One of the really interesting toys that I saw at #SweetSuite at Blogher 2013 in Chicago was the Kurio S Series of Android 4.2 devices for families with kids from Techno Source. Parents & kids can email, safely surf the web, read e-books, take photos, record videos, watch movies, listen to music, and access Android 4.2 (jellybean) apps. All for a reasonable price point – MSRP $99 – $269 CDN OR $99-$239USD. They will be available at Toys’R Us in the fall, 2013.
The reason I thought it was really great is that there are often mini-tablets or iPods for little ones but those older children, tweens and teens simply want to go to the next level and that usually means an iPad… and that can be expensive and annoying, am I right? I need the iPad for work so when it is swiped by one of my kids whenever I put it down – that can be frustrating.
The Kurio S Series is the first family tablet that is kid friendly. One of the best features is the parental control features. You can customize the tablet so that your little ones are not playing on the apps that are more appropriate for teens. Or worse yet, surfing on websites that they have no business being on. You can set the parental controls with full internet access, blacklist mode (restriction to adult content, violent or inappropriate websites); tandem (a whitelist that can let them access ‘approved’ websites that may have restricted content under the blacklist category). So you can have up to eight profiles on the tablet and still have yours completely restrictions-free for you!
It has an SD slot for more memory, an HDMI to hook up to your television and a front facing camera so you can Skype if you want. It can access all Android apps.
This video introducing the Kurio 7 at the 2012 Toy Fair. It has a great description of all the features.
Here are some more details that you may find useful..
Preloaded with Tons of Free Family-Friendly Content
- Premium apps from Disney Publishing featuring characters from Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2, Disney Princess and
- Marvel’s The Avengers
- Kurio 7s and 10s features exclusive, complete pre-school through 6th grade learning system developed by award-winning American educator Mr. Nussbaum™
- Top-tier kids’ content, including more than 30 free games and applications: the full ad-free premium version of
- Angry Birds Space™, iHeartRadio, Toon Goggles, Talking Friends, video streaming apps, coloring apps and so much more
All-new Redesigned Kurio Store
- Access to thousands more hit apps carefully curated by the Kurio team to ensure that all content is family-friendly and kids are safe
- Easily sort the marketplace by age, category and interest using a simple intuitive interface
- Downloads fully controlled by parents
- Prepaid accounts or “piggybanks” let kids manage a fixed budget
- Kids can create wish lists for their parents to review
Access to Even More Great Family Content
- Access hundreds of thousands more free apps through the most popular Android™
- Kurio devices are Netflix, YouTube and Skype compatible
On Twitter: @KurioTabletUSA
On Facebook: www.Facebook.com/KurioTabletUSA
On Pinterest: www.Pinterest.com/KurioTabletUSA
Online: www.KurioWorld.com
Disclosure: I have not been compensated for this product review. It is part of the interesting products and services that I discovered at #SweetSuite at Blogher 2013 in Chicago. I blog with integrity and all opinions are my own. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the review.
Margarita Ibbott is a travel and lifestyle blogger. She blogs about travel in Canada, the United States and Europe giving practical advice through restaurant, hotel and attraction reviews. She writes for DownshiftingPRO.com and other online media outlets.
I loved learning about Kurio – thanks! My son is obsessed with my husband’s iPad and wants one for himself but it is waaayy too pricey to be a kid’s toy. These seem more do-able 🙂
Sounds like a great device!! I’ve never heard of it but will have to keep my eyes open now. We wound up buying 2 iPads because we didn’t want to share with the kids all the time lol.
Oh I love it! I’ll be on the lookout for this for my 5 yr old (we’re a super tech-y family and he’s being taught to use all kinds of devices). This would make a fab christmas gift 🙂
Sounds intersting, never actually heard of it until this post. So thanks for sharing! 🙂
I love how you can have so many profiles on one device – now that’s smart!