The VTech InnoTab has finally arrived. It may not compare to an iPad or any other tablet on the market, but for a fraction of the price, you can have peace of mind when your child smacks it into a wall or drops it on the floor. Earlier this year we got a hands-on with the InnoTab prototype and quiet honestly, not all that much has changed. The InnoTab is still a solid device that will capture your child’s attention and keep them entertained for hours on end.
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The InnoTab will appeal to those from ages 4 to 9 and comes loaded with interactivity right out of the box. The InnoTab comes running with a MP3 player, photo viewer, alarm clock, calculator, calendar, and so much more. There is also a whole growing library of cartridge games that are available to use on the InnoTab like:
Disney Fairies, Disney Princess, Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, The Penguins of Madagascar, Scooby-Doo, SpongeBob Squarepants, and Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story.
The InnoTab sports some decent specs for a product designed for kids. There is a 5″ color touch screen LCD, a USB port, an SD card slot for uploading pictures, a stylus, a kickstand, and even a headphone jack. There is also a tilt sensor for motion-controlled games. While the 5″ color screen is pretty small and low-resby today’s tablet standards, the touch screen is quite responsive and responds without delay. This responsive experience applies during gameplay as well as when typing out a note.
Using the InnoPad as an e-book was fun as well. The device’s screen rotates just as a typical tablet does. So if you want to read with your child an animated story, you can hold the InnoTab in either a horizontal or vertical position and the screen will rotate automatically.
The InnoPad’s graphics are decent too and will certainly entertain a 4 year old. The older kids might be hard pressed to think this is cutting edge since they are probably used to playing with the likes of the iPad, but the InnoPad certainly does the job for being a tablet for kids. It is durable, innovative, and has longevity for some time – as long as the games being launched for it are engaging.
For $79.99 the VTech InnoPad is a good deal and it will save you from worrying about what your kids are doing with your much pricier tablet. The cartridges, however are a bit pricey at $24.99 each, but it is still a pretty economical device as a whole. The fact you can download extra content from VTech’s Learning Lodge Navigator is especially a nice touch since it opens up the device to even more possibilities. While the InnoTab can’t compete with the likes of the iPad or an Android tablet it is definitely special in it’s own right.
The Good: Innovative; durable; engaging; and just plan fun. Younger children will love it. There is already a great selection of game cartridges available for it.
The Bad: Screen size is a bit small and too low-res; graphics could be a little bit richer; older kids will be begging for something more advanced.
