Ask Slashdot: Easy Wi-Fi-Enabled Tablet For My Dad? 370
An anonymous reader writes "I'm looking to pick up a tablet for my father. He is in his 70s and the internet is a bit of a mystery to him, but he asked me about a way to send/receive email and watch online videos. He is not interested in getting a smartphone or changing his cheap phone plan that doesn't include data. But he is interested in getting a tablet and using the free Wi-Fi that is available in his building. Here is my question: can you recommend a tablet equivalent to those phones with the big numbers that they sell to older people? Does there exist a tablet with an interface that would be simple and easy to use for someone who has very little experience with computer GUIs?"
Re:iPad (Score:4, Informative)
Google Nexus
Re: iPad (Score:0, Informative)
Jeesus h Christ... Are there really people so indoctrinated by jobs? Every word you just said is wrong on every level,... Bravo.
Re:Kindle Fire (Score:2, Informative)
Background:
The kids' school is moving towards an electronic curriculum (Smart boards, online textbooks, kids doing PowerPoint presentations, etc.), but buggered up the budget for notebooks. And so the teachers sent home notices that the kids could bring in gadgets to connect to the school's wifi network so they can do their work. Yup, it sucks for the kids whose parents can't afford gadgets.
Long story short, Amazon was selling 7" Kindle Fire HDs for $120CDN. I gave our 10 year old the name of our wifi network and its password and told her to look up how many Stanley Cups Maurice Richard won. No other instruction. It took her a couple minutes to set up the network (complicated password), but she was done in under 5 minutes. In under 10, she had installed Minecraft and downloaded a bunch of her Kindle books.
I think that's a pretty solid endorsement.
Just customize the interface (Score:4, Informative)
I got a cheap 10" Android for mine (Score:5, Informative)
I got the same situation and went with an Android for my parents. Here's why:
1- With many tablets (all Samsung ones, all rooted ones, many others), TeamViewer Quick Support allows you to remote control the tablet from your PC (like Remote Desktop in Windows), which comes in very handy when doing support to a complete techno ignoramus
2- Widgets make things real easy. The home displays his new emails, the weather, a picture frame of the grandkids, maybe some news, and shortcuts to favorite sites and games.
3- 10" is required, because eyes and fingers are old
4- the price is right. an Asus MemoPad 10 is around $229 (190 euros in my country), there's no reason to spend more.
Re:iPad (Score:5, Informative)
Yeah, it was a metric ton of money but thus far worth every penny. My mother is home-bound and my Dad is her primary caregiver. He greatly enjoys the iPad and has had no trouble using it. He has virtually abandoned his old Mac G5 tower. The iPad is a great social connection to his remaining college chums and keeps him in touch with the grandchildren on Facebook. He loves to play various word games like "Words with Friends."
To be fair, this could all be done with a modern Android-based tablet and I don't think my Dad would have any trouble with it but honestly I'm not going to change horses mid-stream. But the huge app base for iOS helps greatly plus a good deal of my brothers and sisters plus their children have iPads so things are just easier. I never thought I'd advocate for monoculture like this (or even appear to) but this has brought a great deal of joy into my Father's life as my Mother's health has gone downhill over the past few years. This alone has made the iPads worth every penny.
My advice: look at an iPad first but whatever you do don't cheap out.
Re:iPad (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Get an iPad (Score:5, Informative)
Every single old person with bad eyesight I have talked to LOVES IOS 7 because it's higher contrast and easier to read.
How did you come to your discovery? how many people did you talk to that used ios 6 and then used ios 7? Because my sample pool is about 20 people.
Re: iPad (Score:3, Informative)
"So i can get an IPAD up and running without an ITUNES account which has my personal data? "
Yes.
"Further, i can use some sort of "apple cloud" to store my data with apple and this is clearly different then storing the same data with google? "
Yes. Apple doesn't scan your files like Google does.
"As the AC says below, Apple hardware are front ends for iTunes. "
No. Bullshit. The profit is minimal.
"Some of us do consider ethical problems in tech. Apple has never been in trouble for "in app purchases" by kids? "
Only if the patents are so stupid not to use parental restrictions.
It's the parent fault. Not Apple's.
"My android has had "profiles" for some time now. The kids profile doesnt have a Credit Card attached."
Just like with Apple stuff. Only better. Don't let your ignorance and Apple hate shine so through.
"Read about why Jobs said the i* devices will never be made in the US, "
You mean like Samsung stuff is made with child labour?
"or why apple decided to issue bonds instead of just distributing their massive cash balances (HINT: repatriating that money would have lead to them actually paying US taxes)."
Just like Google who pay a lower tax rate than Apple.
Fandroids are real idiots and applaud themselves.
Re:iPad (Score:3, Informative)
The high pixel density on the latest displays is wasted on someone with declining eyesight and presbyopia
The original poster didn't say anything about declining eyesight and presbyopia.
I'm 70 years old and I can tell the difference between 2048x1536 and 1280x1024. Especially when I'm reading.
Re:This ^ (Score:5, Informative)
"Dexterity is a problem, holding the tablet withoyt realising that your contact with the hand you are holding it with is preventing the finger on the other hand from being able to move the icons. She just ended up putting on a table flat to use in case she accidentally touched the screen in the wrong place."
Albeit being a few decades younger, I bought myself a toddler case for the iPad, with a fat elastic grip all around, which makes it easy for everybody to hold, not only toddlers and old people.
Here are a few examples:
http://noahsdad.com/best-ipad-case-kids-toddlers-babies/ [noahsdad.com]
Re:iPad (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Any Android Tablet (Score:4, Informative)