We don't think it can ever be too early to release your inner geek, and while this wooden tablet computer won't run Android (or anything for that matter), it could help your toddler understand the technology they are growing up surrounded by.
Tinker Tablet is the brainchild of a group of fathers and self-confessed nerds who questioned how to introduce their kids to technology. After looking at basic wooden puzzles which teach children about things like farmyard animals and basic shapes, they decided the same approach could be used to explain how devices like tablet computers and mobile phones work.
The result is a wooden puzzle which consists of parts including a camera, memory, CPU, Wi-Fi and battery which fit onto an equally wooden circuit board. This completed puzzle then slots into a tablet computer case to show children from 3 to 6 years old that our devices are made up of smaller parts … even the guys behind the toy accept it may be a little early to expect kids to understand the intricate workings of a CPU.
The front "touch-screen" panel of the tablet is a magnetic dry-erase screen, which kids can draw on and attach application magnets to. To further illustrate the fact devices are built from technical components, the camera, memory, CPU and Wi-Fi blocks also fit inside the battery block, which when flipped over looks like a touch-screen phone.
"We all have grappled with how to introduce our children to the technologies that are becoming more prevalent in their lives," Tinkermite Co-Founder Nick Peters told Gizmag. "The different components of the Tinker Tablet will help kids incorporate technical realism into their imaginative play. The puzzle will help them to develop their spatial problem solving skills. The magnetic, writable surface will become a quiet travel companion where imagination can run rampant."
As is the way with Kickstarter, there are several pledge options to help the Tinker Tablet reach the US$15,000 goal and become a real product. A $50 pledge will get the standard two-in-one puzzle into your little one's hands (with delivery planned towards the end of November), while $100 gets you the tablet puzzle and a set of application magnets, along with a branded T-shirt and stickers.
A quick video explaining the Tinker Tablet is below.
Source: Kickstarter