Nabi or Nexus 7 for a 6 year old?

[beavenour]

I have a 6 year old daughter that is responsible but she's still only 6. I want to get the Nexus 7 as a "family" gift for Christmas but I'm concerned about it holding up well in the hands of a 6 year old. Should I consider the Nexus 7 or should I put my selfish intentions aside and go with a more kid a appropriate device like the Nabi for her?

 

[Azwizzard]

For the money, I say get a N7.

I have a 10" ASUS tablet and my N7. I also have a twin 6yo girls and 2 older daughters that use the tablets all the time with no problems. There are a lot of kids apps and games I have installed on the 10" tablet for them and a few on my N7.

I think you would be fine for a N7 as a "family" gift.

 

[Unicorn Rancher]

That's one of the few situations where I would put on a screen protector.

 

[n3vry]

Buy a Nexus 7, then put it in a Gumdrop case, it will be virtually indestructible. No worries mate.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[MJKearney]

I don't know anything about the Nabi, but if you get the N7, just buy a nice case that has a cover and a fair amount of cushioning. Wrap the case separately and give it to your daughter first. When she opens it, tell her it's for her school books. Mean, but kind of fun to see her reaction when she opens the N7.

As for the Nexus 7, of course get it all prepped and charged first. Put a few apps on there that she'll like, put on a Hello Kitty live wallpaper or whatever she likes, and wrap it all back up as if it was never opened.

Then have fun playing with your new toy as your daughter keeps asking you when it will be her turn to use it.

Sent from my (and only mine) Nexus 7

 

[anon(847090)]

Nexus 7 + a good case FTW

 

[hoosiermama2799]

He doesn't have a Nexus (it wasn't out yet), but my grandson has a Kindle Fire with Go Launcher installed. He has mastered it, even putting shortcuts on the desktop. Unfortunately, he's also bought games but that's another story. We have a padded cover on it, and he manages it really well. I know it's a different device, but very similar. I wouldn't worry about a 6 year old being able to manage a Nexus.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Suntan]

I have a 5 yr old. They can definitely handle the android interface. They don't need a dumbed down, kid's interface.

As for destruction, it really depends on how you ley them use it. If it is just viewed as another one of their toys, that they are allowed to play with as they see fit, it will likely see a lot of abuse. If you treat it as a special privilege that is something they can use at certain times, with a parent's approval, they should be old enough to treat it appropriately.

My son is hard in his toys, but he understands that the tablet is just for playing a little bit before going to bed. It sits on the counter and he leaves it alone during the day.

Basically, they'll treat it with as much respect as you expect them to.

-Suntan

 

[dvdmon]

The point of the kid's interface on the Nabi isn't to "dumb it down" but rather to create a different environment from the normal stock ICS (which is also available on the Nabi) that enforces a slew of parental controls that prevent them from accessing certain content or apps installed on the device that might not be appropriate.

We have a Nabi, my daughter is 7, but we had the previous Nabi when my daughter was 6. She really loves it. Not sure how much extra cases are for the N7, but it does make that choice more expensive than the Nabi, which includes one out of the box. The other advantages of the Nabi are the (mini)HDMI out the microSD card. I've added 20GB of DVD's, music, and hundreds of home video clips and photos on that. The N7 has the advantage of having more main storage for apps (16GB vs. 8GB), GPS, and a higher res screen. Otherwise, they are both using the Nvidea Tegra 3 and super responsive and fast. Oh yeah, N7 has Jellybean and Nabi has ICS, if that's important to you.

I think they are both good choices. If I were going to be using the tablet as much as my daughter and didn't mind paying a little extra for a case, I might opt for the N7, but if it's mostly for the child, the Nabi is geared towards kids from top to bottom. It performs like any other Android tablet, but has kid-safe parental controls, and tons of educational apps and books that would take time and money to cobble together yourself...

 

[svfd757]

I'm getting my daughters both a Nexus 7 for Christmas. 15 and 9. I think the nabi is too kiddy for the 9 yo

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[dvdmon]

No way. Plenty of older kids have one. Take the case off if that makes it an issue. Without the case it looks a lot like an iPod Mini.

Sent from my NABI2-NV7A using Android Central Forums

 

[svfd757]

I'll be getting my girls a portenzo case to go with their 7s

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mark_in_Tulsa]

My 2.5 year old boy uses my rooted nook color every day. Of course he doesn't know how to work it, but I can fire up a movie and he's good to go for a few hours.
He's never broken it, and only dropped it a few times that I know of. Of course he's only in his bedroom and the living room with it which is all carpeted.
So I would say if a 2 year old can hold it, use it as a coaster, play catch with it, dance with it, and not manage to break it I would think your 6 year old could handle a tablet.

Really the key is don't let them take it out on any hard surfaces like wood floors...etc.

 

[maccellos]

Asus transfromer 1 can be gotten cheap $200-250 range is a real tablet and more indestructible than either a nexus 7 or a nabi. I don't like it as much as my nexus, but the glass is gorilla corning glass and about twice as hard scratch as is the hard glass on the nexus. The processor is only tegra 2 a dual core so not as good as a nexus 7 or a nabi 2. But dropping on a hard wood floor or off a coffee table or accidental thrown across a room my asus transformer doesn't have a scratch. It's the family tablet, their a bit rough on their toys.

 

[DryBear]

Last year I gave my twin 10 year old girls Acer Iconia 7" tablets, and they have help up pretty well without any protection. One tablet did get a small crack on the corner of the glass screen, but it hasn't affected useability.

Here is the "case" I made for them (they asked for tablets, so I game them some) lol:

 

[tony bag o donuts]

I know products have changed but last year I bought my 7 year old and 4 year old nook tablets and rooted one for the older.
Neither has done any damage to them.
with the price of the nook being under 200.00 with removable memory, may not be a bad option.

 

[Fairclough]

THose cases are gold! I know a few of my coaches let their daughters play on the ipads with no issues so i see why not with a nexus.

 

[salpiche]

just get a good case for the N7 and it should be ok, we have a Kindle fire, a Samsung Galaxy Tab and my N7, my girls (4 and 6 and my nephew) are allowed to play with them when in the living room and under our supervision, yet we have not seen any damage, the SGT is the one the girls use the most and they can use it at will (as long as they are fighting over it), it is encased in a Otterbox case and it has held well for the last two years with no damage at all.

 

[svfd757]

Is there an otter box for the Nexus 7?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[bwithey11]

My 2 and a half year old daughter has been using our 10" Iconia tab for several months now and the only problem is that she gets the screen dirty, which is quickly fixed with a little cleaner and a wash clothe. So I definitely think the N7 for 6 year old is a good idea. You get a full tablet but also have options for protection, physical and otherwise. Creating a pin for the play store prevents her from buying anything and otherwise she has free reign to do as she wishes. Also, with the multi-user support for 4.2 JB it should further prevent any accidental purchases/web sites.