Offline reader for a small child

guttaperk · 10-09-2013, 06:43 AM

Hi, guys.

I'm looking for an ebook reader for a small child. This reader will be his, and he will have constant, unsupervised access to it.

I am therefore looking for an ebook reader that cannot access the internet.

I understand that the Kindle has parental controls, but what other options should I consider? Rather than buying a feature that we don't want or need and then password-locking it, I'd really prefer buying a simple reader that has no Wi-Fi or other internet capability.

Any suggestions?

Abtacha · 10-09-2013, 01:12 PM

None of the readers with WiFi can access the Internet unless you set it up with your W-LAN password, so that shouldn't be a problem. I'm not aware of any somewhat current readers or tablets without W-LAN.

How young is the child we're talking about? E-ink readers are sadly rather fragile (the screen can easily crack under pressure or torsion) so for a young child a (cheap) tablet might be a better choice.

Shopaholic · 10-09-2013, 06:24 PM

I second Abtacha. Digital readers that we would recommend for adults would not be good for a child. The kid'll break it. Get the Leap Pad for a child. It's far more durable and will have books aimed for kids. Anything geared towards an adult will be far too fragile for a child. They'll break it.

davidfor · 10-09-2013, 09:11 PM

Kobo are bringing out a "kids" account. I don't know the full details, but it does limit the net access on their devices. The browser is disabled, so they can't get on the net. They have access to the Kobo shop, but it is limited to "kidsafe" books. And I believe you can set an "allowance" so they can buy books.

meeera · 10-10-2013, 03:54 AM

Leap Pads (last time I looked at them, at least) might look like an ok device on the surface, but you pay a fortune for software/books/etc. A cheapish but durable regular tablet in a good protective case, combined with supervision, can be a better long-term choice. I'm assuming, since you said "small child", that the child isn't actually unsupervised.

Just don't give the kid your wifi password, and set the device to not remember it.

sneakyspider · 10-10-2013, 02:47 PM

What about the Wexler Flex? I don't have experience with this ereader, but I have recently bought one from ebay. The top half is flexible and I think it is supposed to not be prone to breaking due to drops like glass screened ereaders are. It takes epub, fb2, doc, html, and rtf formats, to name a few. It also has no wifi capability. It is being sold by at least two sellers on ebay for around $70, (that's with shipping.) I don't know if this suits your needs, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.

PatNY · 10-10-2013, 03:09 PM

Is your child old enough to at least charge the device unsupervised? If so, then you might want to consider the Nook HD 7" tablet. It has gorilla glass. I find it pretty sturdy. And you can set up kids accounts on the device that won't allow internet access. It allows multiple accounts. You could also put a game or two on it to let him or her have some fun in between reading sessions! There are tons of free games available via Google Play.

The thing is, it would have to be charged probably once every day or two. But he or she can just plug it in at night and it would be all ready to go in the morning.

Right now a second hand or refurbished Nook HD 7" can be had for about $100 on ebay. Many refurbs are even offered with a 1-year warranty. A brand new Nook HD is $129 for the 8gb model. They all have sd card slots to expand the space.

--Pat

Shopaholic · 10-10-2013, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meeera

Leap Pads (last time I looked at them, at least) might look like an ok device on the surface, but you pay a fortune for software/books/etc. A cheapish but durable regular tablet in a good protective case, combined with supervision, can be a better long-term choice. I'm assuming, since you said "small child", that the child isn't actually unsupervised.

Just don't give the kid your wifi password, and set the device to not remember it.

From the OP:

"I'm looking for an ebook reader for a small child. This reader will be his, and he will have constant, unsupervised access to it."

meeera · 10-10-2013, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shopaholic

From the OP:

"I'm looking for an ebook reader for a small child. This reader will be his, and he will have constant, unsupervised access to it."

Well, yes. I'm just trying to parse that. Because "small child", to me, means smaller than school age, and no child of that age should ever be unsupervised. Perhaps the OP could actually tell us the age, and we wouldn't all be fumbling about not knowing whether we're talking about a 2 year old or a 10 year old here.

Jessica Lares · 10-10-2013, 09:23 PM

Seems like you have a grasp of Calibre? Are you going to be using it to add to the reader?

I would say that the original Nexus 7 would be the best choice.

There is too much stuff for a kid to mess with in all the e-inks, iPad, and the Kindle Fire. Generally everything not running stock Android has the same issue.

But if you took the Nexus 7, rooted it, and then delete a majority of system apps and included stuff, you can pretty much kill the internet.

Get a copy of Apex Launcher, set it up so no menus can lead to the system settings, and then remove access to the app drawer.

And then add your eReader app of choice.

There's also an app that lets you set an app as the "launcher".

NickyWithNook · 10-11-2013, 12:16 PM

My younger child (4 now) has a Nook Color she got as a gift a year ago, and has an iPad as well. It's pretty easy to control content by just requiring a password when you purchase something. She hasn't broken either and she's a pretty rough-and-tumble kid.

It has access to the internet through Safari, but she has not had any interest in that. She just likes the apps and e-books and I choose those.

I don't want to talk you out of your concerns. I just want to share my experience as a parent of a young child.

Tarana · 10-17-2013, 04:09 PM

All the eink readers have access to the web. The Nook Simple Touch limits internet access to Barnes and Noble ONLY and you can password protect that so no purchases can be made. There is no option to surf on the internet.

The Kindle 6 inch also can allow you to password protect the parental controls, but you should check the unit now and then as very often, kids will find a way around stuff and tell their friends.

The social options are extremely limited to sharing your Lend me Items - again, limited by using the password. Nook Simple Touch is more durable than Kindle, in my opinion. The only disadvantage is if this child is of the age where picture books are still more important, everything is black and white, not color.

NickyWithNook · 10-17-2013, 04:29 PM

My brother got his kids Nook HDs and they had some kid account under his account that didn't allow them to do much but I don't know the specifics.

jscarbo · 10-18-2013, 12:51 PM

For the price, I'd go for a Nook Simple Touch, with or without GlowLight, currently on sale for $59 and $79 respectively, through 10/26.

10-09-2013, 06:43 AM	#1
guttaperk Member Posts: 15 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kindle 3	Offline reader for a small child Hi, guys. I'm looking for an ebook reader for a small child. This reader will be his, and he will have constant, unsupervised access to it. I am therefore looking for an ebook reader that cannot access the internet. I understand that the Kindle has parental controls, but what other options should I consider? Rather than buying a feature that we don't want or need and then password-locking it, I'd really prefer buying a simple reader that has no Wi-Fi or other internet capability. Any suggestions?

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10-09-2013, 01:12 PM	#2
Abtacha Addict Posts: 332 Karma: 6220000 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Germany Device: Kobo Aura HD	None of the readers with WiFi can access the Internet unless you set it up with your W-LAN password, so that shouldn't be a problem. I'm not aware of any somewhat current readers or tablets without W-LAN. How young is the child we're talking about? E-ink readers are sadly rather fragile (the screen can easily crack under pressure or torsion) so for a young child a (cheap) tablet might be a better choice.

10-09-2013, 06:24 PM	#3
Shopaholic Cockatoo Mom! Posts: 1,509 Karma: 1812695 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: PW4, Kobo: A1, Clara, Libra 2, iPad Pro 11, iPad Mini	I second Abtacha. Digital readers that we would recommend for adults would not be good for a child. The kid'll break it. Get the Leap Pad for a child. It's far more durable and will have books aimed for kids. Anything geared towards an adult will be far too fragile for a child. They'll break it.

10-09-2013, 09:11 PM	#4
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	Kobo are bringing out a "kids" account. I don't know the full details, but it does limit the net access on their devices. The browser is disabled, so they can't get on the net. They have access to the Kobo shop, but it is limited to "kidsafe" books. And I believe you can set an "allowance" so they can buy books.

10-10-2013, 03:54 AM	#5
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,659 Karma: 66420972 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	Leap Pads (last time I looked at them, at least) might look like an ok device on the surface, but you pay a fortune for software/books/etc. A cheapish but durable regular tablet in a good protective case, combined with supervision, can be a better long-term choice. I'm assuming, since you said "small child", that the child isn't actually unsupervised. Just don't give the kid your wifi password, and set the device to not remember it.

10-10-2013, 02:47 PM	#6
sneakyspider Ereader Addicts Anonymous Posts: 329 Karma: 1071692 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: USA, FL. Device: (2)KO2, PW7thGen., KT2, iPadMini1	What about the Wexler Flex? I don't have experience with this ereader, but I have recently bought one from ebay. The top half is flexible and I think it is supposed to not be prone to breaking due to drops like glass screened ereaders are. It takes epub, fb2, doc, html, and rtf formats, to name a few. It also has no wifi capability. It is being sold by at least two sellers on ebay for around $70, (that's with shipping.) I don't know if this suits your needs, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.

10-10-2013, 03:09 PM	#7
PatNY Zennist Posts: 1,022 Karma: 47809468 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: iPod Touch, Sony PRS-350, Nook HD+ & HD	Is your child old enough to at least charge the device unsupervised? If so, then you might want to consider the Nook HD 7" tablet. It has gorilla glass. I find it pretty sturdy. And you can set up kids accounts on the device that won't allow internet access. It allows multiple accounts. You could also put a game or two on it to let him or her have some fun in between reading sessions! There are tons of free games available via Google Play. The thing is, it would have to be charged probably once every day or two. But he or she can just plug it in at night and it would be all ready to go in the morning. Right now a second hand or refurbished Nook HD 7" can be had for about $100 on ebay. Many refurbs are even offered with a 1-year warranty. A brand new Nook HD is $129 for the 8gb model. They all have sd card slots to expand the space. --Pat

10-10-2013, 09:23 PM	#10
Jessica Lares Wizard Posts: 2,240 Karma: 5759170 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Near Dallas, Texas, USA Device: iPad Mini, iPod Touch (5th gen)	Seems like you have a grasp of Calibre? Are you going to be using it to add to the reader? I would say that the original Nexus 7 would be the best choice. There is too much stuff for a kid to mess with in all the e-inks, iPad, and the Kindle Fire. Generally everything not running stock Android has the same issue. But if you took the Nexus 7, rooted it, and then delete a majority of system apps and included stuff, you can pretty much kill the internet. Get a copy of Apex Launcher, set it up so no menus can lead to the system settings, and then remove access to the app drawer. And then add your eReader app of choice. There's also an app that lets you set an app as the "launcher".

10-11-2013, 12:16 PM	#11
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 748 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	My younger child (4 now) has a Nook Color she got as a gift a year ago, and has an iPad as well. It's pretty easy to control content by just requiring a password when you purchase something. She hasn't broken either and she's a pretty rough-and-tumble kid. It has access to the internet through Safari, but she has not had any interest in that. She just likes the apps and e-books and I choose those. I don't want to talk you out of your concerns. I just want to share my experience as a parent of a young child.

10-17-2013, 04:09 PM	#12
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,980 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	All the eink readers have access to the web. The Nook Simple Touch limits internet access to Barnes and Noble ONLY and you can password protect that so no purchases can be made. There is no option to surf on the internet. The Kindle 6 inch also can allow you to password protect the parental controls, but you should check the unit now and then as very often, kids will find a way around stuff and tell their friends. The social options are extremely limited to sharing your Lend me Items - again, limited by using the password. Nook Simple Touch is more durable than Kindle, in my opinion. The only disadvantage is if this child is of the age where picture books are still more important, everything is black and white, not color.

10-17-2013, 04:29 PM	#13
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 748 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	My brother got his kids Nook HDs and they had some kid account under his account that didn't allow them to do much but I don't know the specifics.

10-18-2013, 12:51 PM	#14
jscarbo Addict Posts: 220 Karma: 1075434 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Costa Rica Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle PW2, Nook HD+, Nexus 7	For the price, I'd go for a Nook Simple Touch, with or without GlowLight, currently on sale for $59 and $79 respectively, through 10/26.