IPADS/ Tablets

If it's "just for fun", I'd go with Ipad. Microsoft has a tablet that can run office and is more business oriented.

I made the mistake of buying two Kindle Fires for the kids... it was crap. Even though it's Android based, Amazon limited access to the Android App store, blocking about 90-95% of the content. The Fire was basically a big Amazon.com commercial, constantly bombarding you with Amazon.com "ads". We sold them and got the kids Ipad Minis, which are great.

I like Android phones better than crApple phones, but the iPad is still the tablet to beat (mainly because the iPad apps are designed for the ipad... the android apps are usually designed for a phone and the resolution is jacked up once you install them on the tablet). If you want to go the Android route get a Nexus 7 or Nexus 10. The Nexus lineup is pure Android and doesn't have any bloatware from the hardware manufacturer.

The PAD that never stops charging.

My sweet heart let our 6 year old grandson play with her IPAD. He wanted to download some games from ITunes. So they found some that were FREE. In the process he knew the pass word which for some reason was very easy for him to remember. We discovered this week about money traps. Apparently you reach a point in the game where to continue you have to pay to continue. Grandma got about $200 in charges on her CC for a two week period. After a big session at the kitchen table it finally came out that the game said it was 99 cents to drop the bombs and continue the game. He didn't have any money but thought that by entering the password it was free. In reality the password authorized the charges. Man he dropped a lot of bombs. Grandma is going to upgrade her passwords.

The only tech present I ever give her that she liked is the IPAD. It took forty years for that to happen.

That is so true ... The new game model is called "in game purchases" where you get the game for free to get you playing, but have to pay to for enhancements, and it's often done in a sneaky way.. There was an IPad Smurfs game that drained a lot of unsuspecting parents wallets, but eventually, Apple told the company to change their purchase system or they would pull it from the store.

I would have to disagree with that -- I have a Nexus 7 tablet (awesome) and the apps are just fine. Google decided not to separate phone apps from tablet apps, instead opting to allow developers to include appropriate support in their apps. I've found that most apps I use work very well on my tablet.

Despite Google's way of doing it, many app developers have released "HD" versions of their apps that are made specifically for use on tablets or large phones with higher resolution. For example, you can get Angry Birds HD and it makes better use of the tablet's larger size.

Anyway, just my two cents.

I have the old Nexus 7 and love it to death. If it wasn't so awesome, I'd be hankerin' for the new Nexus 7.

If I were in the market for a 10" tablet, I'd take a serious look at the new Samsung Galaxy Note. I have the Note 3 phone and love it.

I've had the Samsung Galaxy Note 10" for about a year. I absolutely love it, especially the stylus which allows me to sign documents in Adobe Reader and do all manner of hand written document markups.

Nexus 7

Wendell, I'm like you - I love my last year's model Nexus 7 too. I don't fire up my laptop at home any more unless I really need to.

Disclaimer: I have never used any Apple products, so I don't know what I might be missing

> I would have to disagree with that -- I have a Nexus 7 tablet (awesome) and the apps are just fine. Google decided not to separate phone apps from tablet apps, instead opting to allow developers to include appropriate support in their apps. I've found that most apps I use work very well on my tablet.
>
> Despite Google's way of doing it, many app developers have released "HD" versions of their apps that are made specifically for use on tablets or large phones with higher resolution. For example, you can get Angry Birds HD and it makes better use of the tablet's larger size.
>
> Anyway, just my two cents.
>
> I have the old Nexus 7 and love it to death. If it wasn't so awesome, I'd be hankerin' for the new Nexus 7.
>
> If I were in the market for a 10" tablet, I'd take a serious look at the new Samsung Galaxy Note. I have the Note 3 phone and love it.

I have the "new" Nexus 7... but it lacks some basics. Mainly there is no microSD Memory Card slot, and secondly the camera sucks, and who the heck would would think to put the charging port on the Bottom?
My wife has a Hisense Sero 7 Pro (Walmart exclusive) that is a bit slower but is "better" overall.
The Nexus is faster, and smaller/thinner... but the Sero is preferred by both of us.

Nexus 7 at $300 or a Sero 7 for $150? I would go with the Sero 7 if I was going to buy another.
Apple? no way! My son in law has one but he prefers both of ours...

Yes, data transfer on the Nexus is possible with a cable or with Wifi but that is Verrry slow

I gave my wife an iPad and she really likes it and can use it without asking me a million questions that I don't have the answer for. It really has been a lot of fun but pretty expensive for a toy with limited power.

I just purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 to play with and see how Android worked and I am very impressed with the unit. I probably should have bought the larger and much more powerful Samsung Galaxy Note 10", however I really like the smaller form of a 7" or 8" screen, the larger units are more of a pain to move around with.

T.W.

Project Gutenberg has a warning about buying the Kindle Fire. It is indeed optimized for purchases from Amazon, and they made it difficult to load free books from Gutenberg.

> I made the mistake of buying two Kindle Fires for the kids... it was crap.

I'm not a fan of the "platform specific" devices. The best thing about dumping my Nook Color for an iPad was loading the Kindle and Nook apps and being able to comparison shop for books.

Nexus 7

Cool! And they recently released KitKat (Android 4.4), which should be making its way to your tablet soon. I manually installed the update. Not a ton of changes or anything but it does seem a little smoother (although it's pretty smooth to begin with).

> I'm not a fan of the "platform specific" devices.

So you bought an iPad? From Apple, King of the Walled Garden?

> I like Android phones better than crApple phones, but the iPad is still the tablet to beat ...
My son works for an on-line auction site company you have all heard of. He is part of the team that develops and maintains the mobile apps for that company. He likes android for himself, but he admits that while their android app cannot possibly be tested on all of the thousands of devices that might run it, their Apple apps only have to be tested on about a dozen devices to exhaust all possibilities.

So Apple for trouble free reliability, Android for bells and whistles.

Apple lets me buy from Amazon directly from the device now...the peasants are storming the walls. Plus the iPad is pretty

"Industry without art is brutality."
-John Ruskin

Aloha, Rankin: If it is gift to someone who is not tech. savvy iPad or iPad Mini is a safe gift. Even as six years old figure it out how to use as you can see in LRday's post! B-)
To be fair I am Apple fan so everything else "appears to be a dog...":-D 😀 😀

> ...
> So Apple for trouble free reliability, Android for bells and whistles.

well, kinda true... major manufactures go thru some pains to get the original OS and bundled apps to work well.
like Windows, once you install other apps problems can arise. (think autocad)

Apple does drop the ball sometimes too... but with a locked system the chances are probably smaller, but if they drop the ball BIG, then you are stuck with a Locked System.

SWMBO is no geek, a simple user. Android (and un-modified by the vendor or me) has been trouble free for her... and that is My most important test!

Nexus 7

> Cool! And they recently released KitKat (Android 4.4), which should be making its way to your tablet soon. I manually installed the update. Not a ton of changes or anything but it does seem a little smoother (although it's pretty smooth to begin with).

sounds nice, where do I look for the KitKat update?

(not seeing much difference between 4.2 and 4.3 here)

Samsung Galaxy Note, half a year later

hot off the presses: Samsung Galaxy Note, half a year later

not a huge fan of this guy, but he does his homework... read his closing paragragh!