Tablets are one of the most requested gifts this Christmas, with adults and young ones alike requesting their own tablet. I can see the value of it, as my kids are constantly fighting over who gets to use a particular tablet first. If they each had their own, there would be less struggles!
It’s amazing how the prices of tablets have come down…as well as the variety has increased. My first tablet was nearly $900…and it was a 2nd generation! It used to be the only tablet I would use and I wouldn’t go anywhere overnight without it. Now, I use different tablets for different reasons. People often think all tablets are the same, but many tablets have unique offerings that other tablets cannot offer.
A Fun Family Tablet for Kids
Last year, we reviewed the 5 inch Nabi Jr. tablet for kids. For kids ages 0-5, the Nabi Jr. offers a lot of learning and fun for just $94.99. This year, my family tried out the Nabi DreamTab 8” tablet, aimed at older children. As soon as it arrived, my kids were clamoring for it to see who could play it first. You see, I have spent quite a bit of time in the Electronics department at Walmart and my kids have been ever so patient with me due to the test Nabi DreamTab 8 tablet they love to play in the store.
What makes the Nabi DreamTab a “dream” is the fact that Nabi collaborated with Dreamworks to include include the Dream Pro Studio – a suite of creative tools to help kids create illustrations, make movies, even author their own books. I absolutely love the tools Nabi included to inspire children and help them to build their confidence as producers of their own creative works.
Nabi DreamTab Dream Pro Studio includes…
Dream Pro Editor – allows kids to add music, fun effects and test to their favorite videos.
Dream Pro Publisher – allows kids to publish their first story book by helping kids imagine, create, and publish their stories.
We lent the Nabi DreamTab to a friend of ours who is 11 and super talented and creative. She is constantly drawing around the house, she’s made tons of cartoons. Within an hour of playing with the Nabi DreamTab, she found the Dream Pro Studio and created her first animated cartoon. We were so impressed at how quickly she learned the tool, drew her pictures, and created her animation.
Nabi is also known for their Wings curriculum which features over 300,000 questions to help kids learn math, reading, and writing for kids Pre-K through 6th grade. As kids progress in Wings, the questions adapt to their proficiency levels.
Another great feature I really appreciate about Nabi tablets are the included parental controls. As a parent, you can sign in and choose which apps, games, and content your child will be able to use. As Nabi is built on the Android operating system, parents can download any Google Play apps for their children, but children cannot. The Nabi DreamTab is a great family tablet with sturdy silicone protection, hours of content for kids to enjoy, and a platform for creativity your kids will spend hours on.
The Nabi DreamTab 8″ sells for $199.99 at Walmart with free shipping.
A Handy Family Tablet for Moms
Mobile phones are a lifesaver for moms, they help moms capture those perfect moments with the camera, keep track of the time, communicate with family members and other moms, navigate them to places they’ve never been before, save money through electric couponing and store-specific discounts such as Walmart’s Savings Catcher, and share their family experiences with others.
As great as smart phones are, there are times when it is nice to transfer this same experience to a bigger screen. Tablets, which can be synced in the cloud with the same programs on a mom’s phone can provide a near seamless experience…with the added benefit of having a bigger screen.
There are so many tablets out there, it’s hard to choose. Some have a built-in stand, others allows you to utilize a stylus pen for writing notes, while others are workhorses, meant to practically replace a laptop. Most tablets have a unique feature, that makes choosing a tablet even harder. There’s one tablet I’d like to tell you about that has one of the most unique features I have ever seen in a tablet. In fact, when I heard about it, I could hardly believe it. I must have combed the fine print 10 times!
The T-Mobile Trio AXS 4G nearly 8″ tablet comes with 200 MB/mo. of free 4G mobile data service for life! Yes, you heard me correctly, you do not need to pay for data that you use on the Trio, up to 200 MB. Now, I know what you may be thinking. What if I run over 200 MB, will T-Mobile start racking up huge charges? The answer is no. When I signed up for my free 200 MB through T-Mobile through an app on the Trio AXS, I was not asked for a credit card. So when you hit your 200 MB monthly limit, you simply will not receive any mobile data access until the next monthly time period.
You do not need to be a T-Mobile customer either, to take advantage of this offer. So now you may be thinking, OK, I’m intrigued, how much is the tablet, $600, after all, they need to pay for the service somehow, right? No, the T-Mobile Trio AXS 4G sells for only $149 at Walmart. Amazing, huh?
So what’s the catch? Although the specs of the Trio AXS 4G are pretty decent, the Trio AXS is not the most advanced tablet on the market. It is built on an older operating system (Android Jelly Bean) and utilizes a hardware casing that is a bit heavier than today’s latest tablets.
Trio AXS 4G Features
- Android 4.2.2 OS (Jelly Bean)
- 1.2GHz Cortex A7 Quad-Core Mobile processor
- 1GB DDR of system memory
- 7.85″ touchscreen, 1024 x 768 resolution
- Back 5MP webcam and front 0.3MP webcam with microphone
- 16GB onboard storage memory, additional memory via microSD card slot
- includes GPS and an accelerator
- Up to 6 hours of run time on a full charge
- Built-in 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth v4.0
I have always wanted to take my tablet with me so I could utilize a bigger screen when comparison shopping, but I have never wanted to spend the money to pay for the mobile data…especially when I already paying for my phone data. With the Trio AXS 4G, I finally can. The Trio AXS 4G is the same size as the iPad Mini, so it fits conveniently into a purse or backpack.
According to AboutTech.com, a 200 MB data plan will cover:
- 1,000 text emails
- 50 emails with photo attachments
- 150 emails with document attachments
- 60 social media posts with photos
- 500 web pages viewed
So, you can do quite a bit with 200 MB of data. The thing to note here is that it is best to avoid streaming – like watching Netflix movies, YouTube videos, or listening to Pandora or iHeart Radio, or you’ll blow through your allotted data in no time. You can, however, utilize WiFi to stream to your heart’s content! Whethter you use the Trio AXS for your own use or share it with your family, it’s a nice inexpensive family tablet that offers free mobile data access.
The Trio AXS 4G with 200 MB of free data sells for $149.00 with free shipping at Walmart.com.
A Mom’s Perspective
Both the Nabi DreamTab and the Trio AXS 4G are useful family tablets that would be a welcome addition to your family’s growing needs for technology. We love the creative capabilities of the Nabi DreamTab with its Dream Pro Studio and the Wings app aimed at making learning fun. Kids grow up too soon and the Nabi provides kids with a fun safe environment you wont find on find on non kid-oriented tablets.
And in addition to moms, the Trio AXS 4G is good for tweens. My daughter has been bugging me for a tablet, because many of her friends use a tablet in her classroom to read their books. The thought of sending her to school with an expensive tablet horrifies me. But due to its pricing, I can feel more comfortable sending her with the Trio AXS and she can have access to the Internet to download more books. Android Jelly Bean does have some controls I can put in place to ensure she isn’t downloading apps without permission.
But for now, she’s just going to have to wait. I’ve got Christmas shopping to do and the Trio AXS 4G will be at my side!
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