other makes that is suitable for a child for a similar price.

Many Thanks.

I'm not sure this tablet has Google play installed by default. A lot of cheap tablets don't. Someone might be able to confirm. You can install it manually but usually you will find some other app store is installed which often has only a smaller number of apps available.

No, it won't download YouTube as it doesn't have any Google Apps (by default anyway). As Rodney McKay said above there is no Google Play and instead Archos/Arnova decided to install AppsLib (to cut costs) which is lacking in a lot of decent apps. Your best bet is the Asus Nexus 7. The 16GB version should come down in price soon (it's currently £199, while the 8GB is £159) as a 32GB version will be available soon. It's a Google Nexus device by Asus so you will get Google Play and all the official Google Apps (YouTube, GMail etc.)

Hope this helps

That price they are quoting there is excluding VAT, add that on and it’s nearer to £90.

i got one for my dad for his birthday, there ok but pretty basic and cheappyish feel to them

I'm in the same boat. Looking to get a 7" tablet for Xmas for around £80, mainly for kids to use. I'm planning to get one of the dual core Chinese tablets with a high res IPS screen but not decided which one yet. With new tablets coming out all the time it seems wiser to wait until nearer Xmas to see what the options are and what deals are about.

Hi there, have a look on ebuyer,I had a sumvision astro + from there, Am pleased with mine does every thing i want....google play-facebook-twitter - iplayer no problem.....may be a bit cheaper now as sumvision have a new model out.

geoff

Tbh a "cheap" tablet is exactly what it is,you will have memory probs,locking up etc and this is what a youngster just learning will not tollerate and end up discarding it so a waste of money.Go for a known decent tablet if you can afford it and it will save yourself some money and frustration..

Not necessarily if you choose wisely and use a decent retailer. Plenty of people are happy with their cheap tablets and the build quality can be surprisingly good (no worse than the Nexus 7 ). Now that you can get ones with decent CPUs, quality screens and up to date OS (i.e. Jelly Bean) with everything working out of the box they can be a good choice for a first cheap tablet. Again, you need to do some research though as some models do have technical/build quality issues.

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I too am interested in a cheap tablet for my 5 year old. looking to spend £100ish. Have read some of the ideas listed.
Did the OP end up getting one and what feedback does he have?
Any more input from other people would be great.

Hi, I am glad this has been reopened actually as I still havent go t one for my 6 year old. I am now debating about the kindle fire. I have seen the galaxy tab 2 but it is about £130 - £150 and I dont want to spend that much really. So I am also interested in whats out there.
Looking for one she can watch bbc iplayer, read childrens books and play games.

Any ideas?

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 has recently been £119 after cashback. Some places may still have it in stock at that price. That is a much safer bet than the equivalent Chinese Tab from ebay/Amazon etc if you were looking to spend that sort of money.

I'm still considering a cheaper alternative as I only wanted to spend £70 and don't mind playing around with custom roms but I may yet pay a little extra for a "known" brand.

where was the £119 samsung tab from?

It was at Amazon but it's just been posted on hotukdeals as being in stock at John Lewis for the same price. There is £30 cashback at the moment.

brilliant thanks

so we bought the Samsung galaxy tab 2 7inch for my 6 year old daughter.

I am very happy with it and got a great deal in John Lewis. £150 with £30 cash back. In comparison to other tabs this is great.

Are there any apps that child proof it, so we can lock down what she does on it, and any apps you can recommend for reading books for her age. Kindle for Android dont have any free books, not does the stock readers hub. Or any other kidy apps that are good and free from Google play you can suggest?

Thanks

Kindle has hundreds of free childrens books and most kids books less then a quid.

I don't have my tablet in front of me but my 5 year old has around 30 apps installed on her tablet, some free, some paid for, again most are less then a quid. Just search on Play and in google.

As for lockdown, you can PIN protect play store so they can't self install apps but there is no subsitute for supervision and educating and safe usage.

Not really into books but have a look at “Aldiko Book Reader” app as I think, but not 100% sure, you have a choice of a few freebies there.

Thanks. I tried having a quick look last night and couldnt really find any. What search criteria did you use? we will very carefully watch what she will be doing on it also.

Once you have installed the kindle app for android, you can search amazon for free books, e.g. childrens free books

Once you find a few that you like then it start linking to others

oh brill cheers !

My sister uses an app called Kids Place on her phone for her two year old. I assume it will work on a tablet too. A 6 year old should generally be fine with some guidance I would have thought. Restricting access to Google Play store is probably the main thing so they don't install loads of stuff.

Glad you sorted it OP. That sounds like a good deal you got there from John Lewis. Think I will investigate that.

Am I the only one who thinks that five and six year olds are a little young to have a tablet.Shouldn't they be playing with a doll or something instead.

Can they not be interested in both?

Many kids start having hand held consoles about this age. I think a tablet is better value for money than a DS.
With the increased fragmentation of families and children travelling longer distances to see relatives, it is good to have things for long journeys.
CBeebies is an excellent website, my daughter enjoys the alphablocks games which supports her developing phonics skills.
Having access to the vast quantity of online educational resources is a bonus. Things such as ebooks to start with.
My 3 year old currently enjoys a game that helps with his shapes.
It is great when we're in cafes and resturants to keep them busy whilst we wait, because as we all know children should be seen and not heard (if DS General Disscussion forums are anthing to go by)
You are cleaarly not in contact with any 5/6 year olds. They are already recieving ICT lessons at school and have a great deal of functional knowledge.
My daughter also has a vast quantity of dolls and wants a variety of Playmobil and craft activities for xmas. I don't think she is about to develop square eyes just yet!!