Help please - looking for tablet with cellular connectivity

ifeelstupid

Hi there
All suggestions on the above gratefully appreciated. As the title says I am looking to get a tablet with cellular/4g connectivity. It's for my mum and will just be for a bot of online browsing, whatsapp (pic of the grandkids!)and maybe an occasional Skype call.
She doesn't have broadband, hence the need for cellular, very good 4g coverage in my area - don't want to get her something that entails her having a monthly bill. I'm happy enough to add a sim plan into my business account with VF.
Will need to have it for Xmas so suggestions from bricks and mortar shops please. Mayo, Galway or I will be in Dublin next Friday so can get one there if necessary. Budget is quite open.......within reason considering the use it will have!
Called into Harvey Nirman today on the way to work but they didn't have anything.
Thanks

ifeelstupid

ifeelstupid wrote: »

Hi there
All suggestions on the above gratefully appreciated. As the title says I am looking to get a tablet with cellular/4g connectivity. It's for my mum and will just be for a bot of online browsing, whatsapp (pic of the grandkids!)and maybe an occasional Skype call.
She doesn't have broadband, hence the need for cellular, very good 4g coverage in my area - don't want to get her something that entails her having a monthly bill. I'm happy enough to add a sim plan into my business account with VF.
Will need to have it for Xmas so suggestions from bricks and mortar shops please. Mayo, Galway or I will be in Dublin next Friday so can get one there if necessary. Budget is quite open.......within reason considering the use it will have!
Called into Harvey Nirman today on the way to work but they didn't have anything.
Thanks

You're right, I had a quick look and they're pretty hard to come by these days. I can only imagine it's because they're not popular. PC World and Vodafone both are out of stock on the 4G Galaxy Tab.

PC World have this one, but only available for home delivery:

http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/archos-101b-xenon-101-3g-tablet-16-gb-silver/332686/398.1.0

Your best option might just be to put a Vodafone SIM into some kind of mobile wifi device that she can connect to.

dr.fuzzenstein

One option could be using a mobile phone as a WiFi hotspot that the tablet can connect to. That way an existing phone could be used in conjunction with a non 4g tablet. The tablet would just piggyback on the phones data connection.

CelticRambler

Before you commit, does your mother actually want a tablet? Mine (75yo last week) is happier with a small laptop (and a smartphone) for the uses you've described, and having been the proud owner of a tablet (for completely different purposes) for about two months, I can understand why - I don't think I've ever had a new gadget spend so much time in its box! :pac:

I know that some people love them, but biggest problem for browsing is that you have to hold them with one hand (which isn't easy because so much bigger than a phone) and poke the virtual keys with the other ... or put them on the sofa/your knee/the ironing board/whatever, and hope they don't slide off. My mother leaves her laptop on the sofa, where it gets covered with newspaper, cushions, cuddly toys, letters & junkmail, etc - but it's always at least partially visible, and with the lid closed tolerant of being whacked with a variety of FisherPrice weapons. And when it comes to looking at photos/videos - especially of the interactive type - the screen stands up on its own, leaving her free to wave her hands about.

ED E

Here's a list of 17 recent options that support Irish 4G:

List

Be careful of data overage fees with Vodafone.

ifeelstupid

CelticRambler wrote: »

Before you commit, does your mother actually want a tablet? Mine (75yo last week) is happier with a small laptop (and a smartphone) for the uses you've described, and having been the proud owner of a tablet (for completely different purposes) for about two months, I can understand why - I don't think I've ever had a new gadget spend so much time in its box! :pac:

I know that some people love them, but biggest problem for browsing is that you have to hold them with one hand (which isn't easy because so much bigger than a phone) and poke the virtual keys with the other ... or put them on the sofa/your knee/the ironing board/whatever, and hope they don't slide off. My mother leaves her laptop on the sofa, where it gets covered with newspaper, cushions, cuddly toys, letters & junkmail, etc - but it's always at least partially visible, and with the lid closed tolerant of being whacked with a variety of FisherPrice weapons. And when it comes to looking at photos/videos - especially of the interactive type - the screen stands up on its own, leaving her free to wave her hands about.

No, I'm pretty sure she does not want one at all. She is also 75 and very wary of all technology, still using a Nokia brick that I cannot get her to part with. Had thought of starting her off with a smartphone but I think a tablet with just a couple of apps on it to start with might be the way to go!

Any opinions on this Samsung - have probably narrowed it to this or an iPad

http://www.littlewoodsireland.ie/samsung-galaxy-tab-a-lte-101-inch-16b-black/1600109268.prd

ED E

Crap screen (75yo might not notice) and will be plagued with "storage full" warnings (4GB for apps/userdata).

It'd probably do her, but its not great value.

mickmackmcgoo

There is a 6 inch phablet on tescomobile website . Spec isn't top end but it's only 139 and might do her

ifeelstupid

mickmackmcgoo wrote: »

There is a 6 inch phablet on tescomobile website . Spec isn't top end but it's only 139 and might do her

Thanks, but bigger screen would be better for pics which is what it will mainly be used for - family keeping in touch and sending photos of kids etc. She won't actually take any pics with it:D
We have a couple of whatsapp family groups going but nobody thinks to send mother pics separately!!

CelticRambler

ifeelstupid wrote: »

No, I'm pretty sure she does not want one at all. She is also 75 and very wary of all technology, still using a Nokia brick that I cannot get her to part with. Had thought of starting her off with a smartphone but I think a tablet with just a couple of apps on it to start with might be the way to go!

Ah, I'm not sure about that. She won't use it if she doesn't have it to hand, and tablets are a feckin' nuisance to carry around, so she'll never take it out of the house. We all thought our mam would never agree to use a smartphone, but we got our dad one for his 70th, which he loved. A week later mam said of her own volition "it's a pity I got a new (brick) phone last month ... "

Anyway, she has a smartphone now, mainly for WhatApping, and uses it all the time, especially when shopping. She's also not afraid to take someone else's phone and scroll through their photos :eek: and knows perfectly well how to pinch and zoom to see who that is in the background! :pac:

Don't underestimate your mam's learning abilities - but do take account of her aged hands.

ifeelstupid

CelticRambler wrote: »

Ah, I'm not sure about that. She won't use it if she doesn't have it to hand, and tablets are a feckin' nuisance to carry around, so she'll never take it out of the house. We all thought our mam would never agree to use a smartphone, but we got our dad one for his 70th, which he loved. A week later mam said of her own volition "it's a pity I got a new (brick) phone last month ... "

Anyway, she has a smartphone now, mainly for WhatApping, and uses it all the time, especially when shopping. She's also not afraid to take someone else's phone and scroll through their photos :eek: and knows perfectly well how to pinch and zoom to see who that is in the background! :pac:

Don't underestimate your mam's learning abilities - but do take account of her aged hands.

Thanks Celticrambler. The idea is a bit backwards I know but I'm hoping once she sees how easy the tablet is to use that we might be able to persuade her down the smartphone route. This way she will still have the brick for calls etc and will have the tablet for experimenting!! After I don't know how many years of mobile ownership she has only recently actually taking it out of the house with hers it's not a problem that she won't have tablet to hand all the time!!
I'm sure there will be plenty of small hands around very willing to take the tablet into care if she doesn't take to it:D