We already know that kids are drawn to tablet computers –all it takes is a quick search of YouTube to turn up videos of babies using theiPad – however, a lot of folks are quite leery of letting their rambunctious toddlersloose on their pricy gadgets.
Archos, a company some may remember for its lineup of mediaplayers, aims to change that with the release of the Android-based Child Pad. Archos has beenfocusing on Android tablets for a couple of years now, and this child-friendlytablet is a slight departure from its lineup of value-oriented but decidedlyadult-focused tablets.
The Child Pad comes with a white bezel more reminiscent of achild’s toy, a 7-inch screen, a one GHz processor, and one gigabyte of RAM. Dueat the end of March 2012, the Child Pad will ship with Ice Cream Sandwich onboard…much to the chagrin of many other Android tablet users, I’m guessing.
One key way the Child Pad is designed to stay child-friendlyis a stripped back version of the app store that is limited to 14 categoriesand 10,000 apps pre-vetted for age-appropriateness. That, combined with thelower US $129 price point (thanks to the more modest specs), will no doubt helpparents feel more comfortable leaving this in the hands of their rough-and-tumblelittle ones.
My prediction: in early April you’ll see rooted versions ofthese in the hands of adults at hip coffee shops. My Little Pony stickersoptional.
