Walmart recently sent us the Trio AXS 4G and a Nabi Dreamtab to review. Techy gifts are huge this year, and tablets are among the top gifts for both grown ups and kids!
TMobile Trio Axs 4G
The Trio AXS 4G is tablet running the 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) version of the Android operating system. At the time of this writing, this tablet is currently selling on Walmart.com for $149. There were several things i liked about the tablet and a few things I did not.
The tablet is just under 8” and I find it much easier to hold with one hand than a 10” model. Using the Amazon Kindle application to read books on the device works extremely well. The tablet also fits easily into a laptop bag, a purse or the center console of a vehicle.
A great thing about this tablet is that it comes with free 200mb internet access for life. There is an app on the desktop you click on and follow the on screen instructions to create an account. During the process it will ask you to either choose the free plan or an upgraded data plan for a fee. The data plan is offered by T-Mobile and works virtually everywhere.
Many of the lower end tablets come with older versions of Android. The Trio came with Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean). It’s nice to have a modern version of Android for some of the newer features and good application compatibility. The Trio comes with 16 GB of memory and is also expandable via an additional micro-SD card.
While there are many good features about this tablet, there are a few issues that made this tablet difficult to use. The most distressing of these issues that sometimes the screen decided to not work. Pushing the power button would not turn on the screen. The only way I found to get past this condition was to either plug it in for a while or let it discharge completely and charge it again. I’m not sure if this is specific to the unit I received or not.
The screen resolution is low on this tablet. It’s something you instantly notice when viewing it the first time. The fonts seem to render a little oddly when small. In the current device market, I feel they could have done a little better in this area. Larger fonts still display fine so adjust accordingly if the app you’re using allows or it.
The standby time is not great on this device. The advertised time is about 6 hours, so if you plan on taking it out and using it during the day, you’ll need to bring the charger with you. While I didn’t time it, the battery life did seem much shorter to me than my phone or our 10” Android tablets.
The camera resolution isn’t high enough to be useful, much less competitive in this market. In our testing, the camera which also lacks a flash, produced poor and grainy images in normal and low light.
The Trio Axs 4G is not going to compete against the Samsung, LG or Google Nexus tablets, but, at only $149, it remains an affordable choice for people who want a smaller form factor tablet to run a few apps, read books and check email while on the go.
Nabi Dreamtab
The Nabi Dream tab is a tablet geared specifically for the younger kids. We figured we were pretty much past this point, but we gave it a try anyway. So, the Dreamtab comes preloaded with lots of great Dreamworks content, like the full featured movies “How to Train Your Dragon”, “Kung Fu Panda”, “Madagascar” and “Shrek” . Not to mention a lot of fun content based on these movies.
Set up is pretty easy. You can set up multiple profiles on the tablet, one for each child, and of course, there’s one for parents too. This tablet allows parents to set up time limits and even block certain kinds of content for each child profile. One of the cool things is that the kids can’t sneak either. Parent mode lets you view what was used, and for how long during their last session!
We’ve had fun playing with a bunch of the apps, the most popular ones being the drawing apps.
Here is all the technical info that you need to know on the Nabi Dreamtab:
Technical Specifications:
- Quad Core, Intel® Atom? Processor Z3745
- 2GB DDR2 of system memory
- 8″ touchscreen, 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution
- nabi DreamTab HD8 Kids’ Android Tablet has built-in 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth v4.0
Additional Features:
- Back 5MP webcam and front 2MP webcam
- Kids’ touch screen tablet has a nabi connector, 3.5mm standard audio jack
- 16GB onboard storage memory, additional memory via microSD card slot
- nabi DreamTab 8″ tablet with 16GB memory has 2 Dolby speakers
- GPS
- Up to 23 hours of runtime on a full charge
- Weighs 4.1 lbs; 9.3″ x 0.83″ x 6.39″ dimensions
Software and Applications:
- Kids’ touch screen tablet runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat)
- Dream Pro Studio, Nabigator, Nabi Utilities, Nabi Konnect, Treasure Box, Nabi Coins
- Media Formats: MP3, AAC, MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
What’s in the Box:
- nabi DreamTab HD8 Kids’ Android Tablet, DreamTab Bumper, Stylus, USB to nabi Connector Cable, Quick Start Guide, Product Information Guide, battery and AC adapter
While this tablet has a lot of really great functions, but we noticed one semi-frustrating feature. Switching around between the kids accounts and the parent account to turn off the time limits, and turn them back on was a little frustrating. I understand why it requires a password, but it took more time than it could have. I wish there was an easier way, especially when it happens while I’m in the middle of preparing dinner. I ended up showing my girls how to do it for themselves, and eventually just turning time limits off altogether.
The Nabi Dreamtab was not for us, as our girls already have regular, unrestricted, tablets, but for anyone looking for a tablet for your little ones, this is an awesome tablet. Priced at only $199.99, it seems quite durable, and has awesome features for little ones.
Check it out!
