![]() ![]() That all make sense on the surface, but the Kindle Kids veneer is so problematic that it ruins the package. If you exit Kindle Kids, the device looks and works like any other Kindle, with your adult library waiting for you. Then the Amazon Kids interface takes over the Kindle home screen to keep your kids from messing with your romance novels and asking awkward questions about the muscular long-haired man on the covers. With that set, you as the adult sync the Kindle Kids with your Amazon account and set up a profile for your child. (Sure, The Hobbit and Harry Potter are now pop-culture franchises, but they started as books, dammit!)Īs part of the Amazon Kids+ package, you can put the Kindle into an Amazon Kids mode instead of the standard interface. It includes old and new standards like Black Beauty, The Hobbit, and the Harry Potter series, along with what my wife Hannah refers to as “twaddle”: books about Minecraft, Star Wars, and other pop culture franchises. Irritatingly, there is no way to see a full list of these books or even search what the service offers. Child-oriented content: A one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, which provides access to an Amazon-selected library of age-appropriate books and would cost $4.99 per month once the free year is up.However, checking the fine print, the warranty covers only the standard “defects in materials and workmanship under ordinary consumer use.” That said, Kindles are largely resistant to damage other than screen scratches, which the cover should mitigate. Amazon advertises it as a “worry-free warranty,” saying, “if it breaks, return it, and we’ll replace it for free,” implying that if your kid breaks it, Amazon will replace it. Longer Warranty: A two-year warranty, as opposed to a one-year warranty for adult Kindles.Other than the cover, two things distinguish these Kindle models from regular adult Kindles: Both models have some form of internal light for reading in the dark and support Bluetooth audio for listening to Audible audiobooks. The chief difference between the two models: the Paperwhite has a higher-resolution screen that’s easier on the eyes and is waterproof. Most models of the Kindle Kids are sold out, and I suspect Amazon may be phasing out the base product to replace it with the more-expensive Kindle Paperwhite Kids, which includes more gender-neutral covers like black, “emerald forest,” and “robot dreams.” (I don’t recommend the Kindle Paperwhite Kids either, as you’ll see-my issues are not with the hardware.) The covers come in blue, pink, “rainbow birds,” and “space station,” which is either good or bad depending on how traditional your views of gender roles are. There’s nothing special hardware-wise about the Kindle Kids: it’s just a standard Kindle bundled with a magnetic cover that puts the Kindle to sleep when closed. Do not buy this product for your children or grandchildren. Getting a Kindle Kids was a huge mistake. ![]() Plus, as a parent, I was excited to give him an electronic device that doesn’t have Minecraft, YouTube, and other time-wasting frivolities. Harris has recently started to enjoy reading, and I thought he’d appreciate a Kindle of his own rather than having to borrow his mother’s iPad. That’s why I thought a Kindle Kids ebook reader would make a great gift for my oldest son’s ninth birthday. In fact, it has gotten better with age: PDF support has improved greatly, there’s the great “page flip” feature (see “ Amazon Introduces Page Flip for Kindle,” 28 June 2016), and Amazon is even rolling out EPUB support. It’s longer-lived than many electronics (I’m still using one I bought when I started at TidBITS in 2013), the battery lasts forever, and I can sideload whatever ebooks I want over email or USB. 1654: Urgent OS security updates, upgrading to macOS 13 Ventura, using smart speakers while temporarily blindĪvoid the Tempting but Flawed Kindle Kids Ebook ReaderĪmazon’s Kindle Paperwhite might be my favorite non-Apple gadget.#1655: 33 years of TidBITS, Twitter train wreck, tvOS 16.4.1, Apple Card Savings, Steve Jobs ebook.#1656: Passcode thieves lock iCloud accounts, the apps Adam uses, iPhoto and Aperture library conversion in Ventura.#1657: A deep dive into the innovative Arc Web browser.#1658: Rapid Security Responses, NYPD and industry standard AirTag news, Apple's Q2 2023 financials.
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