Amazon to release Google Play-compatible kids tablets in Japan on October 14

Amazon announced on October 8 a new line of children's tablets, the Amazon Kids Tablet (Amazon キッズ タブレット) series, which runs on Android OS and supports the Google Play store, according to Game Watch and Keitai Watch. Impress Watch and Keitai Watch reported that it is the first Amazon tablet to support Google Play. Preorders began on October 8, on Amazon.jp according to Game Watch, and the devices are due on October 14; Impress Watch and ITmedia described that date as the release, while Game Watch and Keitai Watch described it as the start of shipping. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]

The series has models for children aged 3 and over and for those aged 6 and over, each in 8.7-inch and 11-inch sizes, for eight models in total, Impress Watch reported. For ages 3 and over there are versions named Mountain and Green and a model with a Paw Patrol cover; for ages 6 and over there is Turquoise Blue and a Japan-only Chiikawa (ちいかわ) edition. According to Impress Watch, the 8.7-inch Amazon Kids Tablet 8 costs 39,980 yen and the 11-inch Amazon Kids Tablet 11 costs 54,980 yen, while the Paw Patrol and Chiikawa editions cost 41,980 yen at 8.7 inches and 56,980 yen at 11 inches. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]

In addition to the Amazon Kids+ subscription, users can use apps and games from Google Play; Game Watch put the number of Google Play apps at more than 2 million. Using Google Play requires a Google account, and parents can approve and manage individual apps through Google Family Link, Impress Watch reported. Amazon's Parent Dashboard lets parents set up a profile for each child and check usage, usage time, learning time and content. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]

All models come with a protective case, parental controls and one year of Amazon Kids+ at no extra charge, Impress Watch reported. After that year the plan renews automatically at 780 yen a month for Prime members and 980 yen for non-members. Impress Watch said more than 200 Chiikawa-related videos and books were added to Amazon Kids+ to coincide with the Chiikawa edition, along with new learning manga, children's books and picture books. [ 1 , 4 ]

The cover for the ages 6 and over models can stand the tablet upright, which Impress Watch said is a first for Amazon's children's tablets and is meant to make reading novels and using portrait-mode apps easier. Keitai Watch reported that the 8.7-inch model has a 1340×800 display with 400 nits brightness and 4GB of memory, and the 11-inch model a 2560×1600 display with 500 nits and 8GB, both with 64GB of storage and a MediaTek 8189 chipset. It listed battery life of up to 14 hours for the 8.7-inch model and up to 15 hours for the 11-inch model, plus Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6 support. [ 1 , 4 ]