An affordable tablet for my 9-year-old

I often marvel at my daughter's computing experience. My first computer was a Timex-Sinclair 1000, hers was an iPad 2.

My Timex-Sinclair is in a box, in my basement. Short of taking a hammer to it, it's pretty hard to break. Sadly, tablets and children don't get along as well. I got sick of replacing Apple iPads, and decided I'd try a refurbished Amazon Fire HD 7. For $50 I didn't think I could go too far wrong. I'm happy to say this tablet is fantastic!

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The size, quality of the screen, and feel in my hand are all great. Video plays back and looks fantastic. The web browser is a tablet web browser and works pretty much just like Safari did. Apps are apps. If I was getting a new tablet, I'd get one of these.

Managing the iPad for my daughter was OK. Keeping her from buying things or adding apps I didn't approve was pretty easy, but I didn't much care for the parental controls. Amazon supplies a $3 a month walled garden of children's content, metered by age, called Amazon Free-Time. I decided to try the subscription out and was immediately pleased. A lot of kid-appropriate games, video and apps were instantly loaded, and when logged into her profile, content is filtered at a 9-year-old level.

She still watches a lot of Brataley.


We've gotten a few weeks out of the tablet with no signs of wear and tear. Battery life goes quick, and needs recharging daily, but thats about the only complaint I've got. For $45 I won't even mind much when she does break it.


Certified Refurbished Fire HD 7 Tablet, 7" HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB – Includes Special Offers, Black (Previous Generation – 7th) via Amazon

** I also have the RAM expansion pack for my Timex-Sinclair.