Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids First Look: A Dedicated Child's Play, Minus the Chucky Scare

Technology is progressing faster than you think. We have passed the age where owning a simple feature phone was a dream, and have made a jump into one where owning a feature-rich smartphone isn't that big a deal. And as far as tablets are concerned, the story is more or less the same.

Fast forward to 2014, companies like Samsung and Sony, as far as Android is concerned, is taking the business to a whole new level. This means not only is the primary consumer sector benefiting, even the sector involving young-uns is looking toward a massive boom.

Rating:

3.0/5

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PROS

• Made for Kids
• Impressive Battery
• Dedicated Parental Controls

CONS

• Low Resolution Display
• Sluggish Performance
• Camera Not Up to Mark

Keeping our thoughts focused on Samsung for the time being, the company has been in the thick of things all this while with releases involving some major flagship handsets and tablets. And the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids seems like just another foray into that market.

The South Korean giant, in the midst of keeping its business strong, has already shown off the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids. As you may have already gathered from the name, this new slate is meant entirely for kids for all the kiddy things you can guess.

As you may know already, GizBot has been in San Francisco all this while with the ongoing Samsung Developers Current at its full glory. Apart from the major keynotes, we have also seen a host of devices and services coming to the front, with one of them being this new slate.

But while our short time with the new slate, we did manage to find a few fine points from the first look of it. And we did manage to find a bit about the tablet. So here's our first look for the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids First Look: Form Factor and Operating System

From what we have gathered, this new kiddy slate is the same as the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, although draped in bright yellow instead of the regular white. And as far as a kiddy tab is concerned, a 7-inch tablet with a 1024 x 600 display and 1.2GHz dual-core processor seems just about right.

Heading back to the hardware, it is exactly the same as that offered by the Galaxy Tab 3. Users will get Samsung's traditional physical Home button, with Menu at the left and Back to the right. Also, beneath the central button is the Micro USB connector, which lets you refill the Tab's decent 4000mAh battery.

The slate comes with an orange silicone bumper case. But there's also a combined case and stand with built-in stylus, predominantly the Kids Grip Cover Kit. However, the thing that we found most interesting is that the tablet, unlike older Samsung tablets, doesn't really care which USB charger you use. That's good news!

Apart from that, you will find a headphone socket at the top and buttons for volume and power on the right. The tablet also comes with front and rear cameras (not a big fan of giving a kid a camera device this early, personally). It also has a microphone and stereo speakers.

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Note that unlike other Samsung phones or tablets, the rear plastic cover isn't removable. Meaning the battery is not replaceable. The 7-inch screen is basically an IPS panel which is quite bright, vibrant and offers impressive viewing angles.

Although the tablet features a low 1024x768 resolution, and is its only disappointment, we are sure your kids aren't going to complain that much. Not at least after you gift them a tab that's meant for toddlers.

The tablet feels sturdy at just over 300g. And yet even with either case attached, it's not that heavy for kids to handle. It is also certain that both cases offer protection from low drops. However, more concerned parents will surely look for a screen protector for the same.

As far as its interface is concerned, Samsung's child-friendly interface embedded in the tablet is quite excellent. Once you set it up for your child, a simple swipe across the screen unlocks the tablet. There's also a series of scrollable ‘cards' presented that makes it easy for kids to launch the preferred app.

Apart from that, it also has its usual Android interface that's more associated to parents. The tablet offers a dated Android 4.1 OS with Samsung's TouchWiz interface running the show in the background. On our first use, we did find a bit of lag in opening a few apps. Add to that Samsung's Blocking Mode which can be used to disable notifications keeping in mind a timed schedule.