Chicago – VTech, a pioneer in children's learning tablets with Wi-Fi and world leader in age-appropriate and developmental stage-based electronic learning products for children, today announced the introduction of InnoTab^® 3S. The InnoTab 3S, the next generation of one of the first children's learning tablets with Wi-Fi[1], features VTech Kid Connect[2] – an exclusive communication app that allows kids to be connected with their parents and friends through both tablet-to-mobile[3] and tablet-to-tablet communication, a rechargeable battery pack with AC adapter and a kid-safe web browser. In addition, access to VTech's Learning Lodge™ app store – home to a plethora of downloadable content and curriculum for purchase – plus 20 free apps[4], provides kids with a bright start on their learning journey. For more than 30 years, VTech has been a leading learning authority, helping to establish the educational toy category with innovative products at an affordable price. Beginning today, InnoTab 3S is available for pre-order on www.vtechkids.com, Amazon.com, Target.com, Toysrus.com and Walmart.com for only US$99.99, making the InnoTab 3S the smart choice for parents who are looking for the right learning tablet for their children at a competitive price.

"It is with great pride that we launch the next generation of our award-winning InnoTab Wi-Fi learning tablet and reveal the evolution of our popular tablet, delivering the expansive educational content parents know they can expect from VTech at an unbelievable price," said William To, President, VTech Electronics North America. "As pioneers in the learning tablet category, we are committed to staying ahead of the curve and developing revolutionary, innovative, educational toys. As our second tablet to feature Wi-Fi, the InnoTab 3S is a shining example of the ingenuity that keeps us one step ahead of the competition while at the same time fulfilling our promise to make learning fun and technology affordable."

Connectivity Changes the Game

Following the success of the popular InnoTab 2S, VTech is continuing to set the industry standard with this second-generation Wi-Fi-enabled tablet, which brings families together and helps parents stay connected to their kids, even when they are apart, with the fun, new, exclusive VTech communication app, VTech Kid Connect. Kids can use their InnoTab 3S to send text messages and animated stickers to parents' smartphones. In return, parents can send text messages and stickers to their child's InnoTab 3S. VTech Kid Connect gives kids the ability to emulate their parents, allowing them to feel like they are part of the text messaging trend but from a kid-safe, kid-friendly tablet. In addition, kids can stay connected to their friends and siblings with tablet-to-tablet communication, sending messages safely between two InnoTab 3S tablets from the next room or from across the country.

A value-packed Deluxe Apps Package with Premium Kid Connect will be available in the fall (sold separately), including even more enhanced features, allowing kids and parents to send each other personalized voice messages, photos, and drawings, in addition to texts and animated stickers.

Kid-Safe Browsing

With the kid-safe web browser, parents can have peace of mind that their children aren't accessing inappropriate content while letting them securely explore the sites they love in a kid-friendly, easy-to-navigate format. The web browser allows access to age-appropriate websites vetted by VTech's educational experts. Parents also have the ability to add additional websites, giving them complete control over what sites their child can access. This parental control feature is password protected to ensure kids can't add websites without their parents' permission.

Packed with Content, Value and Creativity

In addition to the VTech Kid Connect communication app and kid-safe web browser, the InnoTab 3S features 4 GB of internal memory (expandable to 32 GB with a micro SD card, sold separately), a D-Pad game control and updated creative camera features. For even more value, a rechargeable battery pack with AC adapter comes bundled with the InnoTab 3S, eliminating the need to buy expensive replacement batteries – just plug in the AC adapter for easy charging. InnoTab 3S also offers all the features consumers have come to love in the durable InnoTab 2S – a kid-safe Wi-Fi connection, a 2 megapixel 180 degree rotating camera and a large 5 inch color touch screen, as well as the Read, Play & Create cartridge and included apps such as the MP3 player and photo album. In addition, InnoTab 3S features a Wish List Maker, allowing children to wirelessly explore content on VTech's download library, the Learning Lodge, where they can pick their favorites, create a wish list and send the list right to their parents' email[5]. Parents can then approve items on the wish list, which wirelessly sends the purchases directly to the child's InnoTab 3S.

InnoTab 3S comes packed with 20 exciting free apps, including a fun and engaging magical beanstalk growing game; a directional pad game, H2O Go!, that teaches science concepts through an animated drop of water; and a pop-up 3D art studio so kids can explore their creative side. More creativity can be found in the WonderCam app, which lets kids add more than 55 special effects, funny faces and photo frames to their pictures. Movie Maker (part of the Deluxe Apps Package) is an exciting and creative animation camera game that lets kids create fun stop-motion animations from snapshots. They can hone their editing skills by adding movie scene settings and their name for creation credit, as well as controlling the playback speed and adding background music, as they make their directorial debut.

"We know there are many factors that parents consider when selecting tablets for their children," said To. "Not only have we kept all the features parents and kids have come to know and love from previous InnoTabs, but we have listened to what is important to them – content, affordability and connection. Given the technological advancements and added capabilities of the InnoTab 3S and access to our extensive learning curriculum, we are proud we can still offer our tablet, including a rechargeable battery pack, for under US$100, which is an incredible value. Even with a recovering economy, it's still a lot to expect parents to pay US$150 for a children's learning tablet."

Extensive Learning Library at Parents' Fingertips

The Learning Lodge gives parents and children access to purchase hundreds of engaging, age-appropriate games, videos, e-books and music, endorsed by VTech's team of educational experts. By the end of the year, the Learning Lodge will expand from its current library of 350 titles to over 600 titles that teach reading, math, social studies, handwriting, science, problem solving, geography and more. The wide variety of educational and engaging content and curriculum is tailor-made for each age group and is suitable for toddlers to grade-schoolers, giving every child an opportunity to expand their learning potential while keeping them entertained. Parents can even track their child's learning progress online. Featured throughout the downloads and software cartridges are popular characters such as Team Umizoomi™, Dora the Explorer™, Thomas & Friends^®, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles^®, Jake & the Never Land Pirates™ and Sesame Street^®. New titles for 2013 on the Learning Lodge include Monsters University^®, Turbo^®, Planes^®, Doc McStuffins^®, Sofia the First^® and more.

"The educational content is what really sets the InnoTab apart from other tablets," said Dr. Helen Boehm, VTech Toy Development Consultant. "The wide breadth of curriculum for children at all ages and stages, developed with feedback from educational experts, is always growing and provides the ultimate library to help children learn while having fun."

Availability

InnoTab 3S retails at MSRP US$99.99 and is recommended for children 3 to 9 years old. The Deluxe Apps Package, with the Movie Maker app and Premium Kid Connect, can be purchased in the fall as an add-on through VTech's Learning Lodge for US$15[6]. InnoTab 3S joins the continuously evolving InnoTab family, which includes the recently announced, compact and affordable InnoTab 3 (MSRP US$69.99) and InnoTab Baby (MSRP US$89.00), with content geared toward little learners 12 months and up.

For more information about the complete InnoTab product range, please visit http://www.vtechkids.com/brands/brand_view/innotab3s.

[1] Supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g only.

[2] InnoTab ^® 3S comes with one year Kid Connect Basic subscription.

[3] Kid Connect is compatible with iPhone 4 or above, IOS 5.x or above; Android 2.3.3 or above with 320x480 minimum resolution.  Download free app at Apple App Store or Google Play.

[4] Registration and download required for some free apps.

[5] Online registration required to activate Web Browser,  Art Studio and Wish List Maker.

[6] For a limited time.

About VTech

VTech is a world leader in age-appropriate and developmental stage-based electronic learning products for children. As a pioneer in the learning toy category, VTech develops high-quality, innovative educational products that enrich children's development and make learning fun. With a rich, almost 35 year history, VTech has not only established itself as a learning authority but also consistently remains at the forefront of innovation with award-winning products such as the InnoTab^® 2S Wi-Fi Learning App Tablet, one of the first children's learning-based tablets with Wi-Fi, MobiGo^®, V.Reader^® and V.Smile^®. The Learning Lodge™, VTech's comprehensive app store, features a robust library of more than 350 educational and entertaining games, e-books, music and videos with engaging age-appropriate content across the widest variety of curricula, with content expanding to offer more than 600 titles by the end of 2013. The company also has a broad range of award-winning infant and preschool products available in 24 different languages worldwide, with more than 100 new products introduced every year. In order to further strengthen VTech's position as a learning authority, the company's Advisory Council, with esteemed experts in reading, language arts, science, math, and child development, consult on new product introductions and Learning Lodge content.

VTech Electronics North America, LLC is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. VTech Electronics Ltd. is headquartered in Hong Kong with distribution globally. VTech is the largest supplier of ELPs from infancy to preschool in the US and Western Europe.

For more information on VTech's additional product lines, visit www.VTechKids.com, www.facebook.com/VTechtoys on Facebook or or follow @VTechToys on Twitter.