tablet thoughts?

[fishorama]

My tablets died so I want a new 1 for reading some library books, nothing much else. I see Android 14 for ~$50. It seems enough for Libby & Hoopla at my library. Is that likely be new enough for a few years? Any ideas? The library site says it supports "most" Android 7.1 & above.

I was given a cheap tablet quite a few years ago. It was fine until the battery died. Then I used my late FILs Apple I-pad mini for exactly 3 books, but it wasn't supported after that, grrr! So, I've been reading print books since. I kind of like them, but some books are only available as E-books.

What do you think? I would prefer Android, my husband hates all things Apple & we might share sometimes.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

 

[Colin_T]

Give him a banana and keep the apple for yourself

No idea about tablets. All I know is I have been through 8 pcs and laptops in the last 8 years and all have failed under warranty. The computer I am using now is one I just built and is doing a splendid job. Not sure if you can build your own tablet.

 

[gimme30]

I'd get the cheapest KIndle you can-if you can stand being stuck in the Amazon ecosphere. They work with Libby. They'll be on sale soon with the holidays coming up and you should be able to get one under $50. I paid $35 for mine last year. Otherwise any cheap no-name from Walmart will do the trick.

 

[fishorama]

Yikes Colin! I need a new PC too, you're not inspiring confidence lol. I'm using a crappy Windows 10 laptop & don't like it.

Thanks gimme30! I had my FIL's old kindle too but it died before I learned to use it. I'm thinking hard about the walmart cheap 10 inch 1s. Then I could use it for other things if I need to.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

U have not purchased an off the shelf PC since widows 98. I built two of my boxes since then and had my win 10 box built for me. I never have had issues with any of the 3. I have a really good computer person who does my work.

I have only ever had a few version of Windows: 3.0/3.1, 98. XP (I built the box), 7 (I built the box) and 1- which my PC guy built for me. Each version went onto a new nox which lasted until the next one. I have averaged about 7 years for a PC before I have upgraded. My first Box, a 386 chip upgraded to a 486 chip was also built for me and ran only DOS until I got Windows 3.0.

I own nothing that requires me to use a touch screen.

My PC guy said based on how I do things online I should be able to keep on using Windows 10 for another 5 years or so. I have to get another device for Windows 11 as I have to have if to use TurboTax. My guy thinks he can force 11 to work on the Laptop I got in the summer of 2023. I have not used it since Sept of 23. To let my guy take it with him yesterday I had to charge it as it has not been used in a while. I gave to my bro to use but he gave it back as he hated mow it was set up for max privacy.

I could have used Turbo Tax on Windows 10 if I did it online on the Intuit site. There is no chance i would ever allow Intuit to have a copy of my taxes on their servers.

 

[anewbie]

I built my linux box in 2009. It has a 2500K processor with lots of security flaws so one of these days i'll upgrade the mb/ram/processor since none of the old ram is backward compatible these days.

For tablets kindel is not a bad bet IF you only read on it as amazon suplement the price assuming you will buy books. HOWEVER if you want to web browse and stuff i would go a step up - a bit depends on what size you want 7 inch, 8 inch, 10 inch, 11 inch, 14 inch are the common size at least for andriod.

 

[Back in the fold]

I have an Apple iPad Air . It’s great . Does every little simple thing I need .

 

[fishorama]

Thanks, 2tank. My husband is my techie . I use whatever he buys. My PC (also Win 10) quit working & I can't even get my last tax records off it (I can probably recreate them if needed). It's truly dead. Our laptop a very stripped-down version. It was just for travel like email; no banking or other important stuff, very little memory. I use husband's PC (Win 11) for important stuff. My bro used to build his own but I think he doesn't now, too much bother for us. My last PC was my first that wasn't husband's hand me down.

You & I have discussed your privacy issues...let's just keep that private too, lol.

anewbie, thanks! I want to use my library free e-books, I read too much to have to buy. I'm thinking an Android 14 tablet. A 10 inch seems like a good size for reading, can do other stuff & even fit in my purse for dr. appt waiting room etc. I'm a bit worried about the weight, even just my (new!) phone seems heavy, but it wouldn't be a travel option often...neither is my phone yet, no calls from the grocery store, still a learning curve. We just got them in July for a driving trip, lol. I think of us as "slow tech" (ahem).

I will also ask the librarians next time I go. Some are more savvy than others as I found out when my I-pad quit working. 2 tried to help but a new person read the notices & actually knew why.

Back in the fold, I think I mentioned my husband's Apple hate. But a good thought, thanks!

 

[anewbie]

The thing is that for bed reading or similar you will want something smaller than for table or exercise bike reading. You really can't hold the 10+ tablets with one hand easily.

As for the larger tablets it all depends how much you want to spend - samsung premimum model is certainly the fastest with the nicest screen but cost as much as $800; but there are models for under $200. ALSO blackfriday period is not a bad time to buy your tablet.

 

[fishorama]

Thanks anewbie! I guess you missed my $50 limit if possible, not $800!! I don't need speed to read. I use my laptop at the kitchen table & don't like it. For bed reading I can only read & sleep on 1 side. Unfortunately that's the "middle side". We've kind of adapted to me going to bed first to read for a bit & he rescues my book & turns off the lights, It doesn't quite work with a tablet as I recall. If I fall asleep & the tablet does too, he may not notice. We'll figure it out again I hope, lol.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

If you want a cheap tablet try an aspirin.

Have a look here: https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-cheap-tablets#

Plus: I have no clue re what is any good as I have never owned a tablet and likely never will.

Android Tablet 10 Inch Tablet, 64Gb Storage Tablets, Android 14 Tablet, 1024Gb Expand, 8MP Camera, Quad-Core Processor 8GB RAM Wifi 6000Mah Battery 10​

$47.97 Walmart

Amazon - Fire HD 8 Tablet, 8" HD Display, 3GB Memory, 32GB, Designed For Portable Entertainment (2024 Release) - Black​

$54.99$99.99 Best Buy

10 Inch Tablet, Google Android 14 Tablet, Quad-Core Processor Tableta Computer With 32Gb ROM 6GB RAM 8MP Camera Wifi BT 10.1 in HD Display, 6000Mah Lo​

$49.97 Walmart

BAKEN 10.1-Inch Android13 Tablet, 4(2+2)GB+64GB, Quad-Core Processor, Dual Cameras, Wifi, Bluetooth,​

$57.15 $150.39 Aliexpress
https://duckduckgo.com/y.js?ad_doma...493243FB3606A3B6C85873EB7618B&ID=DevEx,5137.1

Tablet 10in Dual SIM Dual Standby 2GB 32GB Dual Camera 1080P HD Large Screen Portable Call Tablet​

$58.83 Aliexpress

 

[anewbie]

My guess is the fire 8 hd kindel (2024 model) for $50 is your best bet but i have not used it personally. I'd wait till black friday period and see what is on sale and if you can spend closer to $100 you might find something better. My guess is 8 inch is going to be your best option.

Be sure to pay attention to amount of ram (don't confuse ram with storage - most ram range from 2gb to 12gb), sd slot - great for books or video and screen resolution.

I have no clue if any of these super low end model are any good. I do have a c1 8inch tablet. It is very slow but nice screen and and decent ram (it is around $80); the leveno tablets the last couple of years have been service able - they have one that is 8.7 inch and it will cost around $110 - they are noticeably faster than the c1 but not exactly fast. leveno has a premium tablet but it is $400.

 

[Colin_T]

Yikes Colin! I need a new PC too, you're not inspiring confidence lol. I'm using a crappy Windows 10 laptop & don't like it.

I'm using crappy win11 and it's no better than win10. The only difference is it's harder to find anything on win11. They moved the copy, paste and some other features to the top or bottom when you right click something. It's really annoying trying to adapt to it after 30 years of normalcy.

 

[gimme30]

If you want a cheap tablet try an aspirin.

At first I was thinking "Is that a new brand? I'll have to check it out!"
Man I can be so dumb sometimes.
But that's funny.

Here's the thing with anything Android based-the amount of support time (patches/updates) varies considerably amongst brands. But it's never as long as you'd like it to be. That makes spending hundreds on a tablet (or phone) a waste of money especially if it's just used for reading. The first one TTA linked to would be fine, although I find it easier to hold smaller tablets for reading. I'd look for one with long battery life and a case that will hold it in the orientation you prefer.

 

[jaylach]

For reading I use a Microsoft Surface 3 that is 10 inch. It is about the size of a decent paperback and light. I got it refurbished pretty cheap and have had no problems after several years of use. I have over 520 eBooks on the thing through Nook (Barnes & Noble).

Before the Surface I had a 10 inch Android and it worked well but lacked some features that I get through the Surface version of Nook.

I prefer a tablet over a dedicated eBook reader as it is more versatile. The first tablet I got for reading was a 7 inch Android and, for me, it was just too small.