Tablets purely for Internet access browsing

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board' started by fired, Nov 15, 2023.

  1. fir

    fired Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Any recommendations?
    I need to buy some for our Community Cafe so that people can use them whilst they are there, to access the internet. The idea is to support people who might otherwise struggle to get online - so simplicity also good.
    I don’t need anything too flash or too appealing to would be thieves.
    I haven’t used a tablet for years so i have no idea what they do. Needs to be something we can put away in a cupboard after use. As opposed to something permanently out like a p.c.
     
    fired, Nov 15, 2023
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  2. dreamboy3000

    dreamboy3000 Well-Known Member

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    dreamboy3000, Nov 15, 2023
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  3. Durkar Red

    Durkar Red Well-Known Member

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    Father in law has a Tesco hudl , they don’t make them anymore, he’s 88yrs and still uses it but he’s looking at an Amazon Fire as an upgrade , I think they are around the £100 to £150 mark
     
    Durkar Red, Nov 15, 2023
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  4. Ses

    Sestren Well-Known Member

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    Not really a recommendation, but a word of warning. I needed a tablet just to control our music system, so bought one of the £50 or so Android ones from Argos. I downloaded the official Spotify and YouTube apps from the google store, and it worked absolutely fine and did the job perfectly. However, I realised a few months on that it had started running all sorts of dodgy apps (the kind of thing that would throw up a really sketchy full-screen advert every few hours). When you deleted them they'd reinstall themselves, under a slightly different name, a day or so later. I'm 100% certain that nobody downloaded anything but those two official pieces of software, so concluded that something must have been going on with the factory installation.

    Just want to make it clear that if you buy really cheap ones (which would probably 100% do the job for what you need), even if they're from a reputable store you probably want somebody who knows their way around technology and the internet to check them every now and again!

    Edit: Very similar to the one that @dreamboy3000 posted - think it was even an Acer! I might have been unlucky, but it's as well to be aware. It's not going to take anybody in who knows enough about the internet to keep their wits about them, but if it's for folk that aren't as experienced then I'd keep an eye out.
     
    Sestren, Nov 15, 2023
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  5. Gally

    Gally Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    I think this is likely to be an issue with buying an Android tablet in general particularly one that has a limited lifetime with regards support for security updates from the manufacturer. Some only support tablets for 2 years. I’d make sure that a manufacturer that provides updates for 4 years is bought and that the updates are also installed on a regular basis. I’d limit the ability for anyone using the tablet from installing software as well. Issues usually arise from dodgy non-play store apps and security vulnerabilities that aren’t patched

    You are less likely to have this sort of issue with an iPad but then it will cost considerably more and I’d guess in this situation cost is going to be the utmost concern.

    I think i’d be tempted to look at the Amazon Fire range of tablets. They support them reasonably well with a 4 year update policy.

    It’s also about to be Black Friday week on Amazon and they usually have deals on these so wait for that to save some money.

    They start about 80 quid for a 7 inch tablet, 124 for the 8inch and 186 for the 10 inch. There’s a rugged 10 inch version aimed at kids that would be perfect for a public setting as it comes with a 2 year worry free guarantee that means that they will replace if someone manages to break it.

    It might also be worth getting some Bluetooth keyboard cases if you want people to be able to use them to fill in applications or anything like that?
     
    Gally, Nov 16, 2023
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  6. kez

    kez Well-Known Member

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    For what you get performance wise then you can't beat the Fire Tablets, the equivalent is Samsung and whilst they are a bit better they are hundreds of pounds more. Black Friday starts tomorrow so all the Amazon stuff will be on special. We've a 10" Fire Tablet and it's been perfect for what we want, I use it in bath to watch Sky
     
    kez, Nov 16, 2023
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  7. Stephen Dawson

    Stephen Dawson Well-Known Member

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    [​IMG]
     
    Stephen Dawson, Nov 16, 2023
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  8. TitusMagee

    TitusMagee Well-Known Member

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    I bought a lenovo Tab a couple of years ago for mostly reading ebooks whilst I was studying. It was crap so Id avoid them, very slow. Crashed frequently.
     
    TitusMagee, Nov 16, 2023
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  9. Stephen Dawson

    Stephen Dawson Well-Known Member

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    The Samsung tablet isn't very good either. The power button isn't sensitive. You have to give it a real press to switch it on or off.
     
    Stephen Dawson, Nov 16, 2023
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  10. Hooky feller

    Hooky feller Well-Known Member

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    Pmsl, quality. :)
     
    Hooky feller, Nov 16, 2023
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  11. TitusMagee

    TitusMagee Well-Known Member

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    I have an ipad air now but use for drawing digitally.
     
    TitusMagee, Nov 16, 2023
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  12. RichK

    RichK Well-Known Member

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    I had a Samsung Tab a few years ago. Bought for browsing on a bigger screen than phone, but the browsing performance/experience was really poor, went back to using phone.
     
    RichK, Nov 16, 2023
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  13. Stephen Dawson

    Stephen Dawson Well-Known Member

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    George uses the Samsung one and the screen isn't as responsive as it should be. I think that's more down to how hard he taps it when he's on youtube watching Blippi or Steve and Maggie.
     
    Stephen Dawson, Nov 16, 2023
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  14. Red Mist

    Red Mist Well-Known Member

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    Amazon fire,can't to wrong :)
     
    Red Mist, Nov 16, 2023
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  15. Archey

    Archey Well-Known Member

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    It's a few years old now, but I'd personally not recommend the Fire that I have. I can't remember which model, but it's always been slow, the battery is poor, and the interface is a little messy and confusing.

    The newer ones might be better though so I'd have a read.
     
    Archey, Nov 16, 2023
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  16. Jay

    Jay Well-Known Member

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    Codeine? Novocaine?
     
    Jay, Nov 16, 2023
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  17. TitusMagee

    TitusMagee Well-Known Member

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    Same experience I had with daughter's fire tablet.
     
    TitusMagee, Nov 16, 2023
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  18. Marc

    Marc Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Just make sure Michael Matheson doesn’t get hold of it.
     
    Marc, Nov 16, 2023
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  19. Rev

    Revvie P Well-Known Member

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    Revvie P, Nov 16, 2023
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  20. kez

    kez Well-Known Member

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    The 10" Fire Tablets are down to £85 (Black Friday) instead of £150, you won't get much better for that and they'll be fine for internet browsing
     
    kez, Nov 17, 2023
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