This Etch A Sketch lookalike is an
Android tablet from California-based Fuhu. Packing a quad-core Tegra 3 CPU,
it's not your average kids' toy
California-based Fuhu makes some bold
claims about its nabi 2 kids' tablet, which bears a passing resemblance to an
Etch A Sketch. The firm is so confident in its abilities that it compares it to
an iPad 2, Kurio 7 and LeapPad2.
A look at the specs and these claims seem
plausible: the nabi 2 has a quad-core Tegra 3, just like the Nexus 7.
Performance should be no problem then.
Fuhu
Nabi 2 - A Great Kid-Friendly Tablet
It also has a silicone bumper, similar to
the Kurio's, except that it's food-grade, which means it's non-toxic. The nabi
2 can withstand drops on to even concrete.
There's 8GB of storage, a microSD slot for
adding more, plus micro USB and mini HDMI ports.You also get a front-facing 2Mp
camera and a pair of speakers.
The 7in screen is the first sign of
weakness. It has a 1024x600 resolution, which is a step up from the Kurio 7
(800x480), but a step below the Nexus 7 (1280x800). In practice, things feel
cramped only when browsing the web. Viewing angles are very poor when the
tablet is held in landscape mode.
Software
Fuhu claims the nabi 2 comes with $192 of
software. Plenty of games (including learning games) are preloaded, which will
keep kids amused for hours. Too many, though, are 'lite' or 'starter' versions
that nag you to upgrade, including the painting program, which should be a
mainstay of any children's tablet.
As well as full versions of Angry Birds and
Fruit Ninja HD, you also get eight games optimized for the Tegra graphics chip,
which will appeal to older kids.
Plenty
of games (including learning games) are preloaded, which will keep kids amused
for hours.
preloaded
MeeGenius includes 30 e-books. There's also
a Chore List app, and in the Mommy/ Daddy mode you can edit the days on which
each chore must be completed. It's a good motivator for kids, since they earn
nabi coins that can be used in the Treasure Box app to buy new content. Apps
here are occasionally on sale, so kids can learn how best to spend their
'money'.
Yet more apps include Spinlets+ Music and
Spinlets+ TV. Music is like iTunes for kids, while TV is a streaming service
with around 700 hours of kids TV shows.
Fooz Kids includes a set of educational
games, plus curated links to websites, videos and crafts. During testing we
found a few of the craft links were broken, but were impressed at how quickly
the nabi's support team updated them.
Through the Fooz Kids website, or the
Parental Dashboard on the nabi 2 itself, you can manage what’s available. You
can do the same with apps and games.
Fooz Kids is unmistakably American, but
we're assured it will soon be Anglicized so it refers to the UK Key Stages
rather than Kindergarten, grades and 'math' (and hopefully Mommy will sprout a
'u' and drop the 'o').
The nabi 2 comes with the Maxthon web
browser. This provides a whitelist of websites kids can visit, to which you can
add sites you’re comfortable with them viewing. The browser is reasonably
quick, and could handle Flash-based websites and videos. We'd have no issues
leaving a child unsupervised with the nabi 2.
Fuhu
Nabi 2 ports
More apps and games can be bought through
the App Zone store, which has a limited choice. It's relatively easy to add
Amazon's Appstore, but not Google Play.
You get 2GB of free online storage with
nabi Cloud. You can upload music, videos and photos to the service, which are
then automatically downloaded to the nabi 2. It's also possible to sync camera
photos, downloaded apps and more from the nabi 2 to your computer when you
install the Sync software.
The nabi 2 has a strange-looking rear
panel, but the 15 squares are for the so-called Kinabis - letters and other characters
that kids can attach to personalize their tablet. Currently, you can buy the
alphabet for $40; soon you'll also be able to buy individual letters.
Other accessories include colored bumpers,
backpacks, headphones (with volume limiting), screen protectors and branded
character packs.
Other
accessories include colored bumpers, backpacks, headphones (with volume
limiting), screen protectors and branded character packs
Performance
In terms of performance, the nabi 2 is
great. It's fast for playing games and browsing websites. In the SunSpider
Javascript test it scored 1,678ms, similar to the Nexus 7. It outperformed that
tablet in Geekbench, managing 1,551 against its 1,452. Graphics performance was
reasonable at I6fps, a couple of frames per second slower than the Nexus 7. And
compared with the Kurio 7, the nabi 2 is a powerhouse. The Kurio could muster
only 363 in Geekbench 2, and took 3,913ms to complete the SunSpider JavaScript
test.
The nabi 2's battery life is also better
than the Kurio's, but it's still not the best. It lasted just over eight hours
in our video-looping test at full brightness, although you'll typically see
less than this with more general use - especially playing the Tegra-optimized
games. The battery took three hours to recharge.
Specifications
General
·
Form factor Tablet
·
Operating system Android (Ice Cream Sandwich
[4.0])
Camera
·
Camera (integrated)2 megapixels
·
Camera features Records video
Other features
·
TV out HDMI Mini
Display
·
Screen size7 inches
·
Screen resolution1024 x 600
Storage
·
Storage type Internal storage (8 GB), Memory
card
·
Memory card support microSD
Power
·
Battery size Rechargeable
·
Battery type Li-ion (4000 mAh capacity)
Audio
·
Audio / headset jack3.5mm
Connections
·
USB2.0 (Micro-USB port)
Hardware
·
CPU1.3 GHz
·
CPU cores Quad-core
·
RAM1 GB
Size & weight
·
Dimensions 8.69 inches (h) 6.05 inches (w)
1.14 inches (d)
·
Weight1.31 pounds
Pricing & availability
·
Original price $199
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