InnoTab 2s Learning App Tablet

$100, Smart Toy

Teaches: early learning

CTR Rating: 80%

CTR Review

See the InnoTab 3.The boundary between the toy tablet, and the real tablet, keeps getting thinner. Case in point -- the InnoTab 2s Learning App Tablet ($100, www.vtechkids.com): the first Wi-Fi enabled toy we've reviewed. The Wi-Fi isn't for YouTube, texting, or email, however. It's to make it easy to buy more apps from VTech's "Learning Lodge Navigator" -- Think iTunes for VTech toys. Leapfrog's equivalent is called LeapFrog Connect. The InnoTab 2s joins nearly a dozen Android-based kid tablets, with funny sounding names like Nabi, Meep, Kurio and Tabio. All have your child in the bull's eye of large marketing efforts, in the herculean effort to pry your child's eyes away from your smart phone. Downloading apps necessitates the need to have internal memory. The 2S comes with 2GB of memory plus an empty SD card slot. You get 17 ready-to-use apps, plus 2 free downloads to prime the pump for future purchases. Lots of room on the InnoTab 2S for photos, videos, games, e-books, and music plus a Wish List Maker makes the InnoTab 2S ready to go right out of the box. Features include: a built-in digital photo/video camera that fully rotates to take images and videos of others or yourself; 2 GB onboard memory with SD card slot expandable up to 32 GB of memory (SD card not included); 5" color touch screen and tilt sensor; and camera, video camera, photo viewer, video player, MP3 music player, e-reader, art studio, games, and microphone. You can personalize the InnoTab 2S for up to 4 users and 1 guest with photo wallpaper, user name and avatar, a voice greeting and typed greeting. Requires 4AA & 1 CR2032 Lithium Battery Batteries.Getting the apps into a child's pocket has always been a challenge. In the past, you've had to find a wire and plug your gadget into a computer, however, since for the first time the InnoTab 2s has built-in Wi-Fi, this is no longer a problem. InnoTab 2s promises the addition of "a secure wireless connection to VTech's Learning Lodge Navigator for easy and secure buying of games, e-books and apps." No cord is required.