Amazon introduces Fire HD Kids Edition tablet

By Andy Madden
published

Amazon's new tablet comes in a child-friendly package, complete with extensive parental controls. It's available with 8GB (£119) or 16GB (£139) of storage and goes on sale 18th June.

The Fire HD Kids Edition is basically Amazon's Fire HD 6 tablet but with a few child-friendly tweaks under the bonnet. So, you get the same 6in screen, HD resolution, quad core processor, Dolby Digital Audio and front and rear facing cameras. You've also got the option of a blue or pink Kid-Proof case

The new tablet comes with a two-year guarantee (Amazon claims it'll replace the tablet, even if your kids break it) and includes a year of Fire for Kids Unlimited, so children can access Amazon's extensive library of books, videos, educational apps and games.

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Instead of the stock Fire interface, the Kids Edition boots up in Fire for Kids mode which claims simplified, child-friendly navigation. Parents can create up to four child profiles, but there's no access to the Fire HD's web browser, in-app purchases, e-mail or social media features.

"With Fire for Kids parental controls [parents] will never be surprisd by a bill, unwanted ads or a social media post", said Jorrit Van der Meulen, vice-president, Amazon Devices EU.

The Fire HD Kids Edition tablet is available to pre-order now from Amazon.

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Andy Madden
Andy Madden

Andy is Deputy Editor of What Hi-Fi? and a consumer electronics journalist with nearly 20 years of experience writing news, reviews and features. Over the years he's also contributed to a number of other outlets, including The Sunday Times, the BBC, Stuff, and BA High Life Magazine. Premium wireless earbuds are his passion but he's also keen on car tech and in-car audio systems and can often be found cruising the countryside testing the latest set-ups. In his spare time Andy is a keen golfer and gamer.