Tablet for complete technophobe parent!

mickoneill30

LeinsterDub wrote: »

I've a side loaded nook so not sure if this is an issue else where but some things I can't select a default. I am always prompted

It might be a nook issue. I've Go Launcher as my default launcher on my phone. I don't have that issue at all. It would be a pain in the hole I'd imagine.

cormie

The point about going for a system that I support is a very valid one too. See initially, the ipad was bought as a gift between my brother and I and he said he would keep it up to date with new files as he was an apple person whereas I'm windows, that was the condition of going with the ipad as I wanted to go with android.

I originally sat down with him when we first put music/photos on, which was a huge pain through itunes and made me glad I didn't have to do it. He borrowed the ipad to test some website and ended up keeping it for about 9 months and it was handed back empty so rather than waiting another few months for him to keep to his word I was thinking to just sell the ipad and go android in which case I'd be able to easily support it without relying on him.

After seeing how annoying it was to transfer files from iTunes (I forget what exactly) and also after using the iPad myself, I myself would definitely prefer to manage an android so it's just a case of whether or not it can be made simple enough for the actual user. It seems, so far, with a bit of tinkering and customisation, it can certainly be made to appear simpler in terms of homescreens etc, but whether the functionality will go hand in hand with this, I don't know.

You saying cost being the biggest factor, isn't such an issue. I could just go for a 2nd hand Xoom and I'd make a fair bit off the iPad itself so I may only have to put a few quid towards it.

Mick, did you do much research yourself before buying, not one, but two Xooms? Were they coming up more favourable than other Android pad options? I was thinking something with actual physical "back", "menu", "select" buttons (like the original HTC desire) buttons would be nice but maybe the 3 buttons on the Xoom screen would be enough.

Zimmerframe

cormie wrote: »

I originally sat down with him when we first put music/photos on, which was a huge pain through itunes and made me glad I didn't have to do it.....
After seeing how annoying it was to transfer files from iTunes (I forget what exactly)

Beginning to wonder, who's the technophobe. :D

opinion guy

Agree the itunes is a pain in the hole.
Much simpler to just install dropbox onto it - then you can drag and drop files to dropbox on your desktop and open them on the ipad.

cormie

I use Sugar Sync instead of DropBox on my pc, seems they have an apple app too? http://www.sugarsync.com/products/mobile/ios.html

Is it possible to throw everything through here and then FROM the app on the ipad itself, put it on the iPad, out of the cloud onto the SD card?

mickoneill30

cormie wrote: »

Mick, did you do much research yourself before buying, not one, but two Xooms? Were they coming up more favourable than other Android pad options? I was thinking something with actual physical "back", "menu", "select" buttons (like the original HTC desire) buttons would be nice but maybe the 3 buttons on the Xoom screen would be enough.

At the time I had an Archos. This was running Gingerbread and it was slow and the screen was crap. So I sold that and the Xoom was the first with Honeycomb so I got it. After a couple of months of my missus borrowing it we got one for her. So that was all my research. There's nothing that's a killer feature on other tablets that I want except for the super high resolution on the new iPads. That would be handy for reading.

Since then I was thinking of getting the Prime but it's a lot pricier and reviews on the internet say it's not "much" quicker than the Xoom so I'll hang on for another year or two.

As for the hardware buttons they're on the way out, even on the phones. It's not complicated though. I gave mine to my dad to play around with and he was flying around it in a few minutes. He's 66 and just about manages email on his PC.

cormie

Cool, thanks for the info. The track pad on my desire is invaluable in my opinion, just much handier for correcting typos and the likes in a block of text, but I guess the screen buttons would still be ok. Is the taskbar on the Xoom always there throughout all apps? I'm guessing it disappears in full screen mode on different apps?

Resolution and speed wouldn't be an issue with this so I'd say the Xoom would be grand for what it's needed for.

mickoneill30

cormie wrote: »

Is the taskbar on the Xoom always there throughout all apps? I'm guessing it disappears in full screen mode on different apps?

The task bar is always there. When reading an ebook or using some video players the icons change to small dots. So they're always present, just unobtrusive for those types of applications.

strandroad

Zimmerframe wrote: »

Beginning to wonder, who's the technophobe. :D

Excuse me, I work in IT and iTunes is a dreadful piece of software. I certainly would not expose an innocent older person to it.

Zimmerframe

mhge wrote: »

Excuse me, I work in IT and iTunes is a dreadful piece of software. I certainly would not expose an innocent older person to it.

Excuse me, so do I and no it's not and no one in the thread mentioned an innocent older person (whatever that is) using it.

p

cormie wrote: »

After seeing how annoying it was to transfer files from iTunes (I forget what exactly) and also after using the iPad myself, I myself would definitely prefer to manage an android so it's just a case of whether or not it can be made simple enough for the actual user. It seems, so far, with a bit of tinkering and customisation, it can certainly be made to appear simpler in terms of homescreens etc, but whether the functionality will go hand in hand with this, I don't know.

I don't want to get into an Android vs iOs argument here. I have an Android phone, I also own an iPad. I'm agnostic about technology as long as it does the job. I've also actually seen people in usability tests and understand the issues people have, as well as designed many apps for both platforms.

Having said all that, my informed opinion is that you should not go with an Android tablet, it's just not there yet. Just suck it up and use iTunes, and then never open it again. Just because you can't use/don't like iTunes doesn't mean you should punish your folks by choosing a harder system to learn for them, just so you can be a bit lazier - come on!

Zimmerframe

p wrote: »

Having said all that, my informed opinion is that you should not go with an Android tablet, it's just not there yet. Just suck it up and use iTunes, and then never open it again. Just because you can't use/don't like iTunes doesn't mean you should punish your folks by choosing a harder system to learn for them, just so you can be a bit lazier - come on!

Exactly what I said m8,
I have just bought a Htc One X for myself, and at the minute, the tablet I usually use is a BB playbook, but for this "job" the iPad is the best tool.

cormie

p wrote: »

I don't want to get into an Android vs iOs argument here. I have an Android phone, I also own an iPad. I'm agnostic about technology as long as it does the job. I've also actually seen people in usability tests and understand the issues people have, as well as designed many apps for both platforms.

Having said all that, my informed opinion is that you should not go with an Android tablet, it's just not there yet. Just suck it up and use iTunes, and then never open it again. Just because you can't use/don't like iTunes doesn't mean you should punish your folks by choosing a harder system to learn for them, just so you can be a bit lazier - come on!

My main fear would that be itunes would interfere with my own music collection and I don't want any breadcrumbs left over from using it. Will have mess around on the iPad next time I get a chance.

To the guy who's post got deleted saying my parents are idiots and it being ridiculous I offered to pay somebody to root and guide me through upgrading the ROM on my phone, I'm sorry, but what's ridiculous? I use my phone for business and want minimum downtime and if I can upgrade to a better system and get it done by an experienced person and throw them a few bob, what's the problem? And please understand that intelligence comes in all different forms, so while we all may be able to post ****e on an internet forum and can't fathom anyone not being able to do such simple tasks on a pad, maybe we wouldn't have a clue about more important things which they may be au fait with

Amalgam

Does the tablet have to be branded?

Browse Colonel Zap's channel on YouTube, he reviews umm.. 'happy go lucky' Chinese tablets (Android) of various types and current favourites like the Ployer Momo 11 and the Onda Vi40 would certainly fit the physical aspects of your wanted specs, screen size and IPS..

http://www.youtube.com/user/SchlumpfiHB

---

I'm not in IT, I can't stand iTunes.

osnola ibax

cormie wrote: »

My main fear would that be itunes would interfere with my own music collection and I don't want any breadcrumbs left over from using it. Will have mess around on the iPad next time I get a chance.

To the guy who's post got deleted saying my parents are idiots and it being ridiculous I offered to pay somebody to root and guide me through upgrading the ROM on my phone, I'm sorry, but what's ridiculous? I use my phone for business and want minimum downtime and if I can upgrade to a better system and get it done by an experienced person and throw them a few bob, what's the problem? And please understand that intelligence comes in all different forms, so while we all may be able to post ****e on an internet forum and can't fathom anyone not being able to do such simple tasks on a pad, maybe we wouldn't have a clue about more important things which they may be au fait with

I deleted the post mate, I had a few drinks on board and it was out of order. I apologise.

cormie

Hehe no prob

Amalgam, thanks for the suggestion, but would probably prefer to stick to something like Motorolla to minimise the amount of potential bugs or hardware issues. It's not just the screen size etc I'm after, but the overall build and component quality

cormie

Hi folks, I was in Curry's the other day and had a chance to mess around with the Xoom and a Samsung 10.1 I think it was called? Both very nice, Samsung appeared to have a clearer and brighter screen and maybe a bit fancier, but about €100 more.

The Xoom was €349, or €329, I forget, but I'm not sure if this is the Xoom 1 or 2. Mickoneil, which one do you have? Is there much difference between the Xoom 1 and 2? Is the Xoom wifi the Xoom 2, or are all Xooms with wifi? I remember being told PC world were stopping one Xoom as they were getting the newer one, so is the one I would have been messing with (it was on display next to ipad and samsung) the newest one I wonder?

lafors

I'm in the same position cormie, need to get a tablet for the father in law for his birthday (from the mother in law).
He's on the edge between technophobe and thinks he's not but I spent A LOT of time undoing his techno mishaps :rolleyes:

I'm ruling out the ipad immediately. As someone said earlier I'll be doing the fixing and i don't like dealing with itunes etc. So looking at
Xoom 2, Asus Transformer Prime, Asus Transformer (TF300), Samsung Galaxy 10.1

Out of those few which would others recommend?

cormie

Good stuff, I'm thinking, I might just bite the bullet and get one, see how they like it or if they can use it, if it's the same story, I'll sell it on, may lose a tenner or 20 quid but at least I'll know. If they adapt to it much better, I'll sell the ipad.

Just found out Xoom comes with 32gb which is nice.

There seems to be a few Xooms,
Xoom Wifi
Xoom 3G/4G
Xoom 2
Xoom Family Edition

I don't think there's too much need for the latest in terms of Ice Cream Sandwich or more power etc. Just need something simple that works. I haven't looked into any other ones like Samsung or Asus, but Motorolla seems to be the most affordable and would probably be just as suitable as any other android tablet, so if it works, won't have a lot of bugs (so stock ROM I guess rather than messing about with custom roms for features that will never probably be utilised fully) and is most valuable in terms of price and features that will be taken advantage of, I'll probably go with it.

cormie

Anyone have any idea of the going rate for a 2nd hand Xoom? There's a thread in adverts with a guy selling one about €80 more than RRP and he won't budge on the price Just not sure which one exactly I should get..

mickoneill30

cormie wrote: »

There seems to be a few Xooms,
Xoom Wifi
Xoom 3G/4G
Xoom 2
Xoom Family Edition

There's not as much choice as you think.

The 3G is not necessary if they have WiFi at home and they're using it at home. If they need connectivity on the move then 3G adds a fair whack to the cost (both initially and the monthly subscription). I'd never buy a 3G tablet as I have a phone I can tether the tablet to if I'm out an about. That's your decision though.
The Xoom 2 isn't any more powerful than the Xoom. To me it looks like they slightly changed the case, reduced the storage and then put up the price.
That leaves the Family. I've no clue about that.

I've a Xoom 1 Wifi. I have the US version. The US version gets updates much quicker than the European version. Mine updated to ICS a month or two ago. However ICS isn't any more reliable than Honeycomb on it. Honeycomb had no issues at all on my tablet so if you get a European one and you're still on Honeycomb I wouldn't be bothered about it.

I'd say the one you saw in Currys is the Xoom 1 for that price. It's similarish on Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorola-Xoom-Android-Tablet-battery/dp/B004SG6BK0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334418797&sr=8-1
The trouble with buying them second hand is that they were a LOT more expensive a year ago and they're not an old device so some people might be knocking off about 33% and thinking that's fair when that's probably the same amount that's been knocked off the RRP.

It's handy reading that link though to have a look at the user reviews. It's always better to get the opinion of people who actually have one.

If you do get one I'd something like this.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amzer-Argyle-Gloss-Cover-Motorola/dp/B004Q9SVO8/ref=sr_1_13?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1334419360&sr=1-13
It's a gel cover for the back.
It means you can throw your tablet anywhere without worrying about it getting scratched. We've had ours in a couple of those for over a year and they still look like new tablets.

cormie

Thanks a lot for the info,

I just saw this handy page actually: http://www.theverge.com/products/compare/2750/2752/3055/2979/159

Quite odd though, Xoom Wifi seems to be better in a few aspects over Xoom 2 Xoom Family is a cheaper version of Xoom Wifi it appears.

To be honest, I think I'll bite the bullet and go get a Xoom Wifi, customise it up a bit and see how it goes. If it's no better or the ipad is preferred, I can pass it on again and maybe lose a tenner or nothing at all, if it's taken to easier, I'll pass on the ipad, but at least I'll have given it a go because I'll never know otherwise if android can indeed suit better in this case

Xoom Wifi also seems to currently run android 3.2 so hopefully I can update it painfree but if not, I'm sure whatever version is on it will be good enough!

mickoneill30

cormie wrote: »

To be honest, I think I'll bite the bullet and go get a Xoom Wifi, customise it up a bit and see how it goes. If it's no better or the ipad is preferred, I can pass it on again and maybe lose a tenner or nothing at all, if it's taken to easier, I'll pass on the ipad, but at least I'll have given it a go because I'll never know otherwise if android can indeed suit better in this case

Can you post up your folks experiences after a couple of weeks. I'd say that would be interesting reading.

bandit197

mickoneill30 wrote: »

Mine updated to ICS a month or two ago. However ICS isn't any more reliable than Honeycomb on it. Honeycomb had no issues at all on my tablet so if you get a European one and you're still on Honeycomb I wouldn't be bothered about it.

When you say ICS is not as reliable what do you mean? Ive had a custom ICS rom on mine since before xmas and its very stable. A huge improvement overall on Honeycomb. You should look down the custom rom route. Info here

cormie

I think what he means is that Honeycomb was so reliable that no difference was noticed in upgrading to ICS. I hope that's what was meant anyway as it's definitely a good thing and I'm not sure if the one I'm going to get will have ICS or honecomb. I think stock rom might be best this time. I'd just have fear of too many bugs with a custom rom. Have had enough issues on my desire with custom roms even thought hey had so many more features, but such features won't be used or even noticed by the tablet user

bandit197

cormie wrote: »

I think what he means is that Honeycomb was so reliable that no difference was noticed in upgrading to ICS. I hope that's what was meant anyway as it's definitely a good thing and I'm not sure if the one I'm going to get will have ICS or honecomb. I think stock rom might be best this time. I'd just have fear of too many bugs with a custom rom. Have had enough issues on my desire with custom roms even thought hey had so many more features, but such features won't be used or even noticed by the tablet user

Sorry yeah, was directing the custom rom suggestion at Mick if he is having issues. Deffo not for consideration in your situation

Edit: Xoom is a nice bit of kit by the way, you wont be disappointed.

cormie

Cool stuff

So if I get a Xoom with Honeycomb, is it easy to update it to ICS or should I wait for the EU roll out?

bandit197

cormie wrote: »

Cool stuff

So if I get a Xoom with Honeycomb, is it easy to update it to ICS or should I wait for the EU roll out?

Its easy enough, you just need to follow a few guides. If you want to do it Ill send you on a few links. Personally I wouldn't bother with it if the tablet is just going to be used for a bit of light browsing etc.
Unlocking the bootloader and instaling a custom rom also voids the warranty, something to bear in mind.
If you were using it yourself Id deffo recommend a custom rom but I don't think it would be of any benefit to your parents to be honest.

mickoneill30

bandit197 wrote: »

When you say ICS is not as reliable what do you mean?

cormie wrote: »

I think what he means is that Honeycomb was so reliable that no difference was noticed in upgrading to ICS.

This

cormie

Thanks bandit, yeah I think I'll just do with whatever stock rom is on it. If I'm buying 2nd hand, is there an easy way to reset to factory settings? I think the average second hand selling price is about 280 now!