Kid-Friendly Tablets Encourage School Success

DALLAS, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Fall Toy Preview -- With the school year now in full swing, parents and kids alike are looking for new ways to make learning fun and keep students motivated to do their best.

Kid-friendly tablets like the XO Tablet, on display now at the Sakar Booth #1201 during the Toy Industry Association's Fall Toy Preview, provide an engaging, interactive experience that encourages kids to practice the skills they learn in the classroom in a safe environment that parents can trust.

"Tablets have become such an integral part of education that some schools and districts are now providing a device for each student," said Jeff Saka, president of Vivitar/Sakar. "But, parents who are on their own to choose the right device can sometimes find it difficult, with so many options on the market."

The XO Tablet, available now at Walmart and Walmart.com, eliminates the guesswork of device selection by offering built-in learning-driven features like free educational games, apps, videos, e-books and more. Designed and developed by One Laptop Per Child and manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by strategic partner Vivitar, the XO Tablet is the only multilingual (English/Spanish/French) and Google-Certified tablet for kids on the market. The company plans to roll out new editions of the tablet in Italian and German over the next two months.

The XO is also flexible to grow with the family, including multiple user accounts and full-fledged Android tablet functionality with parental-controlled access to the Google Play store.

But, getting the most educational benefit from any device requires more than just handing it off to the child—it requires parental participation, supervision and encouragement.

Here are four ways to help your child maximize school success with a tablet device:

• Choose kid-tough technology. Not every tablet can withstand the rigors of life with children—some are delicate and expensive, making parents hesitant to trust children with such high-end, high-cost electronics. The XO Tablet, on the other hand, is designed for maximum durability and performance. It features a shock-absorbing case and a 1.64GHz dual-core processor running Android Jelly Bean OS with nearly 8 hours of battery life for hours of learning fun. Plus, at just $149.99 MSRP, it's also an affordable value.
  
• Encourage game play. Educational games motivate children to apply the skills they've learned in the classroom and retain information through focused practice. Tablet games that allow kids to earn points, lives or other rewards encourage them to try harder to master skills and move on to the next level. The XO Tablet features curated content selected for age-appropriate and educational value from world-class providers like Oxford University Press, Discover Kids Puterbugs, TED, Sesame Street and more.
  
• Foster exploration. Tablets provide a window to the world, allowing kids to explore new topics, dive deeper into subjects of interest and investigate career opportunities, often far beyond what time allows in the classroom. The XO Tablet's unique Dreams interface encourages kids to explore, allowing them to choose their own learning adventure based on what they want to be today, or when they grow up. Options like "I want to be an…" XO Artist, Engineer, Chef, Mathematician, etc. offer content for a wide range of subjects, interests and skill levels through more than 100 free built-in apps, games, books and other materials.
  
• Be involved. It's no secret that kids whose parents are involved in their education are more successful in school—and in life. Tablets make it easy to share in the learning experience with your child, play games together and even track their educational progress. The XO Tablet's XO Journal tool gives parents unique insight into how each child is using the device, where their interests and strengths lie and they're learning progress of time and how their performance compares to other children of their age.

To learn more about the XO Tablet from Vivitar, visit the Sakar/Vivitar Booth #1201 during the Fall Toy Preview at the Dallas Market Center/World Trade Center today through October 3, or visit www.xotablet.com. For more information about other Vivitar products, visit www.vivitar.com.

About Vivitar
Vivitar is a leading provider of photographic, audio and optic devices and related accessories with a rich 75-year heritage of technology innovation and affordability dating back to 1938. Building off the success of its legendary Series-1 lenses and flashes, the company has steadily expanded its product portfolio to include cameras, camcorders, accessories and now tablets tailored to the needs of today's families. Vivitar is headquartered in Edison, New Jersey, with additional offices across the United Kingdom, Latin America, Canada and Hong Kong, and global retail distribution spanning more than 100,000 locations in both mass market and specialty channels. For more information, visit www.vivitar.com

About XO Tablet, XO Learning and One Laptop per Child
The XO Tablet has been fully designed and developed by OLPC to harness the power of a connected touchscreen device to create new ways for children to learn. Its launch also marks the global debut of the XO Learning System, designed as a child-centric interface to empower kids to build, learn and dream as part of OLPC's mission. OLPC was launched in 2005 at the MIT Media Lab as a project to provide a modern education to every child around the world through access to laptops and connected devices. The organization has since distributed 2.5 million of its specially designed XO laptops to children in 60 countries, and the XO Tablet extends that experience into a modern tablet form factor.

SOURCE Vivitar