Samsung has today announced the launch of a Android tablet specifically designed for children, the Galaxy Tab 3 Kids.
Available from mid-November, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids is the first tablet the Korean giant has launched in Australia that features a second user mode designed specifically for young children.
The Kids Mode user setting provides access to a seperate service called Kids Store, which contains apps that have been developed to help support children's entertainment, and early learning for users three years old and above.
Samsung Australia's Marketing Director, Arno Lenior, said the Galaxy Tab 3 Kids caters for different user requirements, particularly for parents.
"Galaxy Tab 3 Kids is an exciting addition to the Samsung Galaxy brand of mobile devices as it's the first of its kind that we have offered in Australia. It offers something for parents and children that make it an ideal tablet for families.""Research has shown that children influence tablet adoption in Australian homes so we feel it is important to offer devices and content that can offer experiences for different age groups."
In addition to accessing Samsung's Kids Store, the Galaxy Tab 3 comes pre-loaded with a number of children's content including games, e-books, and education and entertainment apps.
A time management feature also allows users to set specific time periods while accessing Kids Mode, utilising a password protected lock screen to prevent use when the allotted time period is up.
While the Galaxy Tab 3 Kids is primarily designed to be used by children, a seperate standard mode setting offers the same features and functions of a regular Samsung Android tablet.
The Galaxy Tab 3 Kids is essentially a rebranded version of the Galaxy Tab 3 7, which Samsung released in Australia back in July.
Like that device, it has a 7in screen with a resolution of 1024x768 pixels, is powered by 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory. A microSD card slot allows users to expand the on-board memory.
The Galaxy Tab 3 Kids runs the 4.1 Jelly Bean version of Google's Android operating system but is once again skinned with Samsung's TouchWIZ interface. The tablet has a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel snapper.
The Galaxy Tab 3 Kids is yellow in colour but includes a bright orange bumper rubber case designed to aid grip.
Samsung will also sell a Kid Grip Cover ($69.95) which doubles as a stand, and includes a C Pen stylus.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids will be available from Samsung's Experience Stores in Sydney and Melbourne from mid-November, and will sell for $299 outright.
Samsung says the tablet will also be available through "other retailers" around Australia in the coming weeks.
