As tablet ownership gains popularity across the United States, one company is turning its attention to the use of tablets in the education system. Amplify, an American company who provides an online education platform for students and professors alike, is releasing a tablet focused on being utilized by students in the grades K-12.
Amplify announced its new Android based open-source tablet OS venture today at SXSWedu in Austin, Texas.
“This is more than just a tablet. It’s a complete learning solution organized around the school day […] We believe it’s both more affordable and more impactful than just about any other product in the education technology market.”
Amplify also released the specs of the device,which are on par with other premium tablets currently being released. The Amplify tablet will be 10-inch device with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core CPU, a 5MP auto-focus camera, 8.5 hours of battery life and the latest version of Android Jelly Bean.
Two versions will be available, one with Wi-Fi only and one with Wi-Fi and LTE, utilizing AT&T’s LTE network for data connectivity. The WI-Fi only tablet will be $299 with a 2 year subscription at $99 a year, while the LTE-enabled unit will cost $349 with a 2 year contract of $179 a year. The subscription provides access to various tools, customer support and preloaded content. School districts will undoubtedly subsidize some of the costs of the tablets, but details on that are sketchy.
Some of the most interesting features however lie in the apps and utilities this tablet will provide. For example, the teachers will be able to tell what activities their students are engaged in on their devices, and even allows the teacher to restrict usage of certain apps. Sorry Billy, you’re gonna have to wait til recess to check Facebook.
Amplify is definitely on to something, and could be paving the way for a revolution in the way the United States educates its masses. Hopefully, school districts jump on this tech sooner than later.
Check out the video below for a look at Amplify’s new tablet.
[Via: Android Headlines]