14 DAY TRIAL // Google has just announced a new Android feature that makes its mobile operating system more appropriate for kids.
Called Kids Space, a feature of Android tablets that will make the experience on these devices friendlier for children, while also making it easier to discover content for entertainment and education.
Google says the whole thing is based on personalized recommendations that will be offered to kids, including books and games.
The company explains that it’s not just an algorithm that does the magic, but a system that was built with help from academic experts.
“To evaluate and select “teacher-approved” apps in Google Play, we worked with academic experts and children’s education specialists to define rubrics. For Kids Space, we’ve built on that foundation and applied our quality standard to an ever-expanding library of apps and books in the Play and Read tabs. We worked with top publishers to make popular children’s books free of charge, and have over 400 free books available in the U.S. alone,” Google explains.
Only on Lenovo tablets for now
“In the Watch and Make tabs, your kids can view creative and fun videos from YouTube Kids that are engaging and encourage off-screen activities. And if you’re looking to customize even more, parents can download additional content from Google Play.”
There are several things that you need to know though. Kids Space won’t be available on all devices and will require a Google Account for your child. Furthermore, the availability of the content that is offered to kids depends on the region, so for example you won’t find all books in all regions.
Lenovo is one of the PC makers whose tablets will support Kids Space, and Google says it’s already working with some other partners to expand the availability of this new feature.