Amazon Announces New Kids Edition Kindle E-Reader, Fire HD 10 Tablet
Amazon has announced updates for its kids-oriented products, including the introduction of a new Kindle Kids Edition and Fire HD 10 Kids Edition, as well as improvements to FreeTime, a content portal with books, videos, games, and more curated for kids.
Set at $109.99 and due to ship on October 30, the Kindle Kids Edition comes with a 10th-generation Kindle e-reader, a kid-friendly cover, one year of FreeTime Unlimited, and a two-year warranty with pretty lax terms: if the device breaks, Amazon will replace it for free. For a limited time, folks who purchase two Kindle Kids Editions can save 25% on their order.
The 10th-gen Kindle packs a six-inch, 167ppi display that can be read anywhere—whether in a dark room or outside in the sun—while its battery can last up to four weeks on a single charge when reading the device for half an hour a day with wireless disabled and the screen brightness set at 13.
The Kindle Kids Edition comes with software tools that are designed to aid new readers, such as Word Wise, a shortcut that provides definitions above difficult words, and Vocabulary Builder, which compiles a list of words that have been looked up in the dictionary and turns them into flashcards for future learning:
- Achievement Badges: Kids can earn badges like Book Worm and Over Achiever when they make progress towards pre-defined goals.
- Easy Discovery: With enhanced browsing and search, kids can locate titles without the exact spelling. And with smart recommendations, kids can find books related to the genres, authors, and characters they love.
- Word Wise: Kids are automatically provided short and simple definitions above difficult words, so they can keep reading with fewer interruptions.
- Dictionary: If kids come across a difficult word, they can select the word to look up the definition via the built-in Kindle dictionary.
- Vocabulary Builder: Words looked up in dictionaries are automatically added to Vocabulary Builder and turned into flashcards for future review and learning.
- Kid-friendly Wallpaper: Included are a unique set of lock screen wallpapers, specifically designed for kids.
Along with the Kindle Kids Edition, Amazon has announced a new Fire HD 10 Kids Edition. Said to be the company’s largest and fastest tablet for kids, the device touts a 10.1-inch, 1080p display, 32GB of built-in storage that is expandable to 512GB via microSD, and a 12-hour mixed-use battery life with support for USB-C charging so it’s easy for kids to plug in.
The new Fire HD 10 Kids Edition is up for pre-order at $199.99 with a shipping date of October 30, and it likewise comes with the same extras bundled in at that price: a year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, a kid-proof case, and a two-year worry-free guarantee.
FreeTime Unlimited has been added to the Fire TV Stick for the first time and will soon be available through certain Fire TV Edition smart TVs. The service provides access to more than 20,000 books, Audible books, thousands of premium movies and TV shows, as well as educational apps and games that have been curated for age-appropriateness.
It also provides parents with ways to control what content is permissible and when, as well as a dashboard displays daily activity reports about what their kids have been up to. After the first year, customers can continue their subscription starting at $2.99 per month for Prime members and $4.99 per month for non-Prime members. Of note, there’s also a one month free trial here.
Source: Amazon