The JP5mini. (Photo: Alyssa Bereznak/Yahoo Tech)

We’ve already seen a bunch of buzzworthy new tech toys in 2015, including the Apple Watch and the DJI Drone. But for many prison inmates, the most exciting digital release of the year arrives this month.



That’s when JPay will ship its latest tablet, the JP5mini. Though the 4.3-inch device can’t compare with something like the iPad, this latest version of JPay’s prison-optimized gadget promises a slew of improvements — including an app store and wireless capabilities — that signal the changing technical landscape in America’s correctional facilities.

“This is what’s going to replace phones eventually,” JPay founder Ryan Shapiro told Yahoo Tech. “There are going to be major changes within the prison system environment because of this technology.”



Built to survive

The $70 tablet might appear clunky to the average techie’s eye, but it’s been designed to appeal to both inmates and prison officials.

The JP5mini’s dual-core processor and 32-megabyte memory chip are encased in a transparent polycarbonate plastic that’s designed to withstand 250-degree temperatures and falls from a three-story building (while also making it easy to inspect its innards for contraband). You can stand on it, throw it across the room, or spill water on it and the JP5mini will still power on. On a full charge, it has enough battery life to play up to 35 hours of music or 12 hours of video, JPay says.

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JPay’s tablets have clear plastic cases to prevent inmates from hiding contraband in them. (Photo: Alyssa Bereznak/Yahoo Tech)

The app commissary

The tablet’s software is also getting an upgrade to better fill the downtime of inmates.



Though it doesn’t yet run Candy Crush, it now includes a new batch of game titles, alongside such classics as Chinese checkers and Sudoku (its most-used game).

These new games — along with a selection of educational apps — will soon be available in a new digital store, modeled after those of Apple and Google. Third-party developers willing to go through an approval process more rigorous than Apple’s will be able to sell their apps in the JPay marketplace. Among other requirements: Those developers must be willing to change their apps’ color schemes, in case certain colors or symbols are banned in individual facilities.

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