Amazon has announced a new version of the Kindle specifically aimed at kids - check out our first look at the device.
The Kindle Kids Edition follows on from the popular Fire Tablet Kids Editions (one of which is also available in a new version today). It's available for pre-order today for $99/£100 and will ship on 30 October.
Based on the basic 6-inch Kindle with its weeks-long battery life and adjustable front light, the Kids version takes several clues from the other child-orientated devices that Amazon sells - once again there's a two-year worry-free guarantee that includes accidental breakage and it comes in a case.
The cases are available in some fun designs in the US, but disappointingly these aren't coming to the UK as yet, so there's only the choice of blue or pink. There are some friendly wallpapers, though.
The other key difference between Kindle for Kids and its regular counterpart is that it comes with a year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited in the US or Fire for Kids Unlimited in the UK. This gives you access to over a thousand books free, plus there's an easy discovery feature so kids can look for books easily - even if they type in the wrong spelling.
Naturally, the home screen and book recommendations are all child-friendly and children are kept within the 'walled garden'. Adults can buy books for their children using the Amazon Parent Dashboard and these are sideloaded onto the device. You can also keep an eye on what your kids are reading.
Kids will also be able to listen to audiobooks via headphones or a Bluetooth speaker via a future update.
There are also achievement badges plus easy access to word definitions and a dictionary. Any researched words are automatically added to a vocabulary builder so you can access user-friendly flashcards on them in future.
