We've seen several products which turn your touchscreen devices into children's toys, from the iTikes range to the SmartPet toy dog ... but what if you don't want to encourage your little one to play with your iPad? VTech is about to release the InnoTab 2, its latest tablet computer for kids, which features a five-inch touchscreen, camera, video and MP3 players … but is that enough to keep little fingers off your iPad?
Replacing the original InnoTab which was released last year, the VTech InnoTab 2 is backwards compatible with cartridges or apps, is aimed at the same three-to-nine-year-old demographic, and at first glance looks rather familiar.
But this incarnation of the educational tablet computer for kids packs a few new features, including a rotatable camera which can be used for recording stills or video, 2GB of onboard memory, and (with the InnoTab 2s model) secure WiFi downloading of games, e-books, music and apps.
The tablet, which is available in blue or pink, will come pre-loaded with a photo viewer, video player, MP3 music player, e-reader, art studio, one tilt sensor game, one augmented reality game, one e-book, art studio app, notes app, friends list, calendar and calculator.
Using the VTech Learning Lodge Navigator (for PC or Mac) more than 200 apps can be downloaded and a range of cartridges are also available. An upcoming InnoTab 2s version of the tablet will also be able to securely access the library of apps via a WiFi connection.
In addition to the 2GB of onboard memory, downloads to the InnoTab 2 can be accommodated on SD cards up to 32GB. There is also a built-in kickstand which could come in handy for watching downloaded media.
The InnoTab 2 will be available soon at a price of US$80, while the Wi-Fi enabled InnoTab 2s will retail for $100 … which is still considerably cheaper than having to replace your drool-killed iPad.
Source: VTech
When will Apple introduce "My First iPad" to counter this? ;)