Children

Ematic announces FunTab Pro tablet for kiddies

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Ematic's new FunTab Pro tablet gives parents another entertainment option for the little ones
The Zoodles interface is designed for kids' simplicity and parents' peace of mind
Little Susie can video chat with Grandma without stumbling onto Chatroulette
The FunTab comes with interchangeable, colorful faceplates
The tablet is designed to be gripped (and bumped) by the little ones
Ematic's new FunTab Pro tablet gives parents another entertainment option for the little ones
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Children today are growing up on mobile devices. Concepts like pinch-to-zoom and slide to unlock – foreign to adults before the iPhone launched in 2007 – are as natural as breathing to today's kids. You love your children, but it can be unsettling to see your rambunctious four-year-old hoisting your $500 iPad.

There are several ways around this: invest in AppleCare or other insurance, buy a Kindle Fire or similar budget tablet, or invest in a tablet dedicated for kids. Ematic is hoping you choose the latter, and buy little Susie her own FunTab Pro.

Like other kids' tablets (including offerings from VINCI, LeapPad, MEEP!, and VTech), the seven-inch FunTab Pro has a rugged build. Its rubber casing should provide a comfortable, firm grip – as well as survive a few drops and bumps (without giving Mommy and Daddy ulcers). It comes with a selection of colorful, interchangeable faceplates.

Specs and Features

The Zoodles interface is designed for kids' simplicity and parents' peace of mind

The FunTab Pro runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (heavily skinned with Zoodles.com content), with a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage (it also sports a microSD card slot). Its 800 x 480 seven-inch screen may leave little Billy longing for the Retina Display on Daddy's iPad, but it's what you'd expect for a kid's tablet. The slate also sports front and rear cameras, and HDMI out support. Ematic promises up to eight hours of continuous battery life.

Perhaps the only spec that matters, though, is that it plays Angry Birds. Casual family classics Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja, and Where's My Water? are also supported. It also offers some unique features, like self-recorded video storybooks, video mail, and artwork-oriented apps; these are all tied to the Zoodles.com platform, so parents might want to get familiar with it before throwing down for the FunTab Pro.

Zoodles prides itself on parental safeguards, so you won't have any concern over little Emma stumbling onto Season 5 of Breaking Bad. The tablet even has a kid-friendly web browser – which should be limited to G-rated content – and a series of educational apps.

The FunTab Pro retails for US$149.99, and will presumably be available soon (no firm release date yet) at Walmart. You can hit up the source below for more info.

Source: Ematic

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1 comment
VoiceofReason
Nice! With Jellybean and a few minor changes, this could replace textbooks in schools. Some will balk but textbooks are very pricey and I hated lugging a full pack around every day.