Way OT: Need Tablet Recommendations for Son's Birthday Present 08/04
My son has asked for a tablet for his birthday in a couple weeks. I am looking for something that is good for apps/gaming, but also allows him to be productive - e.g. schoolwork/research online. Not sure how much "office" type functionality we will need either.
Sooo many options out there and even MORE opinions from various sites. Guess I'm looking for personal experiences from folks on here. Has anyone tried out multiple tablets and come across favorites? iPad, Nexus, Galaxy, etc. are all in play. Give me your opinions please!
Nerds UNITE!
(said with all due respect of course...I DID say with all due respect!)
***EDIT: My son is turning 8 - that might color the context a bit. He's not going to be crunching major algorithms or developing a thesis just yet (give him a year :P).***
Nexus 10
Provides the best combination of needs that you mentioned while still being integratable with his other tech products.
That said, Go with the brand that his phone is. I find that is the best way to insure its useful beyond the OMG A NEW TOY stage. I didn not follow this advice when i got a tablet. Its lack of integration with my other tech means it doesnt have a use for me a few months later.
iphone->Ipad
Android->Nexus10/7
Windows->Surface
I don't have this concern just yet as he is just turning 8. I will add that to the OP as I now see that adds important context to my request. :P
Since I have a Droid, I will think about the Nexus then. Was already thinking it would be nice to have a compatible platform along with being able to cross-functionaly share apps through the Play store.
but what are the onscreen typing capabilities? Other products have integrated or external keyboards - I'm doing some research but thinking the 7" screen might be tight real estate for typing...
Frankly for small 8 yr old hands a full size iPad or other tablet is going to be annoyingly heavy/cumbersome.
7" screen isnt too bad for typing, but isnt as easy as a normal keyboard. an 8 year old shouldnt have a problem (and if hes like i was is just hunting and pecking most of the time anyways).i believe there are 3rd party bluetooth keyboards you can get for android tablets if you need.
If he's not of the 'iPad or nothing' mindset, then get him one of the new Nexus 7s that Google unveiled the other day. Quad-core Snapdragon processor, 1080p display, 2GB of RAM, and 16 GB of storage for $230. Better specs than the iPad Mini, and cheaper.
I don't think specs matter to an eight year old.
My son uses an iPad and loves it. There's a great selection of apps for introductory math/reading/writing that he uses all the time, and really teach him well. He's starting to learn to read already, and he just turned 3.
That said, it's possible that all the apps he uses are also available on other platforms, be that Android, Windows, etc. Since apps are what actually matter I'd work from that direction. Determine the apps you want him to use, then use that to make a hardware decision. If multiple platforms have the apps you want you can choose based on price, specs, OS, or whatever else matters to you.
That being said, I have everything apple and the way everything syncs together is absolutely fabulous. I can use iPhone to control the iPad set up for my outdoor speakers etc. iTunes library available across different devices etc. best overall IMO, just depends whether it's worth the price upgrade for you.
Had Android tablet and now an ipad. Wouldn't ever consider going back to Android. Side note, Microcenter has been blowing up my inbox of late with all sorts of Apple discounts (including ipad).
Last weekend, for our kids' joint birthday party, we got each of them a Hisense Sero 7 Pro, but mine are 7 and 6. That being said, it is perfect for gaming and things like Netflix, if you need to keep them entertained while you do something not entertaining (we've already had success with this and it has only been a week).
It uses the Google Store, but we did find tons of stuff which serve as aids for education - my daughter is in a summer program offered by out district and she's actually been able to use the tablet to help her with stuff in class (at seven years old - how far we've come). They seem like they would be a good fit assuming you have younger kids or if you're not looking to spend a whole lot (these were about $150 per tablet).
It has a front and back camera and is expandable witha MicroSD card. I haven't tried out the mini-HDMI capability yet. It does a lot for not a lot basically.
I wouldn't bother with apple if he doesn't already have apple products. Just makes things easier when all your tech is compatible platform wise.
I've got the Dell XPS 10 and absolutely love it. I just bought the cheapest one ($299 limited time offer) and it automatically comes with Office Home and Student. I would pay a couple extra bucks to get the better support, but it's been an amazing product so far (I've had it for about 5 months). Just learn the tips and tricks and it's great.
hope this helps a little
Thank you very much. I liked the Dell option primarily for the Office integration - downside I've seen is the lack of apps..something like 60k for Windows vs. 900,000+ for Apple or Android OS.
Wondering if this is too much thinking for an 8-year old who won't care for a few years whether he has Excel or not.
For me the prime advantage of Office on a tablet would be the ability to read and review documents while traveling. But I doubt your 8 yr old is doing much business travel...
He's 8. So that means, what, second grade? Get him the cheapest, most durable one you can get.
Don't fork over big bucks till he's at least in middle school.
heading into 2nd grade.
He's actually pretty darn responsible/careful with his stuff. He's had a Nintendo 3DS, PSi, etc. and I've had no issues with him. He's the opposite of me in that respect. I couldn't be trusted with crayons when I was 8.
kindle fire... its affordable, you can put parental locks and you can pretty much find anything on amazon.
It comes with cloud storage, which means you download whatever media on to another device.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000825251
This is what my niece and nephew have. Keeps them away from the apple cult, but still gives them access to everything they want, including their parents' Amazon Prime account. The lack of a non-Kindle Android app drives me nuts. I've got Transformer Prime 2 and the only thing I don't like about it is not being able to use Amazon through it.
I've had a Nexus 7 since Christmas, use it all the time, and love it. In my experience, it's great for reading Kindle books, watching movies, and browsing the web.
he's probably not going to be doing a ton of customizing and such, what he needs is something
1) totally intuitive
2) just works
To me that's iPad. Less customizable, but unless he's reading tech blogs all day instead of playing outside and really cares about adding in advanced bells and whistles, it just comes ready to go and does everything simply and well.
Even if he's got an Android phone (this is a well-equipped 8 year old), I'd still go with iPad. Android's ecosystem is the wild west with so many different contributors and open source, so it's not like everything works together THAT smoothly anyway. Just sayin'. Good system, but not everything knows how to talk to each other.
iOS is rigid, authoritarian, and the trains run on time. I like Apple's ruthless efficiency and order. Now get off my lawn.
A couple of thoughts here.
Our kids (5 and 7) are to the point where they can pretty much pick up how to use any touchscreen device, including my iPad 2, wife's iPhone 5, my Xperia Z, a friend's Nexus 7, and aunt's iPad mini. From that perspective, doesn't really matter what you get your son.
A couple things that may matter are what they use in school and what his friends use.
Our kids' schools are exclusvely apple. No problem using our windows-based laptop at home for school stuff, but my BIL did go apple for his kids so they'd be familiar with using MacOS and iOS at school.
If his friends are all using i-devices, he may want one, too. There are a lot of interactive apps where he may be able to share or connect with (or whatever the terminology is) his buddies. Can't do that if he has an Android device.
Of course, with apple, you're paying a significant premium.
That said, I'd definitely go with something smaller - either an iPad mini or a 7" Android tablet. Nexus 7 looks fantastic, but may be more than he needs. iPad mini is a not insignificant investment (imo). Could also look into something like the Nook HD or Kindle Fire (although i think the latter may actually be more expensive than the Nexus 7).
Got my 10 year old daughter a Kindle Fire HD and wireless keyboard. After almost a year, it's still going strong. This was her second tablet. She pretty much destroyed the first one (a $120 Coby) within 6 months. Durability is probably #1 on your list, and I'm shocked how much abuse the Kindle has endured.
It still runs apps, movies, general web browsing, etc. quickly and without glitches. The speakers are excellent, much better sound than my iPad 2 which cost twice as much. Can't recommend the Kindle Fire enough.
My mom has a Surface RT, and she loves it. For context, she didn't know how to use a computer as recently as 2006. She still doesn't know how to use a desktop mouse.
It's a very good device if you want to get stuff done, especially if you pair it with a type keyboard. If durability is an issue, here's a video of a former Microsoft exec using the Surface as a skateboard: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/10/surface-skateboard/
I'd also recommend a Nook tablet. They are a bit smaller, and don't have the same functionality, but they are VERY cheap, and come loaded with Android.
I have a Surface Pro and I love it, but it's more of a full-fledged computer than an actual tablet. IMHO, Microsoft made a huge mistake by branding it under the same name at the Surface RT, because it shouldn't be compared to other tablets like the iPad. It has the specs, price point ($899), and battery life of a netbook, but only the form factor of a tablet.
I have a Surface RT as well. I'd recommend it over any Android tablet and it's cheaper than an iPad.
It has some quirks and the app selection isn't great, but it's got a full browser, a version of office, skydrive access and solid hardware.
Disclaimer: I may or may not work for the company that makes the Surface
Counter disclaimer: I do have a vested interest in people using the iPad MGoblog app.
Nexus 7, if specs aren't super important, (which they shouldn't be for an eight year old) you should be able to find last years model for around $150.
Seems to be good. iPad was too pricy. This was $169. She loves it. I kinda like it too. ;)
I'll also recommend the new Nexus 7. You can also get $30 off at Staples if you want to buy before the end of the weekend.
Seriously man. He's 8. And while you're at it tell him to go outside and play.
/end old man under 30 rant