ProudGrandma Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 If I want to do the following things: 1) check, respond, write emails using decent sized keyboard (on or off screen) 2) watch hulu plus, netflix, amazon prime shows 3) can hook to internet for checking weather, doing searches, etc. 4) playing games and using other apps...recipes, etc. I have a 1st generation kindle fire...and for the most part it works...but it is a little small and combersome for doing things online and sending emails. So without spending TONS of money, what do I want??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 My iPad 2 is great for all those things, but new iPads are expensive. Maybe you could get a used iPad some where. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 maybe a chromebook? if you want the full size keyboard. Right now, my plans are to upgrade to a 10" galaxy note..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Windows Surface with the keyboard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 We have a first generation KF and a KF HD, the HD is much faster and overall a big improvement over the 1st generation. If you don't need much storage I think you can get the 8.9" HD for around $200. Hmm, looks like it's $269 now, I think it was on sale a few weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I just purchased a new 32 gb nexus 10 for $370. The 16 gb was $340 so I went bigger. It will do all the things you want it to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I have a refurbished iPad2 that I use with the Apple wireless keyboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Chromebook or iPad with wireless ketboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I'd get the new Samsung Chromebook coming out I think next month. I have an acer Chromebook and the concept is everything I need; it's nice to be seamless between desktop, Chromebook, and phone. There's nothing wrong with the one I have (I was careful to get a full sized keyboard), but the next gen models are coming out and waiting a couple weeks is nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Does the Chromebook do apps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 You want an iPad. With 3G if you want to surf the net anywhere away from home. (I wouldn't have thought I'd love/need/want 3G, but I adpre it, and keep it even now that I have a smartphone.) Definitely an iPad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Does the Chromebook do apps? Chrome apps and extensions, not Android. There's a fair bit of overlap though. Check it out at the Chrome store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I'd go for an Ultrabook. Youngest got an ASUS for Christmas that was under $300. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-11-6-34-touch-screen-laptop-4gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive-black/3243023.p;jsessionid=E3768062CEF9394EC3AF6CA1C37B4221.bbolsp-app03-121?id=1219089304521&skuId=3243023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Can you just get a Bluetooth keyboard for your kindle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I recently got a Nook HD+ and find it does basically all that. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/nook-hd-plus-barnes-noble/1110060512 Pros: Price--It's currenlty $179 (I think we got ours on sale for about $139 or $149), bought a rigid stand cover for about $45. The size is great (9 inches). I find it small enough to fit into my purse (I've always chosen purses on the basis of whether they would hold a hardback book :)) but large enough to give a decent display of documents. It's a great bridge between the size of my phone and my laptop. the onscreen keyboard is reasonably usable, though we do have a bluetooth keyboard we got at Target for about $30. Make sure you have them let you try the keyboard with your device--not all of them will sync properly. I don't normally carry the keyboard with me. When my laptop had to go into the shop to have the motherboard replaced, I used it relatively adequately for all my computing needs for almost 2 weeks (with the keyboard). I wouldn't want to do extensive typing on the onscreen keyboard, but most email wouldn't be a problem, IMO. It has 32 gig of memory and more can be added with an SD card. If you use the Puffin browser, it will do flash. The kindle app works on it and It has access to the GooglePlay store for apps. I adore using this with OneNote to organize all my homeschool material including a spreadsheet of all my books, etc. The info is stored in Skydrive, and syncs automatically when wifi is available, but can be used offline as well. The size of the HD+ makes it easy to read. Cons: no access to the app store for Apple, but we haven't come across anything we wanted really badly that GooglePlay didn't have (in fact, one app was free on Google and something like $25 on itunes for some reason!). There are few choices for covers/stands/accessories other than Barnes and Noble. Target did have a few things, Best Buy almost nothing. It's wifi only, so I have to find free wifi (not a big problem in our area) or I could use my smartphone to be a hotspot if I wanted to pay extra to my phone provider (have done this periodically for my laptop when we were out of town). Currently I just use my iphone if I'm not in a wifi area. Bonus is no need to have an additional charge for 3G all the time for my tablet. no camera built in, which is not a big deal for us the charger is proprietary My husband has been using his Nook HD+ for about a year as his primary personal computing device and has been very happy with it. I like the ipad, but at about a third of the price for a similar size (wifi 32 gig ipad is $600) and a lot more storage for the price of a microSD card, this works really well for us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I use my iPad 2 for almost everything, and I love love love it. I almost never use my desktop computer anymore. The only times I use the desktop are for downloading photos (only because they take up a lot of room on the iPad, but I *can* do them on the iPad), editing photos (again, there's probably an app that does that on the iPad, but space), and printing (I don't have a printer that reads from the iPad nicely; I have a program that will print from the iPad but not as nicely). I have a Bluetooth keyboard/case, which turns the iPad into basically a laptop; it's really the keyboard that makes the iPad truly useful and not just a nice toy. I have a word processor app, email app, Chrome app, PDF app, Kindle app, Bible app, recipe app, all sorts of stuff. There *are* apps for things like Facebook, or Amazon, or allrecipes, but generally, I just use the Chrome app and access those things the way I would on my desktop. I don't really like the stripped-down version of most sites when they're mobile. I know this forum has an app also, but I prefer to access it through Chrome. Gmail (and sometimes the allrecipes app) is the only thing I do through its specific app, because it wasn't working through Chrome for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Well, I am not actually interested in one, I was asking because OP said she wanted to do apps. I am an Apple girl. I tried to switch phones to Android and I really hated it. I have two sons who are more into Android, but not me. And introducing yet another system, well, let's just say I am an Apple girl. Dawn Chrome apps and extensions, not Android. There's a fair bit of overlap though. Check it out at the Chrome store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 Kindle can't do bluetooth, can it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Honestly, you would do fine with a Samsung, Lenovo, Asus or Dell for tablet under$200. But a Bluetooth keyboard and you're set. There's no reason to spend more then$200 on a tablet for your purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I see several of you recommending a 7" tablet. If the Kindle is too small for her, these devices will be the same size. You will need to find a 10" tablet of some sort. Those are not $200. They are more like $350-$400 new. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 it's not so much the screen being too small...but rather the keyboard....so if someone could tell me that Kindle is a bluetooth device, then I can get a separate keyboard.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 You want an iPad. With 3G if you want to surf the net anywhere away from home. (I wouldn't have thought I'd love/need/want 3G, but I adpre it, and keep it even now that I have a smartphone.) Definitely an iPad. This, though I have been able to go w/o 3G for about 9 months! We would only buy a month-to-month ready iPad. My refurb works great. It's "just" a 2, but does everything I want. Nearly everywhere I schlep my dc, there is wifi. Woot. (I do like the added security of using 3G, but I'm careful using free wifi.) I bought my first iPad for me to play with, but I can't believe how much we use it for school: apps, ebooks, and videos mainly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 My iPad2 has been in constant use and trouble free for YEARS. It only has wifi, but everywhere, even our pool, has free wifi. I do everything you mentioned on it. Today I plan to get started on Season4 of Downton Abbey. It's free on the PBS app. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I see several of you recommending a 7" tablet. If the Kindle is too small for her, these devices will be the same size. You will need to find a 10" tablet of some sort. Those are not $200. They are more like $350-$400 new. Dawn That's one reason we got the Nook HD+ at about 9 inches and $179. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 That is a good price. I am still partial to Apple, but it is nice to know about options. So, this does Android Apps? Does it have a camera? That's one reason we got the Nook HD+ at about 9 inches and $179. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 That is a good price. I am still partial to Apple, but it is nice to know about options. So, this does Android Apps? Does it have a camera? I did a pretty full list of pros and cons upthread that might be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Ah, found it, thanks. Dawn I did a pretty full list of pros and cons upthread that might be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 https://developer.amazon.com/appsandservices/solutions/devices/kindle-fire/specifications/01-device-and-feature-specifications There's a chart with specs for all Kindles. Unfortunately the first generation ones don't take Bluetooth or USB keyboards. Another option would be to trade in your Kindle to Amazon for a gift cards towards a newer HD model that does have Bluetooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 https://developer.amazon.com/appsandservices/solutions/devices/kindle-fire/specifications/01-device-and-feature-specifications There's a chart with specs for all Kindles. Unfortunately the first generation ones don't take Bluetooth or USB keyboards. Another option would be to trade in your Kindle to Amazon for a gift cards towards a newer HD model that does have Bluetooth. how do I trade it in? How much would I get for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I have been really tempted towards this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=8563446&sku=LCU-101814228 Sale ends tomorrow.... only thing holding me back is I would really like 32GB built in and it has 16GB.......but reviews are good on amazon and other sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 how do I trade it in? How much would I get for it? Google Amazon Trade In Store. But I just checked it out and it seemed you'd only get $35 - $25. You'd do better selling it on Kijiji or just keeping it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 I have been really tempted towards this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=8563446&sku=LCU-101814228 Sale ends tomorrow.... only thing holding me back is I would really like 32GB built in and it has 16GB.......but reviews are good on amazon and other sites. Check out the specs! It's expandable to 64 gb. It must have a micro sd slot. Is go for it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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