Tablets

[devonwoody]

Anyone here want to explain to an OAP what tablets are?

Android????

Apple ipads???

Do all tablets connect to the telephone and is that their main use??

Etc. etc.etc????

(BTW I know all about those blue ones)

 

[RogerS]

Best thing, dw, is to wander into your local PC World or Curry's and get someone to show you.

 

[devonwoody]

I tried that and I did not get any input, he did not think I was really interested, had other reasons for being there at the time.

 

[MMUK]

Simply. a tablet is a touch screen laptop computer with a light weight operating system and reduced storage capacity. They connect to the internet via wireless or by having a SIM card inserted. Good for surfing the web, doing e-mails, Facebook, forums, etc. but not much cop for normal computer use ie; word processing, spreadsheets, etc. as they don't have a keyboard. However, you can buy keyboards which make them a little more usable in this respect.

Personally, I don't see the point in a tablet PC. They are generally more expensive than PCs or laptops and can do a lot less. The iPad for example costs twice what my gaming PC cost to build. They are really designed for social media, just like mobile phones are these days.

 

[AndyT]

They are ideal for sitting in front of the TV, only half-watching it (which is all it deserves, mostly) while browsing interesting websites such as this one.
Also good for YouTube, iPlayer etc as a mobile mini TV.

 

[RogerS]

I tried that and I did not get any input, he did not think I was really interested, had other reasons for being there at the time.

He was right then :wink:

So why not go back but this time just look at tablets and pretend you want to buy one.

 

[mseries]

Tablets are not generally more expensive that PCs or laptops. There are several perfectly adequate tablets around for less than £200 - some even cheaper. They are a damn sight more portable than laptops, lighter and easier to use on a cramped train or bus or sofa or when lying on ones back for example.

They are best for operations where not much input is needed, such as reading ebooks, email, watching a video and other surfing. They should not be considered as replacements for a laptop or desktops. They are not general purpose devices in the same way as regular computers are. They don't connect to the telephone though some can be fitted with sim cards to allow them to access the internet using the mobile phone system. All have wifi capabilities. Some can plug directly into a TV using a HDMI cable allowing things such as Netflix/LoveFilm/Youtube to be displayed on the bigscreen as an alternative to a smart TV. T

I use mine mostly for surfing when I can't be bothered to get my laptop out, secondary use is watching downloaded BBC iPlayer shows on my way to work on the train. I also use mine as a remote control for my small media centre (XBMC on a Raspberry Pi), as a wireless webcam to spy on the cats.

 

[RogerS]

..... They are really designed for social media, just like mobile phones are these days.

That is nonsense. There are a lot of people who use their tablets for their daily work.

 

[devonwoody]

what is Android?

 

[mseries]

what is Android?

It's the operating system that many tablets and phones use. It is based on Linux and was created by Google. An operating system is the software layer that sits between the hardware and the applications, Windows, Linux, iOS, VMS, Unix are all examples of other operating systems, not all will work on all hardware platforms.

 

[Alex H]

what is Android?

An operating system like Windows or Linux, developed by Android Inc. mainly for tablets & smartphones, paid for by Google

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)

 

[devonwoody]

Would having android restrict the supply of apps or less of them etc.?

 

[mseries]

Would having android restrict the supply of apps or less of them etc.?

i doubt it, depends on what app you are thinking about. There a thousands available on Google Play. Look at https://play.google.com/store click apps and have a browse. Not all are released on both Android and iOS though. ITVPlayer hasn't been out for Android very long (it's not very good BTW) for example. BBC iPlayer only just got download capability on Andorid whereas it was available on iOS first. It's easier for small scale writers to release on Android than it is on iOS (Apple) so you see a lot of homemade rubbish.

Android is very very popular so major app publishers are foolish to ignore it.

 

[RogerM]

I have a Nexus 7 which I bought mainly to keep in touch whilst travelling. Also useful to download podcasts and programmes from BBC iPlayer to listen to or watch on the plane when the in flight entertainment isn't up to much. So much more portable than a laptop. The touch keyboard is easy to use and I find I use it far more than I ever thought I would. It lives by my chair in the lounge and gets used most days. Under £200 will buy you a good 7" tablet. Apple do a mini iPad which is a similar size but costs twice as much. The Nexus has a better screen and can do 90% of what the mini iPad can do, and for half the price. I wouldn't be without mine.

Whilst Apple have a few more apps, the Google store which distributes Android apps has something for all but the most esoteric tastes. There will nearly always be an Android equivalent to an Apple app, and as Android gains traction, many organisations launch their Android App at the same time as their Apple one.

 

[devonwoody]

I have been getting email spam and android seems to start from £70 yet my daughter is in the apple class at hundreds, so would she get more service than me having android?

 

[AndyT]

I have been getting email spam and android seems to start from £70 yet my daughter is in the apple class at hundreds, so would she get more service than me having android?

No.

The amount of spam you see is a function of (mostly) the company that provides your email service and (partly) the software you use to view it. Everyone gets sent email spam; most of it gets blocked before we see it (by the mail service provider) and some of the rest we can block by using a mail package that sorts it out for us.

 

[mseries]

I get hardly any spam, fewer than 1 message per week. Avoiding spam is a function of your behaviour online rather than your choice of devices.

I am not sure what you are really asking in your last post devonwoody, what are you thinking of when you say "would she get more service than me having android"

Are you thinking, "will she be able to facetime me if I have an Android" ?

 

[nev]

If its any recommendation I bought my mum a Galaxy tablet for her birthday earlier this year. she plays online scrabble type games with the family, plays online bingo, skypes and does a bit of shopping. she can also take pics with it and send them over the internet, and there are also the usual games like solitaire etc.
She is 75 years young.
She is not computer savvy!


Tablet = IPAD and the like
android = the operating system (the language it speaks) http://www.android.com/intl/en/about/ and there are hundreds to choose from = http://www.android.com/intl/en/about/
apps = the programs that you can add to your device, lots are free, lots are not.
android apps (from the likes of google play) will only work on android devices and IOS (Apple) will only work on IOS devices.

They connect to the internet through your wifi connection.
or over the mobile phone network*

* if you want to use the internet whilst away from your (or another) wifi the data is transferred over the mobile telephone network so you will need a sim card, provider etc and pay for your internet access as you would for a phone call.

For a non computer type person I'd say choose between a Samsung Galaxy Tab or an Ipad (2).

forget the cheap Chinese tabs at 70 quid, more grief than they are worth especially if one is not computer savvy.
Go to your local store pick one up and start playing with some of the tablets, thats what they're there for.

An Ipad will cost more than an android based tablet of equal spec. But they are nice

 

[devonwoody]

So using one of those things I need sim card away from home and an account or pay as you go type connection?.

 

[Alex H]

So using one of those things I need sim card away from home and an account or pay as you go type connection?.

Not if you just connect to free wifi network - like McDonalds have for example