Very old Nook for very young child? Or.......?

[Beezie Maddox]

Please forgive my ignorance; I AM ignorant.

My youngest is rapidly becoming literate but is still too immature to be trusted with my Kindle PW. I'm seeing some very tempting prices on older Nooks and am thinking that this might be the route I want to go. I plan on continuing to use the PW for read-alouds and using the Nook for sideloading content for my tiny child to read independently, for taking with us in situations where I would leave the PW at home out of fear of losing or damaging it, and for me to learn a bit about jailbreaks and rooting.

I do have an account at B&N so I can register the Nook, but I would want to leave the wireless off. My child is too young to have access to the internet, much less my credit card info.

He would greatly prefer a touchscreen and I want him to have eInk. Durability is definitely as issue.

Would a 1st Generation Nook meet these requirements or would I be better off waiting until I am comfortable giving him a ST? I do not have a Smartphone, so a Nook or Kindle App on that is not a viable alternative and the kids' tablets I have looked at appear to be more annoying toys than serious eReaders.

TIA

[HarryT]

An eInk device is relatively fragile; I can't see the screen lasting long in the unsupervised hands of a young child. I honestly wouldn't recommend doing this.

[Beezie Maddox]

Thank you for your prompt reply, Harry. Pleased to "meet" you.

How many children do you have? Do any of them have any visual handicaps? how old were they when you upgraded them from playing Angry Birds on an LCD to reading on eInk? How did you handle "oops"es--replace the device and reassure the child that we all make mistakes sometimes or wait until the next birthday or Christmas in the hopes that it will teach them not to repeat the mistake?

I ask because it isn't always easy to tell from print when a person you just met is offering serious advice based on personal experience or is just curious whether the n00b of the moment has a sense of humour.

Thank you for your time and have a nice day.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Beezie Maddox

I ask because it isn't always easy to tell from print when a person you just met is offering serious advice based on personal experience or is just curious whether the n00b of the moment has a sense of humour.

I'm offering you practical advice based on many, many years usage of eInk devices, and seeing the mishaps that have befallen them in the hands of people in this forum. An eInk screen has a fragile glass "substrate" under the outer plastic screen, and any significant amount of rough treatment will fracture it. But hell, take the advice or leave it - it's entirely your choice.

[gabby98]

Beezie...can I ask how old your son is?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Beezie Maddox

He would greatly prefer a touchscreen and I want him to have eInk. Durability is definitely as issue.

Expect it to get broken. I have three children, and got them Kindles when they were teenagers. One had a couple of broken screens.

OTOH, a nook Simple Touch can be had for under $60 nowadays. (£29 in the UK!), so it might be worth giving it a go. Just doesn't be surprised or upset when it dies.

[wandalynn]

Let me weight in as the owner of a 1st gen nook - don't do it. It's heavy, the screen isn't touch, it's big and needs frequent battery charges. But I'm not saying not to get a nook - get the newer touch screen model that's on sale at Target this week for $39 and get a case for it.

ETA: and definitely don't be surprised or upset when it dies.

Also, both nook models handle wireless about the same with the exception that the 1st gen has a primitive web browser which is probably more internet access than you want.

[petrucci]

Unfortunately, e-ink screens are very fragile, and thus inherently unsuitable for young children. You may want to consider a tablet designed for kids. There are several such devices available now.

If you can spare the money, you could give your child an old or used e-reader. However, you should expect that it will be broken.

[AnemicOak]

My 12 year old nephew has my Sony 505 and has had it for three years now. It's still working fine, but he doesn't use it much anymore. He much prefers paper books or his iPad.

Another, better?, option besides a Nook 1st gen would be the Nook Simple Touch, if it must be eink, for $40-$45 or perhaps an old used Nook Color tablet with a good bumper case.

[wandalynn]

the nook simple touch has an area in the settings to set it up to require a password for purchases. So as long as you don't share your password no purchases can be made from the device.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by Beezie Maddox

Thank you for your prompt reply, Harry. Pleased to "meet" you.

How many children do you have? Do any of them have any visual handicaps? how old were they when you upgraded them from playing Angry Birds on an LCD to reading on eInk? How did you handle "oops"es--replace the device and reassure the child that we all make mistakes sometimes or wait until the next birthday or Christmas in the hopes that it will teach them not to repeat the mistake?

I ask because it isn't always easy to tell from print when a person you just met is offering serious advice based on personal experience or is just curious whether the n00b of the moment has a sense of humour.

Thank you for your time and have a nice day.

Nothing in your first post said any of this so to expect anyone to take those type of things into consideration when replaying is unfair. Harry's point is a fair one. There have been many parents who complained about how easily an e-reader can be broken because they thought that the screens would be more durable, like an iPad and, I am assuming, other tablet screens.

My 18 month old man handles our iPads when we leave them in his reach. He is not exactly gentle when we let him use them, sitting on our lap, and the iPads have survived just fine. I would not let him touch my PW screen because it is more sensitive, easy to break then the iPad screen.

That said, plenty of parents have bought e-readers for their kids and have had good luck with them. A good cover can protect them when the e-reader is not in use. If they understand that they need to be careful when holding it, ie don't drop it, don't press to hard, don't leave it some place where you can sit on it or step on it, then an e-reader can be great.

I would suggest the cheapest Kindle available. You already have an Amazon account, you can set parentla controls now so he cannot buy books, and the one year warrenty on a Kindle is great. It will probably even cover a broken screen. At least, it has for some folks in the past.

Keep an eye on Amazon, they have been having sales on the cheapest version. Even without it being on sale, it is a good deal.

[Tarana]

I wouldn't give an eink device to any kid under 8 WITHOUT SUPERVISION! Kids over 8, depends on the kid entirely. If you choose to give a young child any electronic device, expect that they will break it well before its normal lifespan. Many members of this forum have discovered this with their own personal experience.

Kids are better off with paper books and even those they damage. Having a few books that they can read on your device is great, because they want to do what you are doing, but honestly, the average kid isn't that careful with stuff until around 10.

As far as a kid with visual problems, depends on what the problem is. Screens in general aren't really recommended for children. If it truly makes a difference, then get the kid one but always supervise the use until your kid is responsible enough to manage on their own. I have a simple touch and while you can shut off the wireless, there are no parental controls that I can find to prevent them from turning it on again. However, they are limited to B&N site only and you can change your settings to require a password to purchase, thus preventing unauthorized purchases. Win-win for you. I do think the Nook ST is sturdier, but I still wouldn't let a young child use it without supervision.

[NickyWithNook]

Both of my kids have had tablet style e-readers and neither has broken one (Nook Tablet and Nook Color.) The younger one is now 4 and got hers when she was 3.

I haven't given a young kid an e-ink one but I'd be careful to get a case so the screen is covered when it isn't being used. In my experience, they aren't in danger when they're in use as much as when they're set down someplace they shouldn't be and aren't well protected. You'll have to keep track of it and make sure it doesn't get left on the floor where it can be stepped on or anything like that.

And the Nooks can be set up to require a password to buy anything, so I wouldn't worry about that. Also, the e-ink devices don't have easy access to anything but books. And the Simple Touch Readers are very inexpensive right now. I'd get a touch screen because kids are likely to need a dictionary and it's really annoying to look up words unless you have a touch screen.

[Bertolt]

I gave my grandson a Kobo touch when he was 8 and he still has it and it works fine. He is now 10. He has been an avid reader for years already. I gave him a case for his reader to help protect it. He is a sensible boy but he has 2 younger brothers who enjoy a bit of rough and tumble but who generally respect one another's important items of property (Nintendos etc.). I would buy your son a cheap sturdy model, e.g. the basic Kindle, though you could buy any sturdy model really because you can side-load books bought from any store onto any device using calibre with the program to remove DRM.

[gabby98]

I let my niece and nephews (7/8/10) use my e ink nst unsupervised all the time and they are fine. They are also used to the rules of using my tablet and my brothers iPad (fur the last year or two) abd my various laptops/netbooks. They now have there own tablets. They have 7 inch tablets now, though the first ones they had were 4.5. They got broken, but strangely not because of the kids. It was more the construction and my brother& sil doing stuff with them they shouldn't when the kids weren't around. Depending on the child and what they are used to, i thinwould be ok.....but always get a warranty that includes accidental if it's new and don't expect miracles either way. Kids have to start learning somewhere.