We’ve been looking at the InnoTab to get M for the last year or so. We were thisclose to making it his Christmas present last year but then we decided that he might be a little too young for it.
Hindsight being 20/20 even though he is only going to be 3 in January and the recommended age limit is 3-9 I think he would have been just fine using it then. He certainly is now!
The InnoTab 2S comes in two different colors Blue or Pink
Mason got the blue one (of course). As soon as we got it we opened it up and started testing it out. Right away we learned that it takes four double AA batteries. Luckily we had some around the house so we popped those in and started setting everything up. It prompts you for the date and time
And then you enter in your username and set up a profile picture.
The InnoTab 2S has camera that rotates and video capabilities, however it doesn’t have a flash so you want to make sure that any picture you take is in a very well lit area, I would even do it outside if possible. The quality of the pictures aren’t great when taken indoors.
The Home Screen looks like this (until you register your device, then it looks a little different). You can also swipe to the right to get to a second screen that has other options like a calculator!
I love that the InnoTab 2S is a touch screen. Mason plays with my phone and my tablet so not having a touch screen is a big deal, he wouldn’t have really known how to use it. There is a photos section and you view the next photo the same way you would on a phone by swiping it to the right.
Mason is pretty big on coloring and painting so I knew he would love the Art Studio and of course he did! Check out one of his first paintings:
Pretty talented huh? I think I have a future Picasso on my hands, don’t you think? 😉 You can also draw/paint on pictures that the InnoTab 2S took.
One of the main differences between the InnoTab 2S and the previous model is the Secure WiFi connection to the Learning Lodge Navigator. If you check out the home screen photo again you may notice that it has a “Wish List” option. Once you register your InnoTab 2S and set up WiFi your child can use this feature to “wish” for items. The email attached to the account will be able to see the wish list and can get direction to purchase the items on the wish list if they want.
Mason has been taking advantage of this feature although he doesn’t quite understand that “wishing” for it doesn’t mean that he’s getting it for sure. It’s a process 🙂
You can also view the store from the Learning Lodge Navigator store.
Just for making the purchase I get 2 free downloads, I’ haven’t taken advantage of them just yet but I plan on it! I love that you can organize the store according to price or popularity among other things.
As you can see on the top you can buy E-books, Games, Music, Videos and more. And of course you can buy cartridges in store.
The InnoTab 2S comes with 2GB of memory but you can also purchase a memory card to add another 32GB. I love that it can really grow with M.
I also love the idea of VTech University which is compatible with the InnoTab, InnoTab 2, InnoTab 2S and Mobi Go 2. It’s for children 3-9 and is used to encourage learning through the use of technology. Once you enroll your child you can download free curriculum and you can track their progress. Graduates of the program will get a diploma and also have the chance to win a $25,000 college bond. They have from now until May 31, 2013 to finish the curriculum!
I also love that you can set up different users, this will come in handy when Baby3 is old enough to use the device!
If you’re getting this for your little one for Christmas or thinking about it my main suggestion would be to set it up first, it doesn’t take *long* to set up at all but we had to update ours in order for us to be able to connect it to Wi-Fi and that did take a decent amount of time something you may not wan to worry about on Christmas morning!
The Blue InnoTab 2S retails for $99.99 but is currently $87.78 on Amazon
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
What a great educational gift! My preschooler would love this!
Emily @ Baby Dickey says
Great review! Love Mason’s drawing, what an artist 🙂
Kelly Renner Stilwell says
I had never even seen this! Very cool!
Jess says
Sounds awesome! Mason’s drawing is FANTABULOUS! <3
joanna garcia says
wow sounds better than the leap pad! love that you can add extra memory and the wifi!
teresa herrera-honores says
love this you have just convinced me to get this instead of the leap pad!
Laura Grace Andry says
These tablets look super cool. Both of my boys love my ipad, but I would like to have something more specifically geared towards them. Thanks for sharing.
HilLesha says
That is really neat….great price, too!
Jenn @therebelchick says
Vtech makes such great toys for the kids, I love that they are techie and educational!
courtney b says
its like the ipad for children! i think all kids should have one.. very educational..
Beth Rees says
I love that this is a touch screen! It makes it so much easier for little hands!
Sonya Morris says
My little one is obsessed with my husband’s tablet! This would be a great gift for her and much user friendly for a toddler than what she has been playing with!
Sonya Morris says
*more* user friendly….
Jennifer Marie says
My sons would love this-especially the camera!