Best tablet

[jambo101]

In the near future i will be sitting in a dialysis chair for 4 hours a day 3 days a week, was wondering as to the best tablet  to pass the time, i'd be basically interacting on forums,dealing with emails,perhaps taking pictures, to date the dialysis unit i will be at has no WiFi.

[iolaire]

Once I started dialysis I found my original iPad to heavy.  Once I bought an iPhone 6s Plus I got rid of my iPad and moved exclusively to the phone. I also read a lot of books and found those to heavy so I moved to kindle books offered via our library and read those on the phone as well.  I have a left forearm fistula so that arm was mostly not used but it could be a bit.  The phone was also good because it can be used one handed.

So look for something as light as possible and make sure you are comfortable using it with one arm if you have a forearm fistula.

[lulu836]

Samsung S2.  Lightweight and easy to use.  My HD access is a chest catheter so I am able to use both arms.  When I get attached to the machine I ask for more slack in the tubinhg than usual so I can move around and not set off the alarms.

[Paul]

I agree with Iolaire as I use an iPhone 6, but I only use it to play games and read the news on, I don't use it for movies as the screen is too small for that (IMHO).

[Michael Murphy]

I use a 12.9 iPad Pro. Yes it’s big but I have a aluminum stand which I put on the folding table on my non fistula side.  It’s stable easy to use with one hand, large enough to be seeable. Since it’s on the stand the fact it’s heavy is not a problem.  I have a iPhone 8 Plus.  However the iPad is easier to use since it’s i’n the stand and I don’t have to hold it,

[kickingandscreaming]

Having just spent 2 days with my android tablet squinting like crazy to read on it.  Hated it.  Phone is even worse.  If I , god forbid, had to go back into Hemo, I would take my MacBook Air.  It's ergonomically good and the 13" screen is luxuriously easy read, on, etc.  And it's very light, hence the name "Air."

[Paul]

Never understood the point of the Air or the Surface. Neither have a CD/DVD/BLU RAY drive. What use is a computer like that, particularly for taking to dialysis? My crappy old XP laptop will play movies from disk, play music from disk, run games from disk, let me read the 100s of books I have on disk (birthday present), neither an Air or Surface will allow this. Air is basically an overpriced iPad with a keyboard, and Surface is not even an android tablet. Pointless overpriced rubbish. (IMHO).

[Paul]

And the latest Surface does not have a keyboard. It is just a tablet that won't run either Android or Apple apps. So no use whatsoever.

Not so much a tablet as a brick!

[Michael Murphy]

My iPad ha over a thousand books, from iTunes 200 of my favorite movies, it contains 512 gig and in dialysis I can run any itune content through the WiFi.  I have a couple of favorite games, utube, and cnn.  It marvelously kills the 4.5 hours I am attached to the machine.

[jambo101]

 I'm leaning toward the ipad,not sure which model yet, the iphone would be convenient but my eyesight is suffering from macular degeneration so the small screen of a cell phone would give me some problems in the long run .

[lulu836]

 I'm leaning toward the ipad,

Thats too bad.........there are better choices available.  Check reviews on CNET.

[jambo101]

 OK LuLu give me the better choices and why they are better.the reason for the topic is to discover the best tablet for sitting in a dialysis chair.

[lulu836]

That was not meant as a challenge.  Bottom line is that I don't like Apple's OS.  It is VERY proprietary, costly, code heavy, expensive and does not play nice with others.  I am a long time Apples disliker.  My Samsung tablet is lightweight and does not try to be all things to all people.  You can install apps from anyone you choose and most of the time they are free.  Yes they have advertising but weighing one against the other, Android wins every time.  It has an expandable memory slot.  The battery lasts about 2 days with heavy use. There is a USB port for charging.  The display is OLED and details on it are very sharp.

I don't expect to sway your decision away from Apple.  Most folks who sink their hard earned dollars into Apple remain loyal even after they realize what a terrible mistake they have made.  I will take Samsung any day over Apple, no problem.

[Paul]

OK LuLu give me the better choices and why they are better.the reason for the topic is to discover the best tablet for sitting in a dialysis chair.

My argument would be that Android are no better, but they are no worse. But a named brand with the same specs will cost less in Android, and a lot less if you buy a non-named brand. Why pay twice as much for the same thing just because it has the trendy Apple name on it?

As a further possibility, you may be able to get Android tablets ridiculously cheap (about 80% less than the price of a same spec iPad) on eBay if you buy direct from China. But check the specs before you order, some have so low specs they are not worth anything, you have to know what you are buying.

The reason I say "may be able to get" is that you can get them if you live in Britain, and you used to definitely be able to get them from eBay USA, but since your current POTUS started putting high tariffs on Chinese goods, the tariffs may push the price up into the "not really worth it" bracket.

[Michael Murphy]

I have a iMac, MacBook,iPhone 8, iPad 12.9 pro.  What I love is that the os on all boxes is a Unix derivative,  any activity on any of the platforms is reflected in every platform.  Finally Apple suport is first rate.  Call schedule a Genius Bar appointment and Apple works all the issues no go to the software vendor. 

[jambo101]

That was not meant as a challenge.  Bottom line is that I don't like Apple's OS.  It is VERY proprietary, costly, code heavy, expensive and does not play nice with others.  I am a long time Apples disliker.  My Samsung tablet is lightweight and does not try to be all things to all people.  You can install apps from anyone you choose and most of the time they are free.  Yes they have advertising but weighing one against the other, Android wins every time.  It has an expandable memory slot.  The battery lasts about 2 days with heavy use. There is a USB port for charging.  The display is OLED and details on it are very sharp.

I don't expect to sway your decision away from Apple.  Most folks who sink their hard earned dollars into Apple remain loyal even after they realize what a terrible mistake they have made.  I will take Samsung any day over Apple, no problem.

Nice post LuLu but i understand very little of what you are saying as i'm not computer savvy like whats "android" and how is it different from non android, what are apps and why would i need them?
All i want to do is interact on forums like this one,get and send emails, take a pic or two,access Google maybe watch a movie.

[jambo101]

 Or how about a small laptop?

[Paul]

Or how about a small laptop?

That does strike me as a good idea, however (as you can probably guess I am going to say) get one with a DVD or Blu Ray drive. If all you want it for is to "send emails, take a pic or two, access Google maybe watch a movie" you don't need an expensive one. My old XP laptop will do all that, and it cost me about the equivalent of $50. However if you intend to use it for Netflix or Amazon TV, or similar, it will have to be at least Windows 7 as they no longer support XP (but then the chances of you seeing a computer with that old a Windows version are low, as most secondhand systems get upgraded to 7 or 10 before being put on sale).

Would avoid Mac because Mac tend to be about twice the price as a Windows system of the same specs, because both Apple and Apple dealers assume that anyone buying Apple will be stupid enough not to realise how little they are getting for their dollar. (That does not mean Windows systems are better than Apple systems, just that a Windows system will be better than an Apple system at the same price. You can get an Apple system that is as good, or even better, than a Windows system, but it will cost you approximately twice as much.)

[KatieV]

My husband has an Amazon Fire tablet.  Not sure what model, but definitely not their fanciest.  I think it was the 7" screen.  Paid about $50 on sale.  He uses it for Netflix, YouTube, and Facebook primarily.  Has a few games he downloaded too.

A downside is that the battery cannot be removed/replaced.  He has recently had some issues with it charging.  Don't know if a more expensive version has that capability.

[iolaire]

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