Introducing Children to Technology with the Alba Range from Argos (Ad)

I am in partnership with Argos to talk about the new Alba range of tablets/televisions/mobiles.

Introducing technology such as smart phones and tablets to children is a pretty daunting task for many parents.

Trying to find the right balance to ensure that your child is the right age to understand the technology being handed to them, but also to make sure that they use it responsibly can be tricky.

Like many parents my wife and I had concerns about screen time. Will our children pick up their phone or tablet too often? Are they too young to have access to devices such as these?

Some parents worry that by introducing children to technology too early they might miss out on some vital parts of childhood.

However, I feel that if used responsibly there is a role for tech in learning, fun and entertainment. After all, our children are growing up in a world surrounded by technology. You can watch a short video I’ve put together introducing our children to technology here:

Introducing Technology to Children

Perhaps you’re thinking about letting your child have a TV in their bedroom, or giving them their first tablet. After all Christmas is just around the corner!

Screen time, parental controls and safety are the biggest concerns parents have when it comes to getting their children technology.

Argos sent us a 24″ Alba LED TV/DVD Combi, an Alba 5″ smartphone and an Alba 10″ Android Tablet.

The Alba range from Argos includes televisions, tablets, phones and speakers. It lets children explore, learn and play with Alba’s easy to use tablets. They’re ideal first tablets for children. Plus with the parental control features you can restrict what your kids can access putting you in control.

Children can enjoy movies and gaming on the go – perfect for those long car journeys! You can also choose from millions of Android apps on the Google Play store.

Some of our children’s favourite apps include:

You Tube Kids

Cbeebies

Disney Junior Play

There are also lots of educational and learning apps such as phonics and numbers.

The Alba 10″ Android tablet features a parental control app so you can manage what content your kids can access. It also comes with red and blue silicone bumpers for protection against accidental knocks and scrapes. Plus a 2 year guarantee for extra peace of mind which is always handy when you have kids!

Setting up the tablet was easy and took a matter of minutes. In order to download apps from the Google Play Store, you’ll need to first sign into a Google account or create a new account.

Once signed in, simply visit the Google Play Store and search for the apps available. My five year old twins really like the Alba 10″ tablet.

It’s a pretty big tablet which is great for them as it really brings to life the content they’re accessing, plus it’s easy for them to hold. It’s also a great price at just £89.99.

Next up, we have the 24″ HD Ready LED TV/DVD Combi. At just £129.99, you really can’t go wrong on price as this TV also includes a DVD player.

Now putting a TV in your child’s bedroom is a hard decision. I mean, you don’t want your children to spend all day in their bedroom watching TV! However, when you have twins and one wants to watch My Little Pony and the other wants to watch Spiderman, it does come in very handy to have a spare TV in their bedroom!

Whether it’s a rainy day or you simply want to keep the kids entertained whilst you make dinner, I think this TV is ideal for kids. It’s easy to just pop on a DVD or find their favourite TV show with the 7 day TV planner. Plus never miss a show with USB recording and playback.

As mentioned above this TV is HD ready and it has a Freeview tuner. The picture quality is great, plus by having an in-built DVD player, it’s also space saving!

My wife and I are quite glad at times that the girls now have a TV in their room as it means we get the occasional lie in on the weekend!

Lastly, we have the 5″ Smartphone. Giving your child a phone is a massive decision. At five years old I need to make sure that the way in which the girls use the phone is responsible and safe. The 5″ screen is a great size for children, plus it comes with two brightly coloured silicone covers (red and blue), a screen protector, headphones, charger and micro USB lead.

We’ve programmed our phone numbers into the phone and for now it’ll be used as an ’emergency phone’. They also know how to dial 999 should they ever need to.

The big buttons and clear screen makes this phone very easy for our girls to use.

You can also download apps to the Alba 5″ smart phone from the Google Play Store in the same way that you would on the 10″ tablet. Once again, it’s great for long car journeys as the kids can watch a movie or play games on it.

R has also discovered how to take pictures on it which is very fun to watch! She’ll wander around the garden with the phone and take pictures of the flowers or of her sister playing!

The Alba 5″ Smart Phone is just £79.95 making it very affordable for a childs’ first phone.

For more information about Alba simply visit their page on Argos here. If you’re interested in purchasing any of the items available from the Alba range, it’s good to know that Argos’s market leading Argos Fast Track delivery service means you could even get same-day delivery for just £3.95, seven days a week, and faster collection in 800+ stores for no charge.

For the purpose of this review we were sent the above products and provided with compensation. All views and opinions are 100% my own.