CES 2014 may mostly have toys for big boys and girls, but even the little ones may have something to look forward to. Adding to the growing inventory of mobile devices for kids are the Kurio 7x 4G LTE, one of the few kids’ tablets with LTE support, and the Kurio Phone, probably the first smartphone for kids.
From Samsung to Polaroid to Toys”R”Us, we’ve seen a proliferation of tablets that try to capture children’s minds, and their parents’ cash, as early as possible. In a sense, this new tablet Kurio is no different, except that aside from the usual WiFi connectivity, the 7x 4G LTE tablet will also allow connecting to 4G LTE networks, specifically, Verizon’s. Other than that, this 7-inch tablet is quite plain, sporting your usual mix of parental controls and child-friendly UI built on top of Android 4.2.
The Kurio Phone, on the other hand, will likely grab anyone’s attention, and perhaps even raise some moral questions. Parenting considerations aside, the device is a plain, mid-range smartphone with a 4-inch 800×480 display, an unknown multi-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, and support for both WiFi and 3G networks. It runs on Android 4.2 and, of course, is loaded with parental controls. Contact management allows parents to screen newly added contacts before kids are allowed to send them messages or call them. In case of emergencies, kids can trigger a silent alarm by repeatedly pressing the power button. And in case of theft or loss, parents can set the device to take a picture when the phone is started up, lock down the phone, or track its current location.
Techno Source and KD Interactive, who have together brought about these two new electronic delights for kids, are targeting a spring launch for the Kurio Phone and summer for the Kurio 7x 4G LTE tablet. In the latter’s case, the tablet will run exclusively on Verizon‘s network as a way to capitalize on its Share Everything family-friendly offerings.
SOURCE: Techno Source (1), (2)
Hmm, capture children’s minds, and their parents’ cash.. haha..