Tablet with specific qualities
June 14, 2022 3:25 PM Subscribe
I have a friend who will be unable to use their voice for a while due to a medical procedure. I want to gift them a tablet and could use help figuring out what to buy.
1. Friend is older and not tech-savvy. Right now, all they use is an android phone which isn't very easy to type on.
2. Relatively inexpensive (I'm not wealthy either)
3. They should be able to type easily on the new tablet and be able to send messages from it. (Separate keyboard?)
4. It would be extra great if there were a stylus, if that doesn't make it $$$
5. I want them to be able to use cellular data on this tablet if possible, I don't think their home has wifi.
6. Not an Apple - they are used to android and PCs (though they do not have a laptop now) and I would rather be economical.
7. Above all: should be easy to figure out and intuitive to use for an 80 year old smart but not techy person.
I do not live in or near their state so this will also have to be something that can be delivered pretty soon in the mail.
Thanks!
1. Friend is older and not tech-savvy. Right now, all they use is an android phone which isn't very easy to type on.
2. Relatively inexpensive (I'm not wealthy either)
3. They should be able to type easily on the new tablet and be able to send messages from it. (Separate keyboard?)
4. It would be extra great if there were a stylus, if that doesn't make it $$$
5. I want them to be able to use cellular data on this tablet if possible, I don't think their home has wifi.
6. Not an Apple - they are used to android and PCs (though they do not have a laptop now) and I would rather be economical.
7. Above all: should be easy to figure out and intuitive to use for an 80 year old smart but not techy person.
I do not live in or near their state so this will also have to be something that can be delivered pretty soon in the mail.
Thanks!
Response by poster: Does anyone have experience with this Amazon Fire or something similar in price and simplicity ?
I can't tell if you can send messages from this with an external keyboard, or just watch videos...?
posted by nantucket at 3:49 PM on June 14, 2022
I can't tell if you can send messages from this with an external keyboard, or just watch videos...?
posted by nantucket at 3:49 PM on June 14, 2022
Amazon tablets are super cheap and a pretty good deal hardware wise BUT they have incredibly and annoyingly intrusive advertisements and you cannot easily use the android app store unless you are a bit techie.
If your friend uses an android phone an android tablet is the best way to go and the setup will be a breeze since your friend will already have an account on the google store. Android makes it very easy to inter-operate phones and tablets (and chrome on a windows PC at least - i have no clue about Macs).
The biggest issues for me with android tablets is performance hell. The cheapo tablets are soooo slooooow. Also they can be running very old versions of Android and never get updated.
I currently use a Lenovo M10 and I loath it. Unresponsive as hell. The only reason I haven't updated is that I hate creating more e-waste and I am hoping google comes out with a new tablet soon. My ancient Nexus 7 (2012) is actually faster than my M10 despite being 6 years older!
Also using cellular data via a device is often pretty expensive (basically a second line) and adds more to device cost. As box & stick says a hotspot is a better option (but an additional upfront cost and an additional tech support issue).
If I was in your situation I'd probably buy a hotspot and a microsoft surface even though there tablet UI isn't great or a flip chromebook if there computing needs are basic.
(FYI: If this is all just to replace their temporarily lost ability to voice call with easier text messaging you can pair an android phone with a bluetooth keyboard).
posted by srboisvert at 4:42 PM on June 14, 2022
If your friend uses an android phone an android tablet is the best way to go and the setup will be a breeze since your friend will already have an account on the google store. Android makes it very easy to inter-operate phones and tablets (and chrome on a windows PC at least - i have no clue about Macs).
The biggest issues for me with android tablets is performance hell. The cheapo tablets are soooo slooooow. Also they can be running very old versions of Android and never get updated.
I currently use a Lenovo M10 and I loath it. Unresponsive as hell. The only reason I haven't updated is that I hate creating more e-waste and I am hoping google comes out with a new tablet soon. My ancient Nexus 7 (2012) is actually faster than my M10 despite being 6 years older!
Also using cellular data via a device is often pretty expensive (basically a second line) and adds more to device cost. As box & stick says a hotspot is a better option (but an additional upfront cost and an additional tech support issue).
If I was in your situation I'd probably buy a hotspot and a microsoft surface even though there tablet UI isn't great or a flip chromebook if there computing needs are basic.
(FYI: If this is all just to replace their temporarily lost ability to voice call with easier text messaging you can pair an android phone with a bluetooth keyboard).
posted by srboisvert at 4:42 PM on June 14, 2022
They should be able to type easily on the new tablet and be able to send messages from it. (Separate keyboard?)
Can you clarify what kind of messages? There's no native way of sending text messages from a device other than your phone, but there are workarounds (like Google's Messages for Web) and very annoying workarounds (Google Voice).
posted by meowzilla at 4:59 PM on June 14, 2022
Can you clarify what kind of messages? There's no native way of sending text messages from a device other than your phone, but there are workarounds (like Google's Messages for Web) and very annoying workarounds (Google Voice).
posted by meowzilla at 4:59 PM on June 14, 2022
Response by poster: Can you clarify what kind of messages?
Helpful question. Since a lot of people I know text from their macbooks and ipads, I thought it was a common feature. But maybe not for androids.
It turns out she needs gmail so I won't do Amazon Fire.
She DOES have wifi actually.
Thanks so much for all this great input so far, everyone.
posted by nantucket at 5:06 PM on June 14, 2022
Helpful question. Since a lot of people I know text from their macbooks and ipads, I thought it was a common feature. But maybe not for androids.
It turns out she needs gmail so I won't do Amazon Fire.
She DOES have wifi actually.
Thanks so much for all this great input so far, everyone.
posted by nantucket at 5:06 PM on June 14, 2022
Note: It is possible to connect a gmail account to Amazon's email app. The catch is that your friend is essentially limited to Amazon's email app. They also make keyboards for Amazon Fire.
That being said, I concur that the Amazon ecosystem may not be what your friend is looking for. Yes, one does get relatively decent hardware for the price. But Amazon subsidizes the price of tablets to further its own ecosystem (to sell you more stuff, and presumably sell your data).
posted by oceano at 5:20 PM on June 14, 2022
That being said, I concur that the Amazon ecosystem may not be what your friend is looking for. Yes, one does get relatively decent hardware for the price. But Amazon subsidizes the price of tablets to further its own ecosystem (to sell you more stuff, and presumably sell your data).
posted by oceano at 5:20 PM on June 14, 2022
Best answer: If gmail is going to be a primary use of this, how about a Chromebook?
If your relative needs text-to-speech while out and about, I would suggest looking for a decent app they could install on their phone. Carrying and using a tablet of any kind while out and about would likely be prohibitively inconvenient.
posted by heatherlogan at 5:23 PM on June 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
If your relative needs text-to-speech while out and about, I would suggest looking for a decent app they could install on their phone. Carrying and using a tablet of any kind while out and about would likely be prohibitively inconvenient.
posted by heatherlogan at 5:23 PM on June 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
(Sorry, friend, not relative!)
posted by heatherlogan at 5:24 PM on June 14, 2022
posted by heatherlogan at 5:24 PM on June 14, 2022
My eldest son, who is quite tech savvy (a Windows laptop user), has had very good luck with his very inexpensive Lenovo SmartTab M8 (still available on Walmart.com for $129). There are plenty of inexpensive Bluetooth keyboards out there as well.
posted by lhauser at 7:13 PM on June 14, 2022
posted by lhauser at 7:13 PM on June 14, 2022
Best answer: Does anyone have experience with this Amazon Fire or something similar in price and simplicity ?
Concur with what others have said, Amazon will be a whole new ecosystem, so not great for this use case. If your friend is comfortable with their phone but it's just too small then yes a simple Android tablet of the kind people are suggesting is a good idea. But it is also worth at least considering (you know your friend, we do not) whether a very cheap chromebook (as healtherlogan suggests) might be decent for them since you know they have wifi. If they are good at typing already it might be better than trying to finagle a tablet + keyboard situation.
posted by jessamyn at 8:11 PM on June 14, 2022
Concur with what others have said, Amazon will be a whole new ecosystem, so not great for this use case. If your friend is comfortable with their phone but it's just too small then yes a simple Android tablet of the kind people are suggesting is a good idea. But it is also worth at least considering (you know your friend, we do not) whether a very cheap chromebook (as healtherlogan suggests) might be decent for them since you know they have wifi. If they are good at typing already it might be better than trying to finagle a tablet + keyboard situation.
posted by jessamyn at 8:11 PM on June 14, 2022
Response by poster: I hadn't even thought of a chromebook but I think that hits all the necessary buttons. Thanks so much to everyone for their input, I learned a ton and all this info will remain helpful for my own plan to buy another relative with slightly different needs a tablet too!
posted by nantucket at 8:30 PM on June 14, 2022
posted by nantucket at 8:30 PM on June 14, 2022
Best answer: Seconding chromebook. Mine works well with my android phone, I easily text from either. Make sure you get one with a touch screen. Mine is an Acer Chromebook 311, it works great and the battery lasts a long time.
posted by mareli at 7:23 AM on June 15, 2022
posted by mareli at 7:23 AM on June 15, 2022
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These are not the fancy styluses for sketching and drawing, they have a squishy wider end. Don't
last as long as more expensive ones, but much cheaper to replace when they get lost.
As for what to buy, getting something that can be delivered by mail, and that they will need to do the initial setup on themselves, is going to be the hardest part of finding something that they can figure out.
If you choose an Android device, an app that they might find useful is Google Live Transcribe. It's better known for speech-to-text features, but also has a keyboard interface specifically designed for conversational use by people who might have difficulty speaking.
posted by yohko at 3:44 PM on June 14, 2022