Vtech - InnoTab Interactive Learning Tablet

by VTech

Product Features

• 5" color touch screen and tilt-sensor for educational gameplay
• E-books, educational games, creative activities, learning apps and more available on cartridge
• 4 different media players e-book reader, MP3 music player, photo viewer and video player
• 64MB onboard memory and SD card slot for memory expansion
• Learning toy connects to PC/Mac with included USB cable

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 1 x 10 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B004VJNRKG
• Item model number: 80-126800
• Manufacturer recommended age: 4 - 9 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #13 in Toys & Games > Preschool > Pre-Kindergarten Toys > Electronic > Electronic Learning Toys & Systems
  • #14 in Toys & Games > Electronics for Kids > Educational Computers & Accessories
  • #16 in Toys & Games > Preschool > Pre-Kindergarten Toys > Learning
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (234 customer reviews)

Product Description

Product Description

Adapting the design of Mom and Dad's favorite touchpad devices, the VTech InnoTab Learning App Tablet helps your child take learning to the next level with one of today's most popular technologies. This multimedia tablet combines interactive reading, learning games, creative activities, and tools in a sleek and durable educational toy. Thanks to its 5-inch color touch screen and tilt sensor, kids ages four to nine can touch, flick, and drag their way to learning fun.

Learning App Tablet At a Glance: Age Requirements: 4 to 9 years Assembly Requirements: Requires 4 AA batteries (not included) Warranty: Limited one-year warranty

Kids can color in pictures and then tilt the tablet to animate their characters. (Click each image to enlarge)

The Innotab's multimedia functions allow kids to listen to music, watch videos, or read feature-rich e-books. (Click each image to enlarge)

Interactive E-Books Bring Reading to Life
Kids will be captivated by InnoTab's vivid and interactive e-books, which offer narration, character voices, graphics, sounds, and music. Children can learn reading comprehension, vocabulary, and phonics while interacting with animated characters. Words are highlighted as kids read, and offer proper pronunciation when touched on the screen.

Each e-book also comes with a story dictionary. The definitions make it easy for children to understand the word and the context of the story.

Fun and Educational Games, Activities, and Tools
The InnoTab offers a variety of games and activities that keep your child happy, learning, and occupied for hours. Its multimedia players let children listen to music and view video, while the art-studio app allows them draw with their fingers or the included stylus. Kids can even color in the InnoTab's virtual coloring book and bring these pictures to life by tilting the tablet from side to side.

Children can learn how to schedule their busy days with the calendar function, while keeping track of friends and family in their address book. A calculator is also included to help kids learn math.

Update and Customize Through Your Computer
Just like an adult's touchpad device, the InnoTab syncs to any Mac or PC with the included USB cable. Once you connect it to the web, you can easily download games, e-books, apps, and other fun activities from VTech's Learning Lodge. Parents can also use the Learning Lodge to stay abreast of their kid's progress on a variety of educational lessons and milestones.

Library of Feature-Rich Software Cartridges
VTech offers a variety of changeable software cartridges (sold separately), providing interactive e-books, learning games, and creative activities. Kids can play and learn with some of their favorite characters, including Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse, Disney Princesses, and the gang from Toy Story.

The VTech InnoTab Learning App Tablet is backed by a manufacturer's limited one-year warranty.

What's in the Box
VTech InnoTab Interactive Learning Tablet, USB cable, and instruction manual.

Product Description

Take learning to the next level with the InnoTab Interactive Learning Tablet by VTech! This multi-media tablet combines interactive reading, learning games, creative activities, and a rich collection of applications into a sleek and durable toy that kids will want to play with. Featuring a 5" color touch screen and tilt-sensor, kids can tap, flick, drag, and pat their way to learning fun. The fun continues with many on-board applications such as an MP3 Player, Video Player, Art Studio, Interactive Globe, Friends List, Calculator, and Clock engaging kids for hours as they develop their skills. Additional cartridges with favorite licensed characters are sold separately and teach essential skills in reading, logic, and creativity. Additional content such as e-books and games can easily be uploaded to the InnoTab through VTech's Learning Lodge Navigator where parents can also see their child's progress on a variety of educational milestones and lessons.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

554 of 566 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Innotab vs Leappad...Depends on what your looking for...Entertainment or Education, October 19, 2011

By 

T. Sewell (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Vtech - InnoTab Interactive Learning Tablet (Toy)

I purchased both for my son who turns 4 in December. I broke down and gave my son the leappad already and am saving the innotab for christmas. Here are my thoughts so far...

Build Quailty: The leappad wins hands down. It just feels more soild. The innotab is built a little cheap and the battery cover on mine is kinda loose. Also the built in kickstand is a joke. There's no doubt that will be the first thing to break. Edited to add: Build quailty becomes less of an issue if this tablet will be given to a child age 6-8 as they are less likely to drop it and drag it around the house by the stylus like my son does with his leappad :) My son is rough on toys so the fact that the leappad it still going strong (minus some scratches) after a few falls is awesome. With cheap plastic and rubber corners that look super-glued, I'm hoping the innotab will be able to withstand a few accidents.

Included Apps: The innotab comes with 2 games(Pinball Letters and Ice Escape), 1 book (What's That Noise), an art studio, coloring book, calendar, calculator, video player, mp3 player, photo viewer, notebook, clock, and a contacts app. Additional apps can be purchased online for $2.99 each and when you register the innotab you get 3 free V.Coins which you can use towards your purchase of additional games. While vtech's apps are priced lower than that of leapfrog, the games available leave alot to be desired. Leapfrog has better downloadable games. And by better I mean the games are more polished. Seems as tho more thought has gone into leapfrogs apps when compared to vtech. Vtech's downloadable games have no depth. They are basically a bunch of mini games that look thrown together real quick to make a quick buck. Some seem a bit silly as well.

Another thing to note is that if you already have the v.reader the ebooks that are included with the cartridge games are the exact same. Disappointed that they didn't come with new stories. I also noticed that the games that come with the cartridges are VERY similar to the mobigo games. While this is a new system alot of things have just been recycled over with very little new content. This would have been a 4 star toy if I didn't have to re-purchase games I already own. Also only one profile can be made and there is no way to customize their educational level. While playing one of the downloadable games it quickly progresses to the next level without making sure the kids are really ready to move on. Other gripes include not being able to delete vtech's preloaded photos and video. Also it is extremely easy for kids to delete content you've added to the device. Not sure why they would include a delete button. So those with little ones be prepared to keep reloading content that has gone missing. (Not sure if locking the sd card will prevent deletes...will have to try and update later) Speaking of which the innotab will take up to a 16gb sd card compared to leappad's 2gb capacity.

My main reason for purchasing this was the video player and mp3 player that the leappad lacks. But with that said there isn't really any educational value in listening to music and watching videos all day. However at this price point I'm getting a portable video/mp3 player, so for entertainment purposes this hits the spot. (Videos must been in avi format in order for the innotab to play them) I purchased an 8gb sd card and uploaded Cars, Kung Fu Panda, Ice Age 3 and Toy Story 3, downloaded a few games and one extra ebook and still have over 2gb left. I haven't gotten around to uploading music and photos as of yet.

If I had to recommend one over the other I would definetely say go with the leappad because of the educational value, but it also depends on the age of the child you are purchasing it for. I see older children (ages 6-8) digging this system alot more than the leappad because of the features. Also the leappad, while educational is geared toward pre-k thru 1st grade kids...any older than that is pointless in my opinion. I just dont see kids that old being challenged by anything the leappad has to offer.

Edited to add: I have changed the recommended age for this toy to no more than 8. The more I play around with the innotab, the more I agree with other reviewers. However, my best friend has an 8 yr old daughter that wants this for christmas. So in the end, I guess it just depends on the child.

214 of 216 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Parents View, October 28, 2011

By 

Cherice (Northern California) - See all my reviews

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Vtech - InnoTab Interactive Learning Tablet (Toy)

I purchased two of these units for my kids (age 3 and 5) for Christmas and have played around with it a bit to get it set up. The primary reason I chose the Innotab over the Leapfrog tablet is because of the ability to add music/videos and the expandable memory. My observations so far:

*Photos- I like the ability to add photos. I am very irritated that I cannot remove the pre-loaded photos. What on earth made Vtech think we would want to look at photos of strangers?! Push out an update so these can be removed!!

*Color and Pop-My daughter is very artistic so I really anticipated she would enjoy this function. However, with 8 preloaded color pages (that are all similar) she will be over this in 1 day. I sincerely hope there will be the ability to download more color pages in the future.

*EReader- Turning the pages on this was very clunky. I have had an ereader for several years so I am familiar with the "swipe" motion and I had to try to turn the page at least 3 times each time. When you try to swipe in the upper right corner the book thinks you want to hear the page again. I had to swipe in the lower right corner to get it to work right. I am worried my kids will get frustrated if they have trouble turning pages and won't use it. I was getting frustrated. Suggestion: add a specific place to hit on the screen to turn the page as an option for kids who are challenged by this.

*Music-I was able to load music with no problem and I think the kids will like this.

*Videos- Showing as under construction in the leaning lab, which is annoying. Vtech get it together and make sure everything is ready at launch! However, I am pretty sure I could side load these, but I need to get a larger expansion card.

*Durability-overall pretty kid proof, but the kick stand will get broken off in no time.

*Size-size is appropriate for young kids although the screen could have been a little bigger. An extra two inches would have made a HUGE difference!

*Charging-My kids haven't played with it yet, but based on the other reviews, I will be starting off with rechargeable batteries. Not happy that a wall charger wasn't included.

*Downloadable games are pretty reasonably priced, but the selection is poor. I am hoping more comes out before Christmas so I put some more stuff on here.

*Age range-At 3 and 5 my kids are at the perfect age for this. My 5 year old already has a computer in her room and loves computer games. My 3 year old is just starting. No way would a 9 year old find this interesting unless they have had little to no exposure to technology. I would put 7 at max age.

*As a kids ipad- This is a toy folks, and not even remotely close to an ipad. If you or your kids are looking for a "real" tablet, then you will be disappointed in this. Whether or not your kids will enjoy this depends largely are the level of exposure they have had to technology. If they have been playing with your ipad and like it, then they will probably not be too impressed with this. We do not let our kids play with our phones or in my case, Nook color so I think they will like it. My daughter at 5.5 years old, will probably not be interested in this for a long period of time (guessing a year, but hoping for longer), but I think it is a great "introduction" to tablet like functionality. My husband is a computer technician so my daughter has been playing on the computer for quite a while.

Overall it seems like a decent toy, but it definitely could have been better. I understand the push to get it out before Christmas, but if the apps aren't available, things are still under construction, and little things need to be addressed you are hurting more than helping your situation. I am shocked that the things reviewers here have identified were not identified during the testing stage. Who was testing this thing? I am crossing my fingers that the most annoying things (unable to remove standard photos, difficulty in swiping pages in ereader) will be fixed soon with an update. I know it can be done. Please put it at the top of your list Vtech!

I don't regret buying this because the expandable memory and ability to load videos is huge for me. I will update my review after the kids have played with it.

*********************************************PURCHASED LEAPFROG TABLET TO COMPARE 10/29/11

Initially I had gone back and forth between the Vtech and Leapfrog tablets before I settled on Vtech. So just to make sure I am making the right decision, I decided to buy a Leapfrog tablet to test it out. My thoughts:

*Design-I definitely prefer the design of the leapfrog tablet. The screen is the same size, but it is more compact for little hands. The Leapfrog tablet also feels more solid, but only time will tell which stands the test of time.

*Picture-The resolution on the leapfrog seems much better to me, but that isn't saying much. The picture was sharper and crisper on the Leapfrog.

*Speed-Both of these are WAY slower than they should be considering the technology available. Of the two, I felt the transitions on the Leapfrog were slower. I actually thought it had frozen for a second when the screen went blank before it opened what I selected (this happened more than once). Side note, at one point the Leapfrog tablet did freeze and I had to turn it off and on. That did not inspire confidence since wasn't even pressing "wrong" buttons, which I know my kids will do.

*Downloadable Content-Both products have pretty disappointing downloadable content. The selection is just pathetic. Since I was only testing, I didn't actually purchase any downloads on the Leapfrog tablet, but Leapfrog did seem to have more variety and what they did have, appeared a little more polished (just looking at the demos). Although I will say that it appears Vtech has added some content since I see options there that I didn't see when I first purchased (keep it coming Vtech-we are desperate!). The prices for Leapfrog tablet content are much higher than Vtech ($7.5-$20 vs. $2.99)and that was a real negative for me. Kids get bored fast I do not want to set myself up for downloading much at Leapfrog prices!

*Cartridges-They are about the same price for both ($20-$25), but the Vtech cartridges are a much better value. I tested the Disney Princess cartridge for Vtech and it had 2 ebooks, a "make your own book" game that was pretty neat, three other games, and a app that let you make custom princess frames for the photos you have loaded. I felt like it was a decent value at $24. Then I looked at the leapfrog tablet game Pixar Pals. What a let down after the Vtech cartridge! There was no ebook and three really cheesy games. I didn't like any of them and I doubt they would keep my kids attention. You definitely get more bang for your buck with the Vtech cartridge.

*Standard content- Both products have e-reader functionality (Vtech gives one free book, leapfrog none) and an art app. Vetch also has Calendar, calculator, stopwatch, friend list, MP3 player, video player. Leapfrog has a camera, video camera, and standard pet pad app that I really did like a lot. I wish Vtech had a similar app.

*Overall cost-Owning either one of these products is going to be expensive. The cost of the tablet is just the beginning. You will have to buy cartridges and apps. Keeping that in mind, Vtech is a much better value overall. The cartridges just come with so much more and the apps are much less expensive. I can deal with buying the occasional $2.99 app.

FINAL VERDICT-VETCH

We have always been a primarily Leapfrog family, although we have had a few Vtech products over the years. In the end you need to look at both products and see which is best for you. I don't think either is significantly better than the other. For me it came down to value for my money, with the MP3 and video players tipping the scales to Vtech. Not that I want my kids looking at movies on it all day, but that would be helpful for outings and traveling.

107 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So far so good (but be aware that Mac software isn't out yet), September 22, 2011

By 

ak "sepoybooks" - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Vtech - InnoTab Interactive Learning Tablet (Toy)

So far so good - very cool toy for my 5 year old son who loves to push buttons & play with electronics. The instructions are oddly written without a central organization, so I thought I'd relate what you need to do in order to add music, videos & pictures.

First, buy a PC because the Mac compatible version of vtech's content management software (Learning Lodge Navigator) for the innotab isn't ready yet even though the product is listed as Mac compatible. Second, go buy a standard SD card (not included). Third, download and install Learning Lodge Navigator from vtech's website. Fourth, hook up the device by USB and only add content via the Learning Lodge Software navigator. The device cannot recognize files copied over to the SD card even if they are in a compatible format.

Also here's info on file formats - it doesn't list the music format but I'm assuming mp3. Suggested video settings.... File type: AVi. Video encoder: MJPEG. Display size: 480x272. Frame rate 15 fps. Bit rate: 2400kbps. Audio encoder PCM. Audio Channel Mono. Sampling rate 22.0kHz. For any video & photos taken on the vtech Kidizoom camera, you can simply pop the SD card in without importing via Learning Lodge Navigator. But since all the videos I promised my son I would add are in mp4 format & I still have to go talk my husband off of his computer so I can download Learning Lodge Navigator, move over my files, convert, then load via their software program, I am finding the whole video / music thing just a tad frustrating!!