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Ask Slashdot: Using a Tablet As a Sole Computing Device?
cashman73 writes "My mother's six year old desktop computer finally bit the dust due to an electrical surge. It's out-of-warranty, and not really worth fixing. Plus, I'm 2,500 miles and two time zones away, so I can't exactly troubleshoot things from here. I recently got a new tablet, and even 80% of the things I do are done easier with it. Plus, she really likes the size, convenience, portability, and the screen. Virtually everything she does is simple web browsing, email, light photo sharing but no heavy editing, and other simple tasks. We're thinking that using a tablet as her sole 'computer' might be the best solution here. What are other Slashdotter's experiences using tablets without a separate desktop computer?"
Buy her a Chromebook. You won't be sorry.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
I'm sure she would like a Tablet. But you can't do everything on a tablet, why not get her a nice inexpensive laptop as well?
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
It already sounds like you made your choice, so why are you posting a question that is trying to convince us to agree with you?
For the cheaper price and the desktop functionality, if all you need it for is web browsing and email, I'd go with a Chromebook. If you want to go 100% tablet, you are almost certainly going to have to buy a keyboard, so it would be very hard to get a decent combo for less than the $249 Samsung or the $199 Acer Chromebooks.
Older people have worse eyesight and often require the tactile feedback of a keyboard.
While it is a nifty idea your going to run into lots of problems. Be it due to the lack of support from your bank, an inability to print, or some fallback mode that your email provider forces on you all of the sudden.
When I initially did it everything seemed to work perfectly. Then disaster struct. I actually started using it in place of my computer when I went on the road. There are so many problems with tablets it isn't funny. Even for just consuming content.
Get her two tablets, gift-wrapped.
First, present her with one of those small personal-sized chalkboard tablets 1st graders use (with a piece of chalk for a stylus). Demonstrate how to use it as a word-processor, reader, and calculator. This shouldn't cost you more than $10, assuming you don't get the "Monster Cable" brand piece of chalk.
Once the laughs are over, present her with a real tablet.
Post the video of her using the "old school" tablet to YouTube.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
...Can really strain the hands... and the neck. And the eyes.
In fact, tablet use in general goes against 30 odd years of human interface ergonomics. I wouldn't wish it upon myself for extended periods of time, let alone an elderly loved one.
Buy her a sensible chair, 24 inch monitor at the correct height and a correctly fitting keyboard and mouse in a neutrally lit space. I don't care what you connect to those peripherals.
My mom is the very definition of computer illiterate -- my sister and I have been trying to teach her to use a computer (first a PC, later a Mac) since the mid '90s, and she simply cannot grasp the basic concepts. She can sort of work a keyboard (it looks like a typewriter), but mice constantly thwart her. Add to that the fact that she has trouble discerning "windows" on a desktop as being discrete items, and you can see why we finally gave up trying to teach her once we had both gone away to college.
About a year ago I managed to acquire an unneeded iPad, and made the decision to gift it to my mother. For a woman who has literally never used a computer without assistance, never mind owned one, she took to it immediately. She's now able to browse the internet, send and receive emails, and even navigate the app store when she wants additional functionality. And after a full year, I haven't received a single "oh no, I think I broke it" call.
That being said, my mother is not your mother (AFAIK), so your mileage may vary. If you think her needs can be satisfied by an iPad (web browsing, shopping, email, media consumption, and no more than light content editing), I highly recommend it. There's just no beating its ease of use. An external bluetooth keyboard would be nice for longer writing sessions, however.
Warning: Contents May Be Flammable. Keep Out Of Reach Of Children.
My Mom, she is 68 this year, has just switched from a 15" MacBook Pro as her only computer to an iPad 4 as her only computing device. She really only does e-mail, browsing, some e-banking and the odd video/movie every now and then. The MBP was clearly overkill for her in the first place, but the iPad does pretty much everything she ever needed with much less bulk, weight and cost. She certainly uses the iPad more than she used the MBP before that, so she must be satisfied with it.
A simple bluetooth keyboard addition to just any tablet solves your major objection.
Often these come as part of a case, and the portability is much better than even a small laptop.
Many people would be fine with a chromebook, where nothing is lost when the device itself dies.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
My girlfriend was in roughly the same boat a month ago. Her 8+ year old P4 desktop hasn't been turned on in many months. She planned to replace it soon.
I bought myself a Nexus 7 to take with me for my computing needs (video games, video watching, IRC, eBook reading, remote access to my home network, etc.) while at her place. She saw how much I could get done with it and quickly changed her mind about buying a new desktop/laptop.
She picked up an ASUS Transformer TF300T at a recent sale from Best Buy and has since used it more than she ever would have used a full blown PC. She previously used her iPhone to get her basic tasks done (tons of email, casual games, web surfing, YouTube, Pandora) but since having the tablet she only uses her iPhone as a phone (and no longer suffers with that tiny screen).
Posted laying in bed from my Nexus 7 with her playing Zen Pinball on her Transformer. :)
Just because you diffused the bomb doesn't mean you're not holding a half pound of C4.
This is a frequent discussion among people in tech situations. My only question is when you can easily find a used laptop for 100 bucks or less, why bother?? A 100 dollar laptop will handle the occasional tasks needed by 90% of users. A decent tablet will run at least 300 bucks, plus a nice case, plus paying for needed apps(many of which have quality free alternatives on a desktop) and so forth. In the end going tablet only is both more expensive and less convenient. Why bother?
To the OP : did you post your slashdot question using a tablet?
But what's the chances that his mom has a huge music collection that needs uploading?
The requirements were:
Virtually everything she does is simple web browsing, email, light photo sharing but no heavy editing, and other simple tasks.
Many Android tablets support USB OTG, so other devices (even CE/dvd readers) can be plugged into them. That includes cameras or smart phones.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
Or serious processing.
But if the stuff you do at home consists of watching youtube or playing games - I couldn't for the life of me imagine an existance so boring - go for it!
Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
The requirements were:Virtually everything she does is simple web browsing, email, light photo sharing but no heavy editing, and other simple tasks.
E-mails can be pretty long. Sometimes they include attachments.
Web browsing often means entering passwords and other intformation. And print receipts for filing.
And what when she wants to do her taxes? That's a simple task that is beyond most tablets.
By all means, get her a tablet - after you replace her PC.
Those who recommend a Chromebook - they don't consider that there will be times when you have no internet connectivity.
You should read the reviews on Amazon where the Chromebook is the best selling computer. In short it does not require a permanent internet connection :).
I have a desktop, laptop, and iPad, and would consider myself a power user. In an effort to travel lighter I've tried taking the iPad only on some trips to see if it can fit the bill. The answer to me is a resounding maybe, and depends entirely on what you want to do.
Tablets are terrible content creation devices. Writing an e-mail, editing a picture, cutting a movie, or even filling in a web form to buy something are all much more difficult. The lack of a keyboard is a big part of it, and can be mitigated with a keyboard for the tablet, but that's not the whole story. The lack of screen space, and the touch interfaces also make things less efficient.
However, they are excellent content consumption devices. I prefer reading e-mail and browsing the web casually on my iPad. I grab it for simple apps like checking the weather, or my portfolio. On trips it offers a vastly better interface for things like Yelp or UrbanSpoon. For older relatives, things like PhotoStream can be huge if you have other family members with the small children willing to use it.
As a geek, if I'm going away for a day or two and just want to casually stay in touch it's a winner. Smaller, lighter, better battery life. However if I need to do any work, it's right out as an option, more of a nuisance than a help.
So at the end of the day, it really depends on what your mother does online. Does she just want to read some e-mail and get pictures of the grandkids? A tablet may be an excellent choice. Does she make her own electronic scrapbooks? A tablet would probably be a horrible choice.
E-mails can be pretty long. Sometimes they include attachments.
Web browsing often means entering passwords and other intformation. And print receipts for filing.
And what when she wants to do her taxes? That's a simple task that is beyond most tablets.
By all means, get her a tablet - after you replace her PC.
Nonsense.
With any random bluetooth keyboard even book length emails are not a problem.
Browsers remember passwords, enter it once, and done.
Printing receipts (or anything else) is simply NOT a problem. My tablet prints over wifi. Hell it will print from anywhere on the planet with an internet connection. Even cheap printers these days support CloudPrint.
Emails? Attachments? Seriously, you must be joking, either that or you've never actually used a tablet.
Taxes. No problem. Intuit/Turbo tax have BOTH web based tax programs and install-able APPS that will work just fine, or you could use H&R Block's apps for Android or ipad. Many seniors have their taxes done professionally anyway.
Obviously you've never used a modern tablet. so I respectfully suggest you weight in on the subject.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
I would bet that it's just a power supply that died. It's a great excuse to buy a new computer, but all in all, I'd give it a 90% chance it's the power supply that died.
Be seeing you...
All the different public clouds have Chrome web apps. Use DropBox or Skydrive or whatever you like.
A while ago, I had bought an Acer W500 as I was developing a specialized touch screen type of app for Windows 7. That project kind of died, so I ended up with a useless piece of hardware for almost a year. After Windows 8 was released, I upgraded for $40 and put that on there.
Recently, my MBP and Acer netbook both died, leaving me with nothing but this W500. My first reaction was to whip out the CC and go to apple.com. However, I gave the W500 a chance. Here's what I found:
- It works quite well as a desktop. I plug in my USB kb/mouse and 24" 1080p monitor. The traditional Windows desktop is perfectly responsive
- As a Putty client, it's great. I can easily have 4 big terminals open on the 24", and a browser open on the tablet.
- Demanding desktop apps can run a bit slow (it's only an AMD C-50), but it depends on what you're doing.
- With only 32GB, it's pretty space limited. Fortunately, I have a 64GB SD card which mitigates it a bit. Also, I can plug in my external 500GB.
- I'm also able to plug in my printer, scanner, camera, and external DVD, and they work for the most part.
- As a tablet, it's OK. It's no iPad, but there's already been endless discussion on that.
Overall, it's actually impressed me in that there's no way I could do this efficiently with an iPad. I give it a B for desktop productivity, and a B- for tablet functions. For reference, I'd give an iPad an A+ for tablet functions, and an F for desktop productivity (not intended as a knock). My guess is that an Acer W700 (core i5) would be an A for desktop tasks (since it's way faster and more capacious) and a solid B for tablet (since it's faster and has higher resolution).
In short, at the risk of getting attacked as an MS shill, I'd actually recommend one of the newer hybrid tablet-top Windows 8 thingies if you're looking for a single device. If you can, I'd wait until after CES and the market to settle down a bit before buying anything.
Coincidentally, writing URL's is one of the most annoying things to do on a virtual keyboard. Tablets are great for media consumption; watching youtube clips, playing games, listening to music. They fail at more complex human interaction.
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Your mother doesn't need anything too complicated. I would suggest you go for at least a 6-core Core i7 3.5GHz Extreme CPU, overclocked dual GTU 690 512-bit HDCP-ready GPU, hi-fi 24-bit sound card with DTS, 32GB DDR3 RAM, 80plus 1500W modular power supply, 140mm copper quiet bearing CPU cooler, twin-turbine blue LED case fans, 500GB SATA III 120,000 IOPS SSD drive, 16x BDXL Blu-ray burner, dual 2560 x 1600 350 cd/m2 1000:1 30" display, USB macro-programmable gaming keyboard, Razer 17-button wireless mouse, and a classy mid-tower computer case. Don't forget COD Black Ops and Assassin's Creed to help her pass the time.
I don't think a simple tablet will do.
Seriously...another post PC debate to advertise the iPad, my favourite part is the fact that its out of warranty!? If that sort of thing is a major issue. Do not go near an Apple product...
I think this post says more about you than the OP.
I can't believe the comments here.
First get her a computer with the same Operating System as she already has. The older generation doesn't like change for the sake of change--they only want change when it offers significant improvements.
Second she will want a full size keyboard and a decent sized screen. As you get older your fingers are less nimble and your eyesight gets worse.
So I am thinking something like a 15"-17", used business class laptop from eBay (a few years old).
Since iOS 5 came out, iTrinkets have not needed a PC. My Android devices (Archos 43 and Nexus 7) didn't need to be connected to a PC either.
Posting from $95 Dell C840. Beautiful, bright, tall, 4:3 display. Slow, low capped satellite internet so I can't watch videos anyway. Battery only last 30 minutes but I have a Galaxy 10.1 for when I leave home :)
Not that I know of, but it wouldn't really have been in my job category- that's something our PMs or buis-dev people would do, not really the developers. I'm not sure if we had any of theirs in our dictionary (the dictionaries were prepared by professional linguists, not by developers).
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
There is no gorilla arm on tablets. I took my iPad as my sole computer to class my last semester at college and used it all day 5 days a week and never had a problem with it. Gorilla Arm only comes into play on touch-enabled monitors that you can't set in your lap.
A tablet is a fine computer for consuming information and researching things.
Tablets fall down when it comes to creating content but I expect they'll improve at that.
You can get a keyboard for an iPad - there are many third party alternatives and the official Apple wireless keyboard. I have the Apple version for use with my iPad and it's great. However I still use my MacBookPro for most creative work. For reading on the go or in bed I prefer the iPad.