GADGET GIZMO KID SPECIAL ......Gadgets for your kids

Gadgets for your kids  Technology is now an integral part of our lives and children are exposed to it from an early age. But it is not advisable to hand over gadgets to children– they can mess up the settings or damage the device. Gadgets that are durable as well as child friendly are.   Tablets    Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids Although it is not officially launched in India, the candy colour Galaxy Tab 3 Kids is one of best devices for children. The tablet has a orange rubberised bumper around the tablet for protection and comes with a 7-inch display (1024 x 768 pixels). It runs a heavily modified Android user interface and has various preloaded educational and entertainment apps for kids. Rs23,000/ HCL Me Champ The 7-inch HCL tablet has a sturdy construction and comes with attractive pattern printed on the rear. It runs a customised user interface that allows a parent to set usage time, view usage details and specify which multimedia files and documents the child can access. The user interface is modified for children and the tablet comes bundled with various educational content, games and eBooks. Rs.7,999/ Kindle Fire HD While the Kindle Fire HD isn’t exactly a tablet optimised for children, it has built-in parental controls. You can restrict children from accessing select content, web surfing and limit app purchases. Its user interface is customised with large icons and easy navigation on the gorgeous 7-inch display. Also, a plethora of books and apps for children is available on the app store. Rs.11,900/ Swipe Junior Tablet PC This is the cheapest child-friendly tablet with a 7-inch display. It is preloaded with educational content, games and e-books for children. Parental controls on the tablet allow parents to define usage time for children, lock apps and show detailed usage reports. It is made of food grade material and has a shockproof casing around the body to protect it from damage. Rs. 5,990/ Child -proof existing gadgets Smartphone Smartphones are usually more susceptible to damage as children can easily drop them or drop something on them. We recommend that you opt for a rugged case. Otterbox provides ruggedised cases priced 1,200 onwards for various smartphones from Apple, Samsung and BlackBerry. Even Amzer has its Duo Shield range of rugged cases for Apple and Samsung devices for 1,199. Apple iPad With a large 9.7-inch display and variety of apps, the iPad is one of the most used tablets by kids. But the iPad’s metal body and display is prone to damage if it is dropped. There are several cases available for protecting your iPad from damage, but they add to the weight. We recommend the Speck iGuy case ( 2,000) or a Defender series case from Otterbox ( 5,500). Similar cases are also available for the iPad Mini. Cameras Vtech Kidizoom This ruggedised camera has two large grips on the side and two viewfinders so that the child can use both eyes to frame an image. It shoots images in 1.3MP resolution and has onboard storage to save up to 1000 shots. Various effects and filters are preloaded for the child to edit images on the camera’s LCD viewfinder.   Fisher Price Kid Tough With a 1.4-inch display, this video camera is built to survive accidents. It has child-friendly controls and is capable of recording up to 15 minutes of video. You can transfer images and videos to a computer or watch directly on a TV using a 3.5mm to AV cable (not included in the price). The camera uses 4AA batteries. Rs.5,990/ Karan Bajaj  ETW131111