Samsung making great tablets might sound strange to someone not too familiar with their devices, but the company has made some interesting improvements with tablets. And much like their phones, Samsung has a wide variety in their products, with the very affordable Tab A7/A8, to the high-end flagship S8 Ultra. So if you’re team Android as opposed to Apple, Samsung is probably the way to go.

Microsoft has traditionally been a major player in computing so it’s no shock that they also make well-designed and more than capable tablets—the Microsoft Surface. With the idea of the Surface tablets being a 2-in-1 device, a tablet that can functionally run like a laptop, running windows, and featuring basically the same processors that you’d find in a laptop.

And with an additional keyboard, great displays and long battery life, the Surface tablets make for great machines for work or play respectively.

Amazon does indeed make tablets. In terms of size, they range from seven up to ten inches and even include a kids’ tablet for the young ones. So if you prefer tablets over ten inches, you may be wanting to look elsewhere.

But all in all, they’re a good shout for a first-time tablet buyer that isn’t looking to spend a few hundred pounds on a device, but still wants to watch videos or browse the web on the go.

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【推荐1】About National Geographic Kids

National Geographic Kids magazine offers a fresh new look for today’s kids! Each issue is jam-packed with great stories about wildlife, adventures, other kids, animals, sports, science, technology, wonderful places in the world, popular culture, and more cool stuff — all designed to keep kids reading, thinking, learning and having fun! For ages 6-12.

Every edition of National Geographic Kids contains a superb combination of photos, fun facts, and articles presented in a cheery style, making it perfect for keeping kids’ attention. Your children can explore ancient civilizations on one page, come face-to-face with overseas wildlife on another, and turn the next page to do projects, which are often perfect for homework. There are always plenty of gross/interesting facts about animals that your children are certain to share with you, or they can turn to the page that gives them the low-down on their favorite star.

National Geographic Kids Magazine Subscription Bill Me Later Available—No Credit Card Required! 1 Year（12 Issues） Newsstand: $49 90 $24.95 You Save: 50% 100% Satisfaction Guarantee Your purchase of National Geographic Kids is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you（or your recipient）are not completely satisfied with your magazine, let us know and we will do whatever it takes to make it right—even a 100% cash refund if you choose. —Irv Lesher, CEO and Founder of Magazine Line Magazine Overview Subscribe to National Geographic Kids magazine — the best-selling kids’ magazine in the world!

A gift subscription to National Geographic Kids is perfect for young readers, who are interested in the world around them.

【推荐2】Young children often “read” picture books. They’re attracted by the colorful scenery and the realistic characters that contribute to fascinating plots.

Unfortunately, some children can’t use these resources, even if they do know how to read. Take three-year old Elodie Bateson, for example. Elodie was born with under-developed eyes and has retinal detachments（视网膜脱落），making her visually impaired.

It is because of people like Elodie that Tom Yeh, head of the Tactile Picture Books Project, has started printing 3D books, so they can feel the illustrations in picture books.

The first book Tom Yeh printed was Goodnight Moon, a popular children’s book about a rabbit going to sleep and wishing good night to his surroundings. In the 3D version of this book， children can feel each thing that the rabbit says good night to, whether it is a cow jumping over the moon, a balloon, or a dollhouse.

Generally, when children grow older, they read by using Braille, a language that was invented by Louis Braille in 1824. It uses different patterns of raised dots representing different letters. Readers can then feel the dots and mentally translate the patterns they feel into words. The only problem is that many blind children do not start learning Braille until they are about six years old.

Another reason why 3D printed books are such a valuable resource is that children don’t have to know how to read to understand them. However, without these, visually impaired kids are losing six developmental years vital to their growth since they can ’t take advantage of picture books.

When 3D picture books are printed, plastic is layered（分层放置）repeatedly over a single shape: the shape of the illustration. These raised pictures created through layered plastic serve as substitutes for the Braille letters that little children have no knowledge of.

【推荐3】Have you ever said to a friend “That rose’s smell is really sweet!”, only to find that your friend can’t smell anything at all?

According to a study published in the journal PNAS in May, people have different abilities to recognize certain odors (气味) — and it’s linked to different genes.

For the study, 300 people were placed among 150 jars with different odors. At a given time, they had to smell an odor and then rate the intensity (强度) and pleasantness of the odor on a scale from 1 (extremely weak/unpleasant) to 7 (extremely strong/pleasant). Before they left, the participants needed to leave a blood sample.

After comparing genes of the participants, researchers found all had different smelling abilities and that the differences between these abilities could be traced to certain genes.

According to The New York Times, human beings have nearly 400 genes that directly control receptors (器官) and influence the way these receptors become active.

“Odors ... turn on specific receptors, which then tells us if we’re smelling a flower, how strong we find it, and whether we like it,” said Casey Trimmer, a geneticist and the lead author of the study. “One small change in the gene for the receptor can change its shape and how well the odor fits, thereby changing the awareness of the odor.”

Though genes play a decisive role in our ability to smell, other factors, including attention, past associations and expectations, are important as well. For example, if we love the smell of roses, we are drawn to their smell and pay special attention to it.

But what does our different abilities to sense odors mean?

“Smelling is the most important sense for the rest of the animal kingdom,” said Trimmer. Although, unlike other animals, humans aren’t any longer dependent on their sense of smell to find food or detect danger, smell is still a significant sense. There is also evidence that a reduced sense of smell is an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.