APPen is a digital pen for tablets and smartphones Designed for children between three and six years old.
Santa Claus left it as a gift to our four-year-old son last Christmas, who immediately baptized him as "pint-tablets."
How does APPen work?
It is a chubby pen, which works through an audio input on the tablet or smartphone. The interaction with the sound system of the application allows to draw lines, whose thickness changes according to the pressure that is made with the pen.
APP works without batteries (it is connected to the device) and is compatible with most smartphones and smartphones on the market, both from Apple and under the Android operating system.
The download of the application is free and allows you to draw, color, play with letters and numbers and two other skill games in which the use of the pen is essential.
The best of APPen
APPen is a first approximation for young children to all the possibilities of using digital tactile products while playing with educational applications, such as the one that allows you to review letters or numbers.
In addition, the free application allows you to set the level of difficulty depending on the age of the child, not because the use of the device is complicated but because of the complication of the game itself.
As "tablet-painter" it is fun for any child to see how their strokes move to the screen and how the accessory can follow their movements.
Its price, about 20 euros, is one of the main advantages of the product, as it is quite affordable and is cheaper than other digital pens that we had looked at as alternatives.
What we liked least about APPen
In our house, APPen has fallen short. It is possible that our eldest son is too expert for this type of product so simple because he has long handled the tablet and many of the games he can play with his age; the truth is that after the first minutes of use I was already bored of the application, which is not too extensive or complicated and disappoints a bit.
We were even surprised that he immediately made several observations on how the application could be improved, which surprisingly is not too intuitive and has somewhat outdated graphics.
On the other hand, the fact that it is necessary to squeeze for the pen to paint seems to make the strokes less natural and the drawing less free. The pen promised to do many fantastic things but it is still a pointer that works by pressure.
APP includes a spare tip. Fortunately, because at the same moment that our little son took it, he broke the black coating that he carries, so that it stopped working (and could have swallowed it). While it is true that it is a device designed for children over three years of age, taking into account that in many houses there are small brothers, perhaps you should wear a stronger tip.
In short, as first approach to a digital pen for the smallest of the house Not bad given that its price is cheap. But if your child already has some control of these technologies, it is probably not the best option.
