Toys ‘R’ Us to challenge Amazon, Microsoft with its own tablet
Sep 10, 2012, 5:54 AM | Updated: 7:00 am
Toys R Us will launch its own tablet to compete with Apple, Amazon and Microsoft. (AP Photo/file)
(AP Photo/file)
Amazon, Microsoft and Apple are getting a new competitor in the tablet race, Toys “R” Us.
The struggling toy company has just announced it’ll introduce its own proprietary tablet for kids this fall.
The $149.99 Tabeo runs on Android and includes 50 pre-loaded apps such as Angry Birds, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Tabeo will be available only at Toys “R” Us, so shoppers won’t be able to try it out in a store and then purchase it for less on a rival retailer’s website.
The tablet goes on sale Oct. 21, and pre-orders are now available online at Toysrus.com.
There’s no shortage of competition. The makers of the Kurio 7, Meep and Lexibook tablets targeted at young people quickly matched its $149.99 price tag, even though the Tabeo won’t be available until late October, the Journal reported.
The announcement comes just days after Amazon announced new versions of its popular Kindle Fire tablet.
The Tabeo also includes parental controls so moms and dads can dictate how much time their kids spend on the tablet and what they do on it.
