Training for Tablet Computer

dewdrop

I have an old laptop which is packing up. I only use it for internet google searches and email. That is all i can do and i am not really interested in the othr functions. Someone suggested i should consider buying a tablet. Is there anywhere i could get a one to one lesson on how to use it. In the past i attended briefly courses in basis internet but the sessions were usually dominated by someone who knew it all and more or less forced the teacher to move on too fast.

Milly33

They aren't too bad to handle themselves. Don't fancy them myself but my parents got one for Christmas and now they would be very basic skills and they are getting on great with it..

Have you tried you tube see if they have any post for using one, at least then you could skip through what to you don't want and go at your own pace

blindsider

If you use the internet and email, then you MAY find a Chromebook is more what you need.

http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/acer-c720-wifi-chromebook-ash/316766/104.2

It's a cut-down laptop so it has a proper keyboard (for email) but it's still small and light (tablet).

You'd need to be connected to the internet a fair bit to use it.

Do you have a friend, relative neighbour who might help you choose what you need - and help you set it up once you do purchase?

Might be a bottle of wine/flowers/choccies etc well spent.

You could also ask at your local library re classes etc

mordeith

I'd recommened getting hands on with one to see how you feel about it. Personally I'd recommend O'Callaghan's on Oliver Plunkett street. I've always found them very good to deal with and I've bought hi-fi and computer equipment of them over the years. I'm not in anyway connected to the businiess, just found them approachable on a personal level.

rovoagho

Just pick one up and play with it. If children can do it, you can. PC World in Mahon Point has dozens of them.

minidazzler

Tablets are designed specifically to be as user friendly as possible. You'd learn in literally 3 minutes the very basics. Just go to a shop that sells them and ask to be shown. They're trying to sell it to you, so should be able to show you easily enough how to use it.

.red.

We got a google nexus for our 3 year old at christmas. He only uses it for games but he uses it with ease.
Emails and internet are very easy to use on it. A quick 5 min demo in a shop should be enough for even the least experienced person.
When looking at them be sure to do some research. Lots of them look the same but might have a big difference in price. The internals can be very different tho.
Ideally you want a minimum of 16gb of internal memory, preferably 32gb but if you can put in a memory card then 16gb is loads.
1gb of RAM is the minimum to look for. Anything less and you might find the tablet slow and unresponsive when its in use.
Id have no probs buying another nexus 7 again if needed. The one place i find it isnt great is the camera, but do you really need a good one? Its plenty good enough for skype but for fotos its not great.
Theres some good bargains to be had on the 2012 models which is what i have.

rovoagho

My 1.1 year old has been able to unlock the screen on my wife's phone, with a pattern, since he was .8. My 2.5 year old can happily navigate YouTube for hours. Tabs are easy.

OP, while the above is /somewhat/ correct, the processor speed is the most important factor, then memory, then space depending on your requirements. If you don't have a large music collection, or simply won't be listening to music or watching movies, space is largely irrelevant.

The Nexus 7 is a great tablet for good money however it's not given that it's the right tablet for you, for example if your primary use for the tab is sitting on the sofa and reading and looking for info, a 10" tab might suit better.

Go to PC World and play with all of them, try the different features, like the stylus on the Galaxy Note. Pick 2 or 3 that you like, then go to the Android Devices forum here on Boards, state you're a neophyte and ask about alternatives to them, within your budget. If you're not sure, set a low budget, you can always upgrade if you take to it.

When you get it, go mad with it, open every single app and play with it, see what it does, and make sure you open the Settings/Options and play with these too, they can open up a world of possibilities. When you're done, factory reset the tab and start again with a view to living with it.

It's very hard to break a tablet, they're built with Norms in mind. Go mad, reset, enjoy. Then, and only then, if you're still confused, consider training.

CorkEgoVulture

mordeith wrote: »

I'd recommened getting hands on with one to see how you feel about it. Personally I'd recommend O'Callaghan's on Oliver Plunkett street. I've always found them very good to deal with and I've bought hi-fi and computer equipment of them over the years. I'm not in anyway connected to the businiess, just found them approachable on a personal level.

Had a bad experience with mister o Callahan stay well clear

Bacchus

The OP has had to do a course on the Internet before and is concerned about their ability to use a tablet. I don't think he/she is going to be too worried about how much RAM or processing power different tablets have.

OP, do as some other posters have suggested. Pop in to a PC/Electronics shop and play around with a few tablets to get a feel for them before you buy. Don't be too intimidated by them, they are quite intuitive to use. I've no idea the level of tech competence you have so I don't mean to offend if I'm going too basic but I trained up my mother in law with a smartphone and the single biggest problem was understanding 'swipe', 'tap' and 'press' (e.g. pressing down on an icon to open it, instead of tapping). Once she got used to that she was flying with it.

Don't be worried about apps either. Any tablet will come with the basic stuff - email, internet, camera, youtube, facebook etc. already installed. I don't get the impression you'll want much more than that to begin with but in time, as you get used to it, you can easily install more apps.

First though, get in to the shops and have a play with different tablets. Check out the different sizes (typical sizes are 7" and 10") to see what you prefer. Remember, holding a 10" tablet for an hour of web browsing may get a bit uncomfortable to hold compared to a 7". On the flip side, a 10" will have a much bigger screen.

If you decide to go for it and have 1 or 2 tablets you liked, post em up here and people can advise on which one is better.

Avantech

There are a lot of training companies out there that can train you in how to use it if needs be. There is actually a Bealtaine Festival on in Duhallow (sponsored by IRD Duhallow - I have no affiliation) and there is a training company doing an intro to tablets. I believe they were charging €30. I don't know who the company is but you could always find out.

Generally paying for personal one to one training would be quite expensive, would be cheaper to do in a group like this. I work in a training company and we can do this, but like I said, can be too expensive for some people.
As for children being able to do it, no wonder they do it easily, they grew up with it, they are not worried about breaking it. They will try something and if it doesn't work they will give it to Daddy or Mammy to fix it. The older generation certainly find it more difficult to pick these things up and are worried about doing damage to them.

i agree that they could show you in the shop as well, but they are not trainers and may have difficulty in explaining the fundamentals to you.

lostinsuperfunk

Sorry OP, too late for you now, but there was a free Ipad training session during the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival (see programme p. 40 here).
Maybe the instructor, Joseph Henchin from the College of Commerce, might run similar courses again? It might be worth contacting the College.