While little good came out of pandemic days, the one thing we can point to as a favorable outcome has been the development of new technologies to keep us close to loved ones, even from afar. If necessity drives invention and innovation, nothing drove it further faster than the last two years of restrictions and quarantines.
When it comes to keeping kids close to far-away grandparents or to the besties they left behind because of a move or school closure, Amazon’s own innovators responded by developing and delivering the kid-friendly Amazon Glow. This parent-approved device keeps kids connected to distant loved ones in the way that works best for children — through play.
But before you buy, there are 6 things to know about the Amazon Glow.
1. Why The Amazon Glow Is Different From Other Conferencing Devices
While adults are entirely willing to sit for long periods in front of a phone, laptop, or computer screen teleconferencing for work through platforms such as Zoom, children have notably short attention spans. As much as they love their distant friends and relatives, talking into a screen loses its novelty pretty quickly when you’re a kid. That’s where the Amazon Glow takes connection a giant step further. The Glow isn’t just a video conferencing tool for kids, it’s also thousands of books, puzzles, games, and picture-drawing platforms all in a single device.
With Amazon Glow, kids stay connected through more than basic communication with loved ones — they play games, solve puzzles, and read books together — all proven to promote bonding as well as capture a child’s attention for longer periods compared to simply talking.
2. You Don’t Need to Buy More Than One
Parents can choose to buy two devices if the distant friend or loved one wants to play, draw, or read in the same format as the child, but they actually only need one device to enjoy the benefits of the Amazon Glow. The relative or friend at the other end of the video interaction uses their own device, including a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or home computer. Then they view the game, puzzle, or storybook as well as the child through a box-within-the-box format on their own device.
If your child uses an Amazon Glow to stay in touch with another child, talk to the other child’s parents about purchasing their own Glow so the children can play and interact together with both children enjoying access to the games and books.
3. Yes, You Need a Subscription To Access Content on Amazon Glow
The Amazon Glow opens a large library of fun and educational content for kids through a small monthly subscription payment — currently under $5.00 per month. With a subscription to Amazon Kids+, they’ll have access to thousands of books, as well as games, puzzles, and creative art platforms. Plus, Amazon continually releases new content all year long. Even better, kids can enjoy these benefits through the Amazon Glow at any time, even when they aren’t communicating with a distant loved one, so a single device provides hours of entertainment. Best of all, purchasing the Glow automatically includes a one-year subscription to the Amazon Kids+ service.
4. The Glow Has a Kid-Friendly Design
The Amazon Glow Device is an 18- by 12-inch tabletop tower with an 8-inch screen and a downward-pointing projector. It includes a large touch-sensitive playmat that unrolls below the tower. The downward projector turns the silicone mat into a game, book, or puzzle to play with through touchscreen technology while the display screen on the tower shows the face of the loved one the child interacts with from afar. The device includes a speaker and built-in microphones so children can chat while they play, or grandma can read a book aloud to a grandchild and both can view the text and the pictures.
It’s the next best thing to actually being together!
5. The Glow Offers Easy Setup
Getting the Amazon Glow up and running takes only a few steps after unboxing. Just plug in the tower, connect to WiFi, and download the app. Then add a contact list and ask the distant loved ones to download the Glow app to their preferred device. Unroll the 19-inch silicone touch-sensitive play mat, and your child is ready to connect with trusted friends and family from afar, as well as enjoy hundreds of games, endless artwork opportunities, and thousands of books and puzzles.
6. Should Parents Worry About Privacy?
The Amazon Glow makes privacy a priority with built-in parental controls. Children may only contact those friends and relatives that parents enter into the contact list. Also, a parent’s dashboard on the app allows parents to monitor and review all of their child’s activities on the Glow device. The built-in camera includes a closable shutter so parents can ensure privacy between calls.
When it comes to keeping kids close to family and friends even when they’re apart, the Amazon Glow is the way to go.
Check out Amazon Glow on Amazon
Resources— TheEveryMom, PCMag, AboutAmazon
