#CHATTING FOR KIDS 9 12 HOW TO#
#CHATTING FOR KIDS 9 12 UPDATE#
#CHATTING FOR KIDS 9 12 SOFTWARE#

This setup had my daughter and dad engaged for 30 minutes or more at a time. There's no Grandma getting dizzy with kids spinning the camera around or Grandpa being abandoned on the floor facing the ceiling. That's something I can't really do if I hand her my $1,000 iPhone during a FaceTime call. But both grandparents and my daughter picked up on it quickly, and I soon found that I could walk away from their playtime together without worry.

#CHATTING FOR KIDS 9 12 HOW TO#

Amazon also just added compatibility for the 2021 Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet.Īs you may imagine, I needed to play tech support to get everyone set up with the tablets, signed relatives up with Amazon accounts and taught everyone (including myself) how to interact with the Glow app. Neither grandparent had tablets, so Amazon also sent a loaner Samsung tablet to each of their homes in South Florida. That means your family members will need to have a compatible tablet to avoid frustrations and see both kids' faces and the game at the same time.įor our test, my daughter spent time with her grandpa (my dad) and her abuela (my mother-in-law). When family tried to connect on an iPhone, they had to switch between camera view to see the child, and game view to play. The bummer is that it doesn't have a great experience on a phone. Other family members (via a parent's invite) connect through the Glow's app, where they can simultaneously see the chosen activity and video feed of the kid. Only a kid needs the actual Glow, so this isn't going in everyone's home.

#CHATTING FOR KIDS 9 12 UPDATE#

I look forward to trying out some of the newly added games with my kids, like Whac-A-Mole, and I'll update my review when we do. Like everything with kids, things change fast. Children may age out of it when they get bored with the concept. It's not like a tablet with an app store, there are a limited number of activities - although Amazon does say it will keep adding content, and it has added several games since my original review last year. The Amazon Glow isn't something kids will be carrying around.įor anyone buying one, keep in mind the Glow is really meant for the elementary age crowd. The relative's face is the only thing showing on the Glow's 8-inch screen, making it feel like they're playing the game or reading a book right in front of the child. Kids can use the Glow on a table to video chat with a preapproved relative or friend while doing an activity together - like playing a card game, solving a puzzle, reading a book or doodling - all of which is displayed on a projected image on the table. It was everyone's favorite puzzle game.) And Amazon says it is planning to release other types of 'Bits' games in the future. (Seriously, if you're getting the Glow, you need to get the package with Tangram Bits. Amazon is also charging $30 extra for the plastic pieces to its best app, Tangram Bits. The Amazon Glow is a $300, 4-pound, towering 14-inch combination tablet, camera and projector. That said, the sheer size and price of this thing may make parents skeptical of giving it to a preschooler (it's for ages 3 to 9). Amazon has invented something special to bring us together virtually - no silly headsets or metaverses required. Connecting on the Glow feels genuine and wholesome for young families to read stories with kids and play games from afar, as you can see each other's faces the whole time.

The Amazon Glow (not to be confused with the similarly named Echo Glow, a kid's lamp) is refreshing to use in the era of endless Zooms and FaceTimes. The plastic pieces to play are sold separately. Tangram puzzles were my daughter's favorite game.

#CHATTING FOR KIDS 9 12 SOFTWARE#

And now, after months of it being sold only by invitation, the company has made several software updates and is opening sales to the general public After weeks of testing a unit from Amazon, my family loved this mashup of a projector, video chat and gaming system - we even ended up buying our own.Īmazon found a way to connect us like no other technology has before in the Zoom era. It lets my 5-year-old daughter play games and see her grandparents like they're in the room together, even though they live more than 1,000 miles away. The Amazon Glow is a bulky Frankenstein monster of a gadget with one important, heartwarming job.

Chatting for kids 9 12