You may want to try out the tablet’s sound in the store.
My mom’s tablet doesn’t get very loud. It’s hard to enjoy music. The audio is barely adequate for watching streaming video.
My Motorola smart phone has much better audio. I play music with it regularly.
How do you even know what bank I use?
We fly on our vacations.
As for helicopters, I can’t even afford to rent a Skyhawk!
In a review from 2017, the Apple iPad Pro was voted ‘Best of the Best’. The Amazon Fire HD 8 was voted ‘Most Bang for the Buck’. I like my MacBook Pro, so if I were going to get a tablet for myself I’d go for the Apple iPad 4th Generation because, as I said, I lag technologically, and it’s probably ‘enough’ for me to test the waters at fraction of the cost of the iPad Pro.
People seem confused as to what I do on my laptop. I post at The Straight Dope and Facebook. I visit news sites to see what’s happening. Sometimes I’ll buy something off of eBay or Amazon. I check email, usually online instead of letting it download into Mail. I’ll watch YouTube from time to time. I also connect to my office via VPN and RDC, and do my job. I use a mouse for that. Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to use a mouse with a tablet. (But could I use a Bluetooth keyboard?)
What I don’t do on my computer is listen to music (there’s YouTube for that, though I have a well-stocked iTunes) or play video games (except for Hoyle’s Casino Blackjack or a Sudoku game) or watch TV or movies.
What I’d like in a tablet is to do the things I do do on my computer, and it would be nice to be able to do the things I don’t do, just in case I want to – like connecting to the airline’s WiFi and watching their entertainment offerings.
Mrs. L.A. is completely unfamiliar with Apple. She has a PC laptop for work, and a PC laptop for personal use. She won’t work on vacations, so functionality there doesn’t matter. I don’t watch what she does on her personal computer, but I’ve noticed she goes to Facebook and Yahoo, I presume she surfs to other sites, she buys things from Amazon and Chewy and other places, and she plays video games. (The video games she plays seem to be ‘find the object’ styles of things. I’ve never played Candy Crush, but from the commercials it looks similar.) I’m not entirely sure why she brought up tablets last year, but I think it might be that she wanted to have a computer to do the things she does, that is smaller and easier to carry than her 17" laptop.
I’ve read some interesting things in this thread. For example, the voice translator would be very nice. I could have used it once in Puerto Rico when I was trying to get directions. (Fortunately, the girl had Google Translate – text – on her phone.) It sounds like a tablet can do everything my computer will do, with the exception of allowing me to work (which I shouldn’t do on a vacation anyway). I would like to have that voice translator thingy. So what are my options?
The Apple iPad 4th Generation would probably be somewhat familiar to me, as I have the PowerBook Pro, an iPod, and even a PowerBook G4. (My iMac Indigo Power PC G4 is in storage.) Mrs. L.A. would probably prefer a PC (Android? Our phones are Android.) Though I like Apple, I can use Android. Anyway, the iPad 4th Generation is an option. Then there’s the Amazon Fire. If the Amazon Fire HD 8 was the best value last year, I’m guessing that the Fire DH 10 is probably just as good. But I do not wand pop-up ads! People mentioned the Samsung, but it’s too expensive for this year. Digiland? Never heard of it. Even for $25, I don’t know if I want a no-name tablet.
So makes and models, please?
You can get the Fire HD tablet without the “special offer” ads for $15 more.
I’m on my third tablet and instead of cheaping out on a “disposable” this time, I got a Lenovo and I like it a lot. It even has a bluetooth keyboard so I don’t have to type on the stupid on-screen keyboard. There’s a really good looking Lenovo herefor $179. I’m getting tempted just looking at it.
For the record, the Amazon Fire 8 & 10 refers to the size, not version number. The 8 has an 8" screen; the 10 has a 10" screen. Which you prefer is mostly personal preference. The 10" has slightly better specs, and an HD screen, but not so much better that it would offset the heavier weight, perhaps. (I know my mom just perfers the 8" form factor.)
The “Special Offers” on Kindle Fires are not pop-up ads. They’re just ads on the screensaver. You can turn them off for a slight fee, but they’re never in your way.
The Kindle Fire is terrific for light entertainment - but I wouldn’t recommend it for someone who wants to use it regularly for work.
For your case, Johnny, I would recommend that you get the iPad, as being better suitable for VPNing into your office. In fact, I would talk to the Genius bar about getting an iPad Pro. Make sure that you’ll be able to use your office software via the iPad before you commit. One of the nice things about the iPad is that there are Microsoft Office products available, so you you should be able to work with whatever you’re doing.
You might also consider a Surface tablet, which is a windows tablet that would be capable of VPN. They also come with terrific keyboard covers and can be used with a wireless mouse. But the iPad pro and the Surface are getting into laptop territory, pricewise, so keep that in mind.
If you do decide to go for the Fire, they’ll probably go on sale again in a few weeks.
With tablets, size matters. A lot. I love my iPad mini, much more that the full size iPad I had before. But others like the full size over the mini (wife, her parents). So definitely try before you buy.
And my iPad was my first Apple device. I now have an iPhone too, but my laptop is Windows. And I’d always been a PC person. My wife too. The Apple stores, if you have them nearby, have free classes and those helped. But I think there might be plenty of how-to vids on YouTube. The classes helped us get started.
Then you’d love a tablet. Everything, except for possibly VPN-ing in, you can do. Plus on a personal tablet I could get work emails on the Safari browser connecting to Outlook.
Newly refurbished Surface 3s can be had for less than $400 these days. Recently ordered the SO one from Amazon after one of the cats split open her Droid.
ETA: the Surface Pro does not come with a keyboard cover. Mine was an extra $130.
Re: VPN.
I use VPN and RDC to connect to my office PC from my Mac. It works well, but some things don’t translate. For example, if I want to do anything with right-click, I need to use the mouse because control+click doesn’t work that way on the PC. So no mouse, no need to connect to my work computer. (And no need for the iPad Pro.)
I’ve had an ipad of some sort since 2011. I have both mini and maxi ipads now. I think the ipad pro would be too big for my uses. I use the maxi pad at home and the mini pad fits in my purse and goes to work with me and on vacation. If I didn’t have an ipod I’d use ipad for music & podcasts (with earphones). I do e-mail, web sites, shopping, messaging, simple games, you tube videos, I download areas of Google maps of where I’m visiting so I don’t have to rely on wifi to use them on the go, I use “Books” to save vehicle and appliance manuals and knitting patterns and recipes, I use Notes for shopping lists and recipes and stuff, (amongst other things) I have Kindle on it and a few Kindle books, a TV guide app, three newspapers, I’ve used the alarm clock, the calendar, the camera once in a while, I store photos on it. I’m told I can VPN to work on it but I refuse to. I have a Bluetooth keyboard but never use it.
All that said, keep in mind how much memory you’re going to want. I say the more the better. My 64 GB mini pad is at 40 GB. The maxi pad has 128 GB. It’s at home so I’m not sure what I have left on that.
I forgot about memory! :smack: I think I’ll pass on my own tablet at this time, since I’d like an iPad and they get expensive with more memory. The Fire HD 8 maxes out at 32 GB, which I think would be enough for Mrs. L.A. And she has Amazon Prime, so there’s that. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet, but the Fire HD is in my shopping cart.
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I was going to say the same thing, only I seem to remember I got my Tab A for around $150, but Costco had a really good sale on them back in February.
I got it as a back-up in case my other Samsung tab gave up the ghost. However, at something like six years old, that one is still going strong. I mainly use it to read e-books and to cruise Instagram. With the addition of a wireless keyboard, I’ve also written parts of my own book on it. There’s a couple of games I sometimes play, too.
I’m not into tech gadgets in general but, considering all the pleasurable hours I’ve spent on mine, I’d recommend one to anyone.
32 GB is not very much. I’d try for at least 64.
They don’t make a 64.
Sweet.
Yes, I was imprecise about that. Sorry.
In re mice - Johnny, you can use a mouse with a Surface tablet. I was mistaken in thinking you could use one with the iPad Pro. That seems like a huge oversight for something Apple is trying to position as a “Pro” laptop replacement. Even including support for the Apple trackpad would be a step in the right direction.
That said, if you want a tablet just for light entertainment, I think the Kindle Fire makes a lot of sense. I’d say you’re better off learning to take advantage of streaming options rather than planning to need a big storage drive.
I think The Missus would probably use it for light entertainment. She has Amazon Prime, so she can stream if she wants to. And she’ll probably use it for looking stuff up on vacation. I’ll plan on getting her a Fire 8 for Christmas, unless someone can convince me there’s a better option.
Thanks.
Maybe it would be a good idea to ask her what she’d do with a tablet since she’s the one who wants it. 
Samsung makes a very good tablet.
The Tab A with 8 inch screen and 32gb is $199. I should have gotten one for my mom instead of the more expensive S2 with 10 inch screen.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075VS89SW/ref=mp_s_a_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1511898895&sr=8-18&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=samsung+galaxy+tab&dpPl=1&dpID=41mD13u7jHL&ref=plSrch
That would spoil the surprise. 